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Western Notes: Augustin, Williams, Gobert

April 26th, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Point guard D.J. Augustin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, appreciates the opportunity he was given in Denver, but he isn’t sure if he will re-sign with the Nuggets this summer, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “This is my fourth summer being a free agent,” Augustin told Dempsey. “You never know what can happen. I’ve been promised things in the past, and it didn’t come true. I’ve had my hopes up in the past [and things] didn’t happen. It’s just all about putting things in God’s hands and my agent’s hands and I’m going to just relax. My wife is having our third child. So I’m going to just see what happens. Anything can happen. I love it here, and hopefully things work out.”

Regarding finally getting an opportunity to play after being buried on the Thunder’s bench, Augustin told Dempsey, “I was in a tough situation in Oklahoma. Like I told a lot of people, it wasn’t working out there. I did the right thing, my agent did the right thing and talked to those guys and they were kind enough to trade me, trade me to a good situation. Everything worked out.”

Here’s more from out West:

  • Mavs point guard Deron Williams‘ sports hernia is getting worse and he will likely need offseason surgery to repair the injury, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter links). Williams, who has a player option worth $5,621,026 for next season, impressed the team and seemed to have fun for the first time in the past few seasons, executive Donnie Nelson said, according to Sneed.
  • Lance Stephenson said he would be comfortable remaining with the Grizzlies if they exercise their team option on his contract worth $9,405MM for next season, when asked if he would prefer to ink a multiyear deal instead, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.
  • Despite struggling with injuries this season, Jazz big man Rudy Gobert feels like his overall game has improved, as Jody Genessy of The Deseret News relays. “It’s been kind of weird this year with injuries to try to come back and get my rhythm back,” Gobert said. “My teammates got me involved, but it was kind of tough this year. I feel like I still got better. You can’t really see it on stats, but I feel like I got better.”
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Western Notes: Pierce, Mitchell, Howard

March 28th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul Pierce‘s decision on whether to retire after the season may be tied to what Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett chooses to do, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports. The former Celtics teammates text each other at least once a week and have frequently considered the possibility of retiring at the same time, Murphy continues. But the Clippers’ veteran small forward admits that he has no idea what Garnett has in mind, Murphy adds. “I never know what KG is going to do, because he said he was going to retire four or five years ago,” Pierce said. “Every year he says he’s done, and every year he keeps coming back. It would be great.”

In other developments around the Western Conference:

  • Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor will decide on interim coach Sam Mitchell’s future after the season, according to Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. While GM Milt Newton will give his input on Mitchell, Taylor will have the final word, as he told Youngblood. “Certainly it starts with Milt. But I don’t want to say it’s his call,” Taylor said. “It’s probably my call.’’
  • Dwight Howard switched agents because Perry Rogers doesn’t have a large clientele, he told NBA.com’s David Aldridge in a Q&A session. The Rockets center hired Rogers after parting ways with Dan Fegan. Rogers is also Shaquille O’Neal’s agent and O’Neal brought Howard and Rogers together, Howard goes on to tell Aldridge. “I just felt like he has an opportunity to just focus on me,” Howard said. “Any other agent, they have a lot of different clients and stuff like that. I felt like he was able to just focus on me.”
  • Jazz coach Quin Snyder believes fatigue may be the cause of center Rudy Gobert‘s recent swoon, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. Gobert, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, averaged just 5.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the team’s last recent five-game road trip. “He’s probably hit the proverbial wall and had to make adjustments in season,” Snyder told Sorensen. “Last year after All-Star break was a very finite stretch of time with a completely different mindset in how [opponents] approach him. Last year people weren’t prepared to play against him and now he’s garnering much more attention.”
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Western Notes: Gobert, Lawson, Lieberman

December 2nd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rudy Gobert is out indefinitely after suffering Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during practice today, the Jazz announced, and history suggests he’ll miss more than a month. Marc Gasol missed a month and a half when he suffered the same injury two years ago, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter links). It took Greg Stiemsma about the same length of time to come back from his Grade II MCL sprain in 2013, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). That doesn’t necessarily mean Gobert is out that long, but with Jazz D-Leaguer Jack Cooley reportedly having just agreed to play in Spain, the timing of Gobert’s injury is poor, and Falk doesn’t expect the team to make a move in the immediate future (Twitter link). See more from the Western Conference:

