Seth Curry

Sefko’s Latest: Point Guard A “Priority” For Mavs In Offseason

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News discussed the Mavs‘ offseason plans during a live chat Monday, labeling point guard the team’s “No. 1 priority” in the upcoming draft.

“Somebody who can snag rebounds will help,” Sefko explained. “But an athletic wing player is always in demand. Still, Point guard is the No. 1 priority in the offseason. We all think highly of Yogi Ferrell, but he needs help at the position. If Seth Curry‘s handles get a little better…”

Sefko acknowledged Dallas’ minimal playoff chances, citing the Mavs’ upcoming schedule as problematic. Rick Carlisle‘s squad dropped three of four in a recent stretch (including defeats to the Suns and 76ers), putting the Mavs in an unenviable position as the postseason nears. Still, Sefko writes, there’s reason for optimism in 2017/18:

“This franchise still is recovering from the DeAndre Jordan nightmare. But this summer, if they can connect on another solid double like Harrison Barnes or Curry or Wesley Matthews, then they are positioned to have enough young talent to get the attention of star free agents.”

Veteran point guard J.J. Barea was among Sefko’s talking points. While Barea has two guaranteed seasons left his contract, Sefko predicts J.J. will be coaching before too long. With that in mind, it would behoove Barea to act as a mentor to Ferrell and Curry.

When asked about potential draft picks for the Mavs, Sefko pointed out Donovan Mitchell of Louisville, as well as Jonathan Isaac of Florida State.

Mark Cuban: “We’ve Gone Through A Rebuild In One Season”

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed his team in a Q&A with Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The interview spanned a variety of subjects- even touching on politics toward the end- but Cuban was sure to praise the “reinvigorated” Dirk Nowitzki, as well as scrappy guards Yogi Ferrell and Seth Curry.

“This has reinvigorated Dirk. He sees the big picture,” Cuban said of Nowitzki’s choice to ‘ride it out’ in Dallas. “We’re in a win-win situation. We lose, we get a better draft pick, we win we get into the playoffs. It’s fun. It feels a lot more like 2000 when I first brought the team. All this young energy, exciting, fun to watch, we’re at a place where we’re not supposed to be.”

Cuban has reason to be pleased with Dallas’ season. Having gotten off to a 5-18 start in 2016/17, it looked as though the Mavs were in for a lost season. Several key contributors have helped right the ship, however. Ferrell and Curry have supplanted J.J. Barea and Devin Harris as Rick Carlisle‘s primary guards, Harrison Barnes has overcome a shaky start to the season, and Nerlens Noel looks like a stellar trade deadline pick-up.

“He has the most understated swag I’ve ever seen. His brother [Stephen] likes to dance. Seth will just kill you and then give you a little hand motion. He’s so non-demonstrative,” Cuban said. “To me, the more of a show you put on when you do something, the less swag you have. He doesn’t tell you, he scoreboards you, and to me, that’s the ultimate swag. We want him to be here forever. He’s our kind of guy.”

In Cuban’s mind, the team’s abbreviated rebuilding period has been a group effort.

“We’ve basically gone through a rebuild in one season. It’s a credit to Rick (Carlisle, the Mavericks coach) but also everyone on this team,” Cuban said. “There’s still a lot more to do. Nobody’s writing us in for The Finals this year. Our guys really worked hard, as hard or harder than any team in the league. Look at Miami. They’ve undergone a lot of changes too, much like we have, and they just play harder. I remember the Celtics after they traded off Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and they tried to find themselves and they did that by playing their asses off. That’s who we are now. Teams kind of look at our talent and don’t know what to expect but it’s hard to keep up with us when you go 15 deep with guys playing hard. It’s our calling card. I love it.”

Mavericks Notes: Curry, Roster, Parsons, Powell

After getting off to a very sluggish start this season, the Mavericks have shown real promise for the future in recent months, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Mavs owner Mark Cuban said earlier this week that he likes the current roster, despite the fact that the team remains below .500.

“We basically went from 4-17 to, all right, this squad has got some real potential,” Cuban said. “We did it on the back of undrafted free agents and one trade. There’s a lot to be said for that.”

