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Central Notes: Meeks, Antetokounmpo, Plumlee

March 21st, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jodie Meeks probably won’t return to the court before the end of the season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged today, according to Aaron McMann of MLive. Meeks hasn’t played since October, and though it appeared recently that he would make his debut, a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week has made that possibility remote, as McMann details. Meeks had come almost all the way back after suffering a broken foot in the team’s second game of the season. The Pistons activated him for games on March 12th and 14th, though he didn’t see any action in those contests, McMann points out. Van Gundy didn’t have plans to use Meeks in the rotation anyway, so his continued absence shouldn’t be a killer for Detroit, which is just percentage points behind Chicago for the last playoff spot. See more from the Central Division:

The development of a midrange game and a corner 3-point shot is what stands between Giannis Antetokounmpo and an All-Star selection, GM John Hammond contends to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. Hammond also told Varlas he sees the former 15th overall pick as a forward, not point guard, the position the team has him playing extensively down the stretch. Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd was reluctant to go with John Henson and Miles Plumlee on the floor together much of the season, but as the season winds down and the coach has become open to experiments, he’s liked what he’s seen with both Henson and Plumlee in the game, observes Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Plumlee, the subject of trade rumors last month, is set for restricted free agency this summer, while Henson is poised to start drawing from the four-year extension he signed in the fall.
Soon-to-be free agent Solomon Hill distinguished himself as one of Indiana’s best defenders battling Paul George in practice this season, and that’s led Pacers coach Frank Vogel to give Hill a place in the rotation, as Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star details. The Pacers declined their rookie scale team option on him for next season, so they can’t re-sign him to a contract that would pay him more for 2016/17 than $2,306,019, the value of the option.

Eastern Notes: Winslow, Kidd-Gilchrist, Felicio

January 6th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist revealed earlier today that he intends to return to action this season despite suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder that appeared likely to cost him all of 2015/16. While the return of the defensive-minded swingman would certainly bolster the team heading into the playoffs, there is certainly a danger in him returning too soon from such a serious injury, Chris Barnewall of SB Nation’s AttheHive.com writes. With the franchise expecting to have ample free cap space heading into this offseason, the return of Kidd-Gilchrist could push the Hornets deeper into the postseason, which would provide the team with a stronger free agent sales pitch, Barnewall notes. But the prospect of luring a big name player to Charlotte isn’t worth risking the long-term health of Kidd-Gilchrist, who has already suffered a number of injuries during his brief NBA career, adds Barnewall.

Here’s more news from the Eastern Conference:

Heat rookie Justise Winslow‘s versatility as a defender is allowing the team to experiment with him as a stretch four, a move that Miami has been working toward in recent weeks, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “There’s a lot of time being spent behind the scenes,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s been doing that. For about over a month, he’s been working a lot of his reps at the four pre-practice. He doesn’t play it [a lot] in the game, but you never know when. And it’s not like it’s something new. So he’s had a thousand reps behind the scenes. He gets thrown in there, it’s like, ‘OK, I got this. This is familiar.’ “
Thursday is the final day that teams can waive their non-guaranteed contracts before they become fully guaranteed, and the Bulls have to make decisions regarding Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio. All indications point to Felicio remaining on the roster past that deadline, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. The 23-year-old has only appeared in two games for the Bulls this season and has scored two points in four total minutes of action.
Pacers small forward Solomon Hill has cracked coach Frank Vogel‘s regular rotation, but the player still needs to work on his tendency to overthink matters on the court, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “I think one thing I have to do now that I’m, like, playing actually is just relax,” said Hill. “I feel like I’m just trying to stay in there by just doing the right things, and I’m thinking too much. I think once I relax and see the first one go in, I’ll be OK.” When asked if he can expect to receive consistent playing time moving forward, Hill responded, “I don’t know. I’m not going to think about that anymore. That’s part of me over-thinking. I’m just going to go out there and play the game, play my game when I do get the opportunity, but it’s a testament to our team. Everybody’s playing right now.”

Central Notes: Hill, Jackson, Martin, Prunty

January 3rd, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers‘ Solomon Hill, who was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season, replaced Chase Budinger in the rotation during Saturday’s win over the Pistons, writes Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. In November, Indiana decided not to pick up the option on Hill’s contract for 2016/17, but he has been steadily making an impression on coach Frank Vogel. “Solomon Hill’s been giving us something in the last couple of games when he’s been called upon,” Vogel said. “I just wanted to get Solomon in there somehow. Chase was the guy that we had to pull out. It wasn’t anything that Chase had done.” It was the first DNP of the season for Budinger, who was acquired in an offseason deal with the Wolves.