  • The Rockets aren’t looking into deals for Ty Lawson, even though teams think they’ll be able to trade for him on the cheap, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitterlinks). Kyler believes the Rockets are interested in a change of some sort but hears that the focus isn’t on Lawson. The offseason trade acquisition indicated today that he’s on board with his reserve role, one he’s been in since J.B. Bickerstaff removed him from the starting lineup in his first game as interim coach, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). “It’s just whatever coach wants me to do, what the team needs me to do, I’m doing it,” Lawson said.
  • Kings assistant Nancy Lieberman believes her hiring as the NBA’s second female full-time assistant coach was necessary to maintain the momentum created when the Spurs made Becky Hammon the first, as Lieberman writes in The Players’ Tribune. She didn’t address a report that she would be owner Vivek Ranadive’s choice to become interim head coach in the event the Kings fire George Karl, but she did talk about the bond she’s quickly formed with the players. “DeMarcus Cousins has been one of the most amazing young men from the time I met him in Vegas,” Lieberman wrote. “He just gave me this big old hug and said, ‘We’re happy you’re here.'”
  • The 2015 draft class is proving unexpectedly productive and deep, but No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves remains the leader for Rookie of the Year honors, argues Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
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Northwest Notes: Saunders, Waiters, Gobert, Atkins

October 26th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Flip Saunders was in a coma for nearly six weeks before his death at age 60, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. He had one more treatment left for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he came down with pneumonia, went into the hospital, and failed to recover, sources told Hartman. Saunders was optimistic in the months leading up to his death, about his own prognosis — saying that he thought he’d return to the team shortly after the New Year — and about the Timberwolves, as Hartman details. The coach/executive predicted a title for the team within three years, though close friends speculated that by that time, he hoped that he could turn over head coaching duties to son Ryan, a Wolves assistant coach, according to Hartman. Saunders was by far the winningest coach in Timberwolves history, going 427-392 over his two tenures in the job, and was the only coach ever to take the team to the playoffs, the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda writes in an obituary. As the NBA mourns, see more from the Northwest Division:

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Jazz Exercise Options On Four Players

October 17th, 2015 at 4:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz have exercised third-year options on Dante Exum and Rodney Hood and fourth-year options on Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert, the team announced today. All four options are for the 2016/17 season.

The 20-year-old Exum will receive slightly more than $3.94MM. He is expected to miss the upcoming season after damaging the ACL in his left knee while playing for the Australian National Team. He appeared in all 82 games during his rookie season in Utah, averaging 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Exum was part of the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend.

Hood, 22, will earn a little over $1.4MM. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists during his rookie campaign and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month during the final month of last season.

The 22-year-old Burke will make nearly $3.39MM. He has started 111 games during his first two NBA seasons and has averages of 12.8 points 2.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2013/14 and has been part of the Rising Stars Challenge the past two seasons.

Gobert, 23, will make more than $2.1MM. He sparked the Jazz to a 22-15 record after moving into the starting lineup in the middle of last season. Gobert finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and became the third player in Utah history to top 180 blocked shots in a season. He has career averages of 6.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

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And-Ones: Sixers, Jackson, Marble

February 17th, 2015 at 11:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are willing to take on expiring contracts in order to increase their stash of second-round draft picks, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Trade talks have been heating up, an NBA source told Moore, and the team is likely to make at least one deal before Thursday’s deadline. The Sixers already own 16 second-rounders over the next six drafts but wouldn’t mind adding more assets. The franchise also has $18.4MM in salary-cap room to absorb expiring deals, Moore continues. If the Sixers do make a deal, Luc Mbah a Moute is the player most likely to be moved. Mbah a Moute, who has an expiring contract of approximately $4.4MM, is averaging a career high of 10.0 points,  and could draw interest from a contender. Moore also speculates the club would consider moving its best all-around player, Michael Carter-Williams, for the right price.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Reggie Jackson would probably wind up with a non-contender if he’s dealt by the Thunder before the trade deadline, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. Jackson’s most likely destination would be a team needing a long-term solution at point guard with the expectation of re-signing him when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer, Slater adds. Jackson is making just over $2.2MM and might have to be paired with a higher-salaried player such as Kendrick Perkins, who is making approximately $9.65MM, in order to bring back a quality player in return, according to Slater.
  • Gary Payton has shown interest in joining George Karl’s staff with the Kings, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets. Payton was Karl’s long-time point guard in Seattle, including during the 1996 NBA Finals when the SuperSonics lost to the Bulls.
  • The Magic have re-assigned Devyn Marble to the Erie BayHawks, their D-League affiliate, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. Marble, a rookie guard, has not appeared in an NBA game since January 25th. In 16 games with the Magic this season, Marble is averaging 2.3 PPG.
  • Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are the main building blocks for the Jazz and have too much potential to be traded, Brad Rock of the Deseret News writes. Quality big men are precious commodities and that makes the duo more important than the team’s current star, Gordon Hayward, Rock adds.
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Western Notes: Warriors, Matthews, Mavs

February 4th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Rajon Rondo out indefinitely after suffering two facial fractures, the Mavs are in need of some depth, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas may look to add a player on a 10-day contract while it waits for Jermaine O’Neal to decide when and where he resumes his NBA career, Sefko reports. Owner Mark Cuban said that Dallas will be looking at players returning from China as well as those waived by NBA teams, in order to fill its final roster spot, Sefko adds.