As the 27-36 Mavs, who currently sit 10th in the West and two games behind the No. 8 Nuggets, continue to push for a playoff spot, let’s check in on a few more items out of Dallas…

  • Within MacMahon’s piece linked above, Cuban also raved about Seth Curry, who is enjoying a breakout year in Dallas this season. In 59 games, the lesser-known Curry brother has averaged 12.9 PPG with a .487/.435/.831 shooting line. “We want him to be [with us] forever,” Cuban said. “He’s our kind of guy — shoots, plays hard defensively, great in the locker room. We call him Swaggy Swag. High swag level, low volume level. Those kind of guys are good. Swaggy Swag’s a keeper.”
  • For his part, Curry sounds optimistic about the future for the Mavericks: “As long as we continue to play well and turn the season around like we are, I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a nucleus that would get better and continue to be better as a team.”
  • As MacMahon details, Cuban also weighed in on Chandler Parsons‘ struggles in Memphis this year, admitting that he’s somewhat conflicted watching his old friend endure the worst season of his NBA career. “I feel bad for him. As a friend, I feel bad for him,” Cuban said. “As an opponent, thrilled to death. That’s par for the course for me. I know he’s struggling, I know it’s hard on him. You don’t like to see your friends go through that, but that’s just the NBA. Happens to everybody.”
  • In a chat with Mavs fans, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explores several topics, including whether Dwight Powell will still have a real role with the franchise going forward, now that Nerlens Noel is in the mix.
  • In case you missed it on Tuesday, Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors examined how Cuban and the Mavs have built their roster around Dirk Nowitzki.

Southwest Notes: P. Jackson, Curry, Gordon, Carter

The Mavericks admit that bad luck led to guard Pierre Jackson being released on the third day of his second 10-day contract, writes Earl K. Sneed of The Star-Telegram. Jackson strained his left hamstring Thursday during his first career start and had to leave the game in the second quarter. With Jackson facing a prolonged absence, Dallas elected to waive him Saturday and sign Yogi Ferrell. “This is one of the things when you are a minor league player there are challenging things that come at you all the time, and he’s fought off a lot of them,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “He fought off an Achilles tear, he’s fought off some other things. This is just another thing he’s going to have to get through, and then he’s going to be right there again.’’

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Free agent addition Seth Curry has been a pleasant surprise by doing more than scoring for the Mavericks, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Curry, who is averaging 10.8 points through 42 games, has also become an effective player on the defensive end.
  • While James Harden continues to post MVP-level numbers, the Rockets‘ success will be determined by the collection of players GM Daryl Morey has assembled around him, writes Paul Flannery of SB Nation. One of the offseason additions was shooting guard Eric Gordon, who has emerged as a contender of Sixth Man of the Year honors. Morey has been pursuing Gordon since 2012, when he signed with the Suns as a restricted free agent and the offer was matched by the Pelicans. Morey made repeated trade offers to New Orleans before signing Gordon as a free agent last summer. “Skill-wise, he’s always been someone we’ve looked at,” Morey said. “He’s so good at so many offensive actions: Spot shooting, off the dribble, good at pick and roll, good passer. We thought he was an underrated defender. And then we got the physical info and it was very positive.”
  • A three-hour preparation routine has helped the GrizzliesVince Carter remain in the league at age 40, relays Michael Lee of the Vertical. Before each game, Carter goes through a lengthy routine that includes shooting, an ice bath, treatment and taping. “I’m still standing,” Carter said. “I’m still competing, playing at this level, doing what I need to do to still be here. I still have a burning desire to compete and be around.”

Mavericks Notes: Curry, Nowitzki, Bogut, Cuban

Injuries to Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut have depleted the Mavericks’ front line, but at least their backcourt is getting healthy, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Seth Curry returned to the lineup and played 25 minutes Friday night. Deron Williams no longer has a minutes restriction, while Devin Harris is playing, although he is still limited to 20 minutes per game. “I was a little careful with [Curry] with the minutes in his first game back,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “I thought considering he’d been out nine days, he did fine. Having that extra guy at the guard position really alleviates a minutes crunch. And it helps Devin’s situation, too.”

There’s more news out of Dallas:

  • Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni can sympathize with the Mavericks because he has experience in trying to run a team with an injured star, Sefko notes in a separate story. D’Antoni coached the Lakers in 2013/14 when Kobe Bryant was limited to six games. “It’s tough. You have a big part of your team for the last 15 years or whatever Dirk’s played,” D’Antoni said. “Not being there, there’s no way around it. When you have a superstar that good, you can’t get around it. We’re not going to feel sorry for them, but it’s not a great thing to go through, that’s for sure.”
  • Nowitzki can’t turn this year’s Mavericks into a playoff team, claims Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. Cowlishaw says the team wasn’t built to withstand the wave of injuries it suffered early in the year. He adds that the main concern now should be seeing how much value the Mavericks can get for Bogut and some of the other veterans.
  • Owner Mark Cuban sees parallels between his team and the cross-town Cowboys, who came off an injury-filled season and now have the NFL’s best record, relays Adam Grosbard of The Dallas Morning News. Cuban says the Mavericks have players who can be successful, but they need to find a new franchise player the way the Cowboys did. “We feel that we got some pieces that can be good pieces on a great team,” he said. “But we still need that superstar starter for the future.”