There’s more from the NBA’s Central Division:

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy continues to defend Reggie Jackson‘s decision to request a trade from the Thunder last season, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Stuck behind Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Jackson was dealt to Detroit in a three-team trade at last year’s deadline. “You look at Reggie’s situation,” Van Gundy said, “[and] there was really nothing bad there. He was a guy that was looking for an opportunity to play more, and was sort of vilified for that, I guess — for wanting to play more. I guess people wanted him to be happy being a backup his entire career.”
There’s probably little substance behind rumors that the Bulls are interested in Kevin Martin, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. He notes that Martin is nearing age 33 and has another year on his contract worth nearly $7.4MM. In addition, his scoring average and shooting percentage are near career lows.
Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty switched up Jason Kidd’s rotation in a win last week over the Pacers, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Prunty used Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with three reserves, as Milwaukee built a lead late in the first half. “The intent was trying to find out the right mix of players to be on the floor at the right time,” Prunty said. “I thought it worked well and it’s something we’ll keep looking at.”

Central Notes: Hill, Morris, Portis

December 29th, 2015 at 12:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers small forward Solomon Hill has maintained a positive attitude despite falling out of coach Frank Vogel‘s regular rotation, which could have been an issue for the player seeing as he’s in the final year of his contract, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes. “I have to keep being upbeat,” Hill said. “If I was down in the gutter and C.J. Miles went out and I was thrown out there and I’m not ready, it’s just going to show why I shouldn’t be playing. It’s days like this that show my hard work is paying off.” Hill also noted that he’s aware that he has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate, but insists he doesn’t want to leave Indiana, even if it would mean more playing time, Montieth adds. “I’m an Indiana Pacer,” he said. “They drafted me. I’d definitely love to be here and be part of something great with this team. We have the makings of a special team. We have the potential to be one of the top two teams in the East.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Marcus Morris is excelling for the Pistons and he should be given a larger role in the offense, David Mayo of MLive.com argues. Morris isn’t pushing for more shots, as he thinks more opportunities will come within the offensive system. “At the end of the day, coach does a great job of getting me the ball, finding spots for me to get the ball in my isos and my posts, so I’m not really too worried about whether I’m going to get my shots up, because half the time I know they’re going to come,” Morris said. “It’s more just the ball-movement thing.”
With so many players returning from injury, the Cavs realize it’s going to take time for the team to gel, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. “Just because guys are coming back doesn’t mean everything is going to be right,” LeBron James said. “It’s going to take time because for the first eight weeks we had built chemistry, we knew who was playing, we knew who wasn’t playing. We had rotations, Coach had rotations down, so we got to get back to that.”
The solid play of rookie Bobby Portis for the Bulls will make it difficult for coach Fred Hoiberg to sit him when Joakim Noah returns from injury, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. “He’s not afraid of the moment that’s for sure,” Hoiberg said of Portis. “To be 20 years old and go out there, big minutes against Oklahoma City in a game on Christmas Day on ABC, it shows you what the kid’s makeup is all about. The kid’s got no concern, just thrives and has all kinds of confidence. You love to see that. He’s not gonna back down from anybody.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Hill, Cunningham, Antetokounmpo

December 11th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Solomon Hill is one of Pacers coach Frank Vogel‘s favorite players because of his versatility and work ethic, writes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. That’s in spite of a report last week that Indiana has made the swingman available for a trade and the lack of playing time Hill has seen since the team declined his rookie scale option for next season.

“He knows the fact that he’s not in the rotation to start the season does not mean his days are numbered here,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We made that very clear that we’re going to give some other guys looks at that position to give us an offensive boost. We’re trying to improve on the offensive end this year and he’s got to stay ready. There are going to be times when he’s needed and he’s going to have an opportunity to get back into the rotation at some point.”