Here’s more from out west:

  • Soon-to-be free agent Wesley Matthews wants to remain with the Trail Blazers, as he tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, and the shooting guard makes it clear the team’s success on the court is a factor.
  • The Warriors have led the NBA in defensive rating from the opening day of the season, and the team’s dominance on defense can be traced back to two personnel moves that the franchise has made, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com writes. The ESPN scribe points to Golden State’s deal with the Bucks that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee and netted the team Andrew Bogut, and the sign-and-trade deal for Andre Iguodala, as major reasons for Golden State’s defensive prowess this season.
  • Rival executives have said that the Nuggets would love to add a star player between now and the trade deadline, but if the team is unable to accomplish that goal, it will seek to trade away some of its veteran players for first round draft picks, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes.
  • Rudy Gobert has emerged as a defensive force for the Jazz this season, and Wesley Share of RealGM.com profiles the big man’s growth into an impact player.
  • Quincy Miller, who is on his second 10-day contract of the season with the Kings, has never been short on talent, but poor timing has slowed his career up to this point, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. Discussing why the Nuggets chose to waive him earlier this season, Miller said, “I think they really wanted a veteran in Alonzo Gee and a defensive player. I don’t think I was the defensive player that they wanted, and I was everything they already had in Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari – a shooter/finisher. They wanted to go in a different direction, which is fine, but I just wish it would’ve been different timing.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Jazz Opt In With Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert

October 25th, 2014 at 8:31am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Jazz have exercised their third year team options for Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert, the team has officially announced. This doesn’t come as a surprise since both players factor into Utah’s longterm rebuilding plans. Burke is set to make $2,658,240 and Gobert $1,175,880 during the 2015/16 season. By exercising these options the Jazz now have approximately $47.6MM in guaranteed money on the books for that campaign.

Burke is continuing to develop after being selected in 2013 with the ninth overall pick. During his rookie season he appeared in 70 games, including 68 as a starter, averaging 12.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 5.7 APG. His slash line was .380/.330/.903. The pressure is on Burke to improve his outside shooting and cut down on his 1.9 turnovers per game. Utah drafted Dante Exum with the No. 4 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and Exum projects more as a point guard at this stage of development.

The 7’1″ Gobert was also part of the 2013 draft class, being selected 27th overall. During his rookie campaign, Gobert appeared in 45 games, averaging 2.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG, while logging 9.6 minutes a night.

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Western Notes: Cuban, Fredette, J.R. Smith

January 12th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With just 39 days left until the trade deadline, the Mavericks say they are cool on the idea of signing Andrew Bynum, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. It’s not a financial issue, but rather that the team doesn’t need an upgrade at center in the light of the recent play of Samuel Dalembert. That could change if Dalembert cannot maintain consistent production. Team owner Mark Cuban also says the team will be exploring other deals, but he adds that they are restricted by the financial constraints of the collective bargaining agreement. When asked if that meant the “Bank of Cuban” is open, he said: “It’s always been open. Even on Saturdays and Sundays,” and, “We’re always wide-open. We’ll do the deal that we need to do to accomplish what we need to accomplish.”

Some more notes from around the Western Conference:

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D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, Shengelia

January 11th, 2014 at 4:09pm CST by Charlie Adams

Here are a few points pertaining to the NBA’s D-League:

  • The Jazz are expected to recall rookies Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark from the D-League this weekend, tweets Jody Genessy of Deseret News. The duo spent time playing for the Bakersfield Jam but should rejoin the Jazz sometime today or tomorrow.
  • Tornike Shengelia has been recalled by the Nets, the team announced. Shengelia, who had been playing with the Springfield Armor, has played sparingly throughout his career after being selected late in the 2012 draft by the 76ers. So far for this season, Shengelia has averaged 8.4 MPG in 15 contests for Brooklyn.
  • Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times takes a look at how a couple of former D-League players, Jon Leuer and Ed Davis, have been able to be productive for the Grizzlies. With Marc Gasol sidelined, the two big men have gained valuable experience by playing more minutes than they would have otherwise.
  • Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks had officially signed James Nunnally to a 10-day contract. Nunnally caught Atlanta’s attention after a strong showing in this year’s D-League Showcase where he earned a spot as a member of the All-Showcase Second Team.
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