Mavericks Notes: Nowitzki, Bogut, Curry, Gibson

Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki should be back for another season no matter how this one turns out, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. A strained Achilles has limited Nowitzki to just five games as the Mavs have stumbled to a 3-13 start. In a question-and-answer column, Sefko says the 38-year-old still has a strong desire to play and won’t want to walk away from the $25MM he is owed next season.

There’s more tonight out of Dallas:

  • Center Andrew Bogut understands that he will only be in Dallas for one season, and maybe less, Sefko adds in the same piece. The veteran center was acquired in an offseason deal with the Warriors when Golden State was shedding salary to sign Kevin Durant. Bogut has started all 13 games that he has played and is grabbing 10.5 rebounds per night, but his expiring contract may make him attractive to a contender before the February deadline.
  • Seth Curry will take time to develop as a point guard, Sefko cautions in a separate story. After signing a two-year, $6MM deal in July, Curry has been pressed into service because of injuries to Deron Williams, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris. Sefko says Curry works on ballhandling as much as his brother Stephen does, and just needs repetition and confidence to improve as a point guard.
  • Guard Jonathan Gibson and center A.J. Hammons are the players most likely to be let go if Dallas needs to open a roster spot, Sefko says later in the same story. Gibson re-signed with the Mavericks earlier this month after being waived during the preseason, and Hammons is a rookie second-round pick out of Purdue. Sefko adds that everyone except Nowitzki should be considered as trade candidates between now and the deadline.
  • We rounded up a few more Mavs notes earlier in the day.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, McCaw, Seth Curry

In case there was still any lingering doubt, Warriors general manager Bob Myers confirmed on Wednesday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game that his team isn’t trading Klay Thompson, as Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group details. The Golden State GM added that he wasn’t thrilled by the way that idle trade speculation had ballooned into something that he had to address.

“I wish there was a little bit more discipline because you know what it causes: I gotta talk to Klay Thompson,” Myers said. “I gotta talk to his agent. And I get it, it’s part of the job. And there are times where rumors have weight to them and meaning, but I think it requires a little bit more diligence then just throwing stuff out there.”

The Thompson talk surfaced when current Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine passed along trade speculation involving Thompson and the Celtics without noting that neither he nor anyone else was actually reporting any interest or talks between Golden State and Boston. Scalabrine tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that he apologized to Myers and Celtics GM Danny Ainge, though the former Warriors assistant said he’ll continue to discuss potential trade scenarios on the radio going forward — hopefully, in the future, Scalabrine will draw a clearer line between reported rumors and mere speculation.

Here’s more out of Golden State:

  • While there’s nothing to the Thompson/Celtics talk, one NBA GM is relieved that Golden State isn’t pushing for a trade along those lines.. “Please tell me [the] Klay to Boston rumors [are] not true,” the GM said to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link). “If they got [Avery] Bradley and [Jae] Crowder, it’s over. … Klay [is] not a good fit there anymore.”
  • The Warriors were high on second-round pick Patrick McCaw coming into the season, and the rookie is already delivering on some of his promise, having played a career-high 21 minutes in Wednesday’s win against the Raptors. Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News takes a closer look at McCaw, who is expected to be a big part of the club’s future.
  • During an appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast at The Vertical, Seth Curry explained why he opted not to sign with the Warriors during the past couple summers, despite receiving offers from his brother’s club. CSN Bay Area has a breakdown of Curry’s comments on the subject.

Mavericks Notes: Barnes, Parsons, Curry

Mavs owner Mark Cuban recently joined “Jacques & Will” on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio to discuss a number of topics related to the team (h/t Dallas Morning News). Dallas essentially chose Harrison Barnes over Chandler Parsons, who signed with Memphis this summer, and Cuban noted that Barnes wasn’t viewed merely as a fallback option. “No knock on Chandler. Chandler’s skill is skill but we had the uncertainties I’ve talked about,” Cuban said. “There were questions about his knee and I hope he fights through them and there’s never a question again about his knee but we had those questions. If Harrison Barnes would’ve been an unrestricted free agent, he would’ve been first on our list and that’s who we would have gone after right off the bat. We think defensively he gives us a new look, he can guard 1-4 and in some cases with small-ball 1-5, so when you have Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews and Justin Anderson in particular, and him and Andrew Bogut, that gives us a dimension we otherwise haven’t had in a long time. On the other side of the ball, Harrison isn’t as crafty as Chandler but he’s a lot more physical and he can post up and he shoots about the same from three-point [range]; mid-range isn’t as good yet but his post-up game is better. So I think it’s a different dimension but it’s a lot more athletic.