Hill’s best work comes on defense, so the notion that at least some of the Pacers braintrust isn’t sold on him is another sign of the team’s shift toward more offense, Buckner posits. Here’s more from the Central Division:

LeBron James has quickly formed a bond with Jared Cunningham off the court, but it’s unlikely to play much of a role when the Cavs must decide next month whether to guarantee Cunningham’s salary for the rest of the season, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Bucks gave Greg Monroe a max deal and Khris Middleton a new five-year, $70MM contract, but the executives and scouts who spoke to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times are higher on Giannis Antetokounmpo than any other player on the Milwaukee roster. Antetokoumpo, making slightly less than $1.954MM this season, becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension in the summer ahead.
Bulls management basically said this summer that they believe they have a roster with a real chance to win the championship this year, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes in a mailbag column, one in which he says he doesn’t think the team will make a trade this season.

Southwest Notes: Hill, Bickerstaff, Lawson, Lee

December 5th, 2015 at 8:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Alvin Gentry refused to directly address rumors that the Pelicans are interested in the Pacers’ Solomon Hill, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. It was reported Friday that Indiana is making Hill available for a deal, and New Orleans is believed to be among the suitors. ”I’ve got enough problems coaching the team,” Gentry said today. ”We got really competent guys with [GM] Dell [Demps] and his whole group that handle all of the personnel part of it.When it comes time or a situation where they are going to do that, they always talk to me about it. As of right now, all my energy and everything is going towards trying to figure out how we can get this whole thing straightened out.”

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons believes J.B. Bickerstaff has a bright future as a head coach, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Parsons, a former Rocket, worked closely with Bickerstaff during his time in Houston and says the coach has what it takes to be successful. “The biggest thing with a coach is how to manage players, how to get along with players, how to manage egos,” Parsons said. “He’s going to have respect from his guys. X’s and O’s he was always great. Time outs when I had him he was always able to draw something up on the fly. I think he’s going to be a really, really good young coach in this league.”
Kings coach George Karl says things will get easier for Ty Lawson in Houston, Feigen writes in a separate story. Karl coached Lawson in Denver and contends the point guard just needed to make it through the adjustment period. “Ty is one of these guys, he needs a comfort zone,” Karl said. “I don’t think he’s found it yet. Once he finds it, you’re going to see a much better player than you’re seeing so far.”
Courtney Lee has turned into a productive reserve for the Grizzlies, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. After shooting 34% from the field and 19% from three-point range in the season’s first 10 games as a starter, Lee has improved those numbers to 48% and 31% since moving to the bench. “It’s part of being a professional,” said Lee, who will be a free agent next summer. “Throughout your career, everybody has a role either as a starter or they come off the bench. It’s just about how you handle it.”

Pacers Make Solomon Hill Available For Trade

December 4th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:30pm: The Pelicans have expressed interest in Hill, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star tweets.

11:25am: The Pacers have made Solomon Hill available to other teams who might be interested in trading for him, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports within a column. Indiana declined its 2016/17 rookie scale option on Hill before the season, so he’s set for unrestricted free agency in the offseason ahead, when he’ll be just three years removed from having been the 23rd overall pick. The Pacers are ineligible to re-sign him next summer for a starting salary of more than $2,306,019 because they declined the option, which was worth precisely that amount. That restriction would transfer to any team that might trade for the 24-year-old small forward.

Hill led an injury-racked Pacers team in total minutes last season, when he averaged 8.9 points in 29.0 minutes per game, but he’s outside the rotation this year, notching just 6.3 minutes per night across seven appearances. That’s in spite of a revamped Pacers attack that puts a greater emphasis on wing players like the 6’7″ former University of Arizona player, who’s making slightly less than $1.359MM this season.

It’s no shock to see Hill in trade rumors, since all four of the players whose rookie scale team options were declined in 2014 are no longer with the team that declined the option. Hill and swingmen Sergey Karasev of the Nets and P.J. Hairston of the Hornets are the only three players who didn’t have their rookie scale options picked up this year, and trade chatter has already surfaced surrounding Karasev, too, though he denied reports that he wanted the Nets to deal him away. I speculated in a recent mailbag column that Hill would become a trade candidate.

It’s unclear if any team has interest in Hill. He’s eligible to be traded immediately, but most in-season deals don’t happen until the majority of the players who signed in the offseason become trade-eligible on December 15th. The Pacers are more than $12MM clear of the luxury tax threshold, so they have no shortage of financial flexibility.

Central Notes: Hill, Mozgov, Parker

November 4th, 2015 at 8:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers small forward Solomon Hill had his 2016/17 rookie option declined by the team, but it’s not a decision that is weighing on him, writes Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com. “I wasn’t even thinking about that, to tell you the truth,” he told Agness. “That stuff will handle itself. One thing I can control is my effort and my ability to play the game of basketball. I never look at it as being like a crucial time. I just want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me.” Hill, whose option value was approximately $2.306MM, is now set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer.

With Hill seeing sparse playing time thus far during the 2015/16 season, securing a lucrative free agent deal will certainly be difficult, Agness notes. “Of course [it’s difficult]. It is what it is. Stuff happens for reasons,” Hill said regarding his lack of minutes. “I can only control what I can control and that’s making sure I’m ready when my name is called. Anything else is out of my hands. I’m not going to stress about stuff that’s out of hands right now.”

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Center Timofey Mozgov, who had surgery on his right knee during the offseason, is still attempting to work himself back into shape, and the Cavaliers are banking on him rounding into form for the latter part of the season, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “He’s working real hard, strengthening,” coach David Blatt said of the big Russian. “He’s dropping a little bit of weight, which is good. That takes pressure off the knee. And getting himself in the kind of shape that he’s going to have to be in as we get further and deeper into the season. But I think he’s feeling better and I think it shows in his play.“
The Bucks are planning on taking it slow with Jabari Parker, who is returning from a torn ACL that cost him the bulk of his rookie campaign in 2014/15, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes. The offseason free agent signing of center Greg Monroe may have brought heightened expectations to the franchise, but it also bought some extra time for Parker to heal, Lee adds. “The great thing about Jabari’s injury is who we are as an organization; that we’re not a finished product,” Milwaukee GM John Hammond told Lee. “I feel like, hopefully, we’re still a team in the future and I think our aspirations are high and we think we can do special things in the future here. So there is not that pressure where there’s a short window for us and the time is now. So with that being said for Jabari, it’s not about now, it’s about the long-term future.”

Pacers Decline 2016/17 Option On Solomon Hill

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have decided not to exercise their team option for 2016/17 on Solomon Hill, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. That means he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer. Hill, the 23rd overall pick in 2013, was to make about $2.306MM on the option, which covered the fourth season of his rookie scale contract. The deadline for the team to make its call on the option was 11:00pm Central tonight.

Hill was a rock for the Pacers last season, when he was the only member of the team to appear in all 82 games and led an injury-hit Indiana squad in total minutes played, as Scott Agness of VigilantSports noted earlier today. The 24-year-old small forward has only made a brief two-minute cameo so far this season, however.

The decision will make it difficult for the Pacers to re-sign Hill next summer if he manages to find his way back into the rotation this season, since they won’t, by rule, be able to give him any more than the value of the option next year. That impediment would transfer if the Pacers dealt Hill to another team, likely making him a less attractive trade target for potential suitors who find his upside intriguing.

Still, Indiana elected to keep the $2.306MM off the books for 2016/17, a season for which the team already has more than $57MM committed against a salary cap that many agents and executives reportedly think will go up to $95MM. The Pacers are without any other pending rookie scale options or extensions. Hill joins Sergey Karasev, whose option the Nets will reportedly turn down, as the only two players whose teams declined their options among the more than 50 who entered camp with rookie scale options left on their respective contracts. Anthony Bennett had a rookie scale team option on his contract with the Timberwolves, but it disappeared when the Wolves released him in a buyout deal.

Do you think Hill should be part of an NBA rotation? Leave a comment to tell us.

Pacers Exercise 2015/16 Option On Solomon Hill

October 9th, 2014 at 12:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have picked up their 2015/16 team option on their rookie scale contract with small forward Solomon Hill, the team announced. That means Hill, the 23rd overall pick in 2013, will make a guaranteed salary of approximately $1.359MM that season.

The move is no surprise given the expanded role that the 23-year-old Hill is likely to play for the Pacers this year. Key wing players Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner departed via free agency, and Paul George suffered a horrific broken leg that will likely keep him out for all of this season. Hill saw action in just 28 regular season games and appeared in the playoffs for only one minute this past season, but there’s a decent chance he’ll become a starter this year.

Indiana has about $36MM in commitments for next season now that the team has exercised Hill’s option, the only rookie scale option decision the team had to make before the October 31st deadline. No Pacers are up for rookie scale extensions this year, either, so the team is poised to have plenty of cap room to retool next summer.