The owner also weighed in on the perception that Dallas keeps missing out on its top targets. “We got the guy [Harrison Barnes] we wanted this year. Like I said, we couldn’t go after him and make him our first call on July 1st because he was restricted, so certain things had to happen,” Cuban said. “Had he been unrestricted, that would’ve been our first choice and then it would’ve been a different conversation. The whole thing that we don’t get the big name free agents, I think is just nonsense. We think we have a great organization, we have a top three coach and we’ve got a culture you’d like to play in. My job is to put the players in a position to succeed. We give you every resource you need. I spare no expense trying to win and trying to make sure you’re healthy and we can extend your career.

Here’s more out of Dallas:

  • Coach Rick Carlisle indicated that the Mavs will carry the regular season maximum of 15 players, which means that four or five players will be fighting over the final slot, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
  • Seth Curry has struggled to find a home in the NBA during his brief career and believes that he has finally found his ideal situation with the Mavericks, Leo Sepkowitz of Slamonline.com relays. “The past few years I’ve been in the League, I’ve really noticed how important that structure and direction is for a team,” Curry says. “Going to a place that’s already established, where I can just come in and get better and keep doing things the right way, it’s gonna make it a lot easier to win. I don’t want to take what I did last year and then take a step back. I want to move forward, grow from it and be a consistent NBA player.

Southwest Notes: Curry, Carlisle, Asik, Anderson

With a famous father and an even more famous brother, Seth Curry is working to build his own reputation in his first season with the Mavericks, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. After limited opportunities with three teams, Curry began to show what he can do in 44 games with the Kings last season, averaging 6.8 points per night and shooting 45% from 3-point range. That potential turned into a two-year, $6MM offer from Dallas and the chance for an expanded role with a veteran team. The son of 16-year veteran Dell Curry and brother of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Seth has the family pedigree to be a great NBA shooter. “He could legitimately play both guard positions, and he’s going to be a factor for us,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “He’s better than I thought he was, and he’s at an age where he’s still getting better really at both positions, so I’m excited about him.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Carlisle says seven players are competing for two open roster spots, Sneed relays (Twitter link). Dallas has 14 players in camp with fully guaranteed contracts, but it sounds like at least one – likely Jonathan Gibson – has yet to lock up a regular-season job.
  • Pelicans center Omer Asik started 64 of the 68 games he appeared in last season, but that number will drop this year, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. Coach Alvin Gentry said today that he plans to use Anthony Davis in the post more often and not worry about having a traditional center. Alexis Ajinca and Terrence Jones may also be used in the starting lineup, depending on the opponent. That means fewer minutes for Asik, who is still guaranteed more than $32MM over the next three seasons on the contract he signed last summer. ”Last season really left a bad taste, so we are really working hard to change that,” Asik said. ”My whole focus this summer was to get better physically and get stronger.”
  • New Rockets power forward Ryan Anderson is happy to leave behind the Pelicans‘ offense, writes Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Anderson, one of the league’s best shooting stretch fours, saw his average of 3-point shots dip to 5.6 per game over the last two years after being close to 7.0 the three previous seasons. That number should rise dramatically now that he is playing for coach Mike D’Antoni in Houston. “I’ve had more wide-open looks in our pickup games here than I’ve had in the past four years, probably,” Anderson said.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Curry, Suns, Warriors

The Kings are losing leverage the longer they hold onto DeMarcus Cousins, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The All-Star center has two seasons left on his current deal, making nearly $17MM for the upcoming season and more than $18MM in 2017/18. Powell believes teams will be less likely to trade for Cousins as his free agency date nears, and Sacramento will have a hard time keeping him if he stays until the end of his contract. The writer isn’t a fan of the Kings’ offseason moves, as they made little effort to re-sign league assist leader Rajon Rondo, drafted two unproven big men, put Rudy Gay on the trading block and signed 30-year-old Arron Afflalo.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

  • The Kings made a mistake by letting Seth Curry get away, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. Even though Curry has only appeared in 48 NBA games, he showed promise at the end of last season, averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 assists and 3.3 three-pointers per night over his final seven games. Curry signed a two-year, $6MM deal with the Mavericks in July.
  • Devin Booker‘s great rookie season has created a logjam in the Suns‘ backcourt, according to Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight both see themselves as lead guards, and Booker has earned starters’ minutes with his performance in 2015/16. Bledsoe and Knight are signed for the next three seasons and Booker is under team control for the next four years, so Phoenix has time to work out the situation if all three players are willing to share minutes. Otherwise, Feldman suggests it’s a good situation for a trade.
  • Things aren’t perfect for the Warriors, even after winning 73 games and signing former MVP Kevin Durant, cautions Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. Coach Steve Kerr is concerned about the defensive dropoff after losing centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. Golden State added Zaza Pachulia in free agency to help compensate for their departure. “The thing that’s different will be a lack of rim protection,” Kerr said. “We had great rim protection from Bogut and Ezeli, and both those guys are gone. Zaza’s a very good defender, but he’s more of a positional guy than a shot blocker.”