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Eastern Notes: Brown, James, Pistons

January 14th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets forward Thaddeus Young pulled no punches when discussing the difference in playing for interim coach Tony Brown versus former coach Lionel Hollins, who was fired on Sunday, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily relays (via Twitter). When asked his feelings about suiting up for Brown, Young said, “When your coach is not panicking and he’s staying positive and he’s continued to motivate us, it’s huge for us as far as an energy standpoint. It makes us continue to want to go out there and continue to play, and it doesn’t keep us thinking about what happened before as much. But Tony’s mentality is, forget what happened before this and let’s try to push and try to win this game. That’s huge for us as a team. It says a lot that he believes in us, that he wants us to compete.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith notes that the team’s excellent work ethic comes from following the example set by LeBron James, whose dedication has rubbed off on his teammates, as Marc Narducci of HoopsHype relays. When asked what it has been like to play alongside James, Smith told Narducci, “For one, he elevates everybody’s game and holds everybody to a higher standard. He makes you hold yourself to a higher standard. This is the first team I have been on where everybody stays after practice to work on their game. Everybody wants to be better every single day and a lot of that has to do with him. He is a credit to that. He holds himself to a high standard. We see how hard he works each and every day. If your best player is working twice as hard as the next person, it gives you enthusiasm and drive to work harder.”
  • Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is using the Spurs’ track record of consistency as an organization as a model for how he wants to build Detroit’s roster, John Niyo of The Detroit News writes. “I do think, looking forward, one of things we’ve talked about in trying to build this team is we have a chance for continuity,” Van Gundy said. “And I think you see it when you see a team like San Antonio, that over time it allows you to build on what you’re doing.”
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Southwest Notes: Withey, Cunningham, Green

January 13th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former 39th overall pick Jeff Withey is seeing significant minutes with the Jazz this season after a parting of ways with the Pelicans that cast him into uncertainty, as Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders details. Executives from other teams have speculated about whether the Pelicans dealt fairly with the center, who said GM Dell Demps told him during the playoffs that the team wanted him back, Dowsett reports. The team made a qualifying offer to him but withdrew it shortly before re-signing Alexis Ajinca, making Withey an unrestricted free agent and leaving him “really confused,” as he said to Dowsett. Withey ultimately landed with Utah on a partially guaranteed deal that last week became fully guaranteed for the rest of this season, and he’s pleased with his new surroudings.

“In New Orleans, it was a tough place for me, just because the coach [Monty Williams], he didn’t really give me a shot, you know what I mean?” Withey said to Dowsett. “Even if I was playing, if I screwed up one time or anything like that, he would just take me right out. Here, Coach [Quin Snyder], he’ll come to you … it’s just a different type of coaching. More player-friendly, for sure.”

Withey has one more year left on his deal, with a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season. See more on the Pelicans and the rest of the Southwest Division:

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Western Notes: Karl, Davis, Cotton

January 12th, 2016 at 9:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kings coach George Karl admits that the comment he made at the end of last season that any player on the roster was tradeable didn’t get his relationship with DeMarcus Cousins off to a great start, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. “I just can’t stand summer talk,” Karl said. “I mean, free agency, all the money, teams think they saved their organization by signing this guy or making this trade. You have all these obnoxious predictions and it doesn’t mean anything. We got off into that trade innuendo, and I think it hurt Cuz [Cousins]. And I think I made a mistake in making the comment that no player is untradeable. That’s something I might believe, but I shouldn’t have said it. So everything kind of snowballed in the wrong way at the end of last year.”

“My belief was, I never, ever thought I was not going to coach Cuz this year,” Karl continued. “Did you have philosophical discussions? We talk about everything. We meet for 2-3 hours every day and talk about every scenario in the world. And I think Cuz worked his tail off this summer. [Team executive] Vlade [Divac] and I got together with Cuz in the summertime. Vlade’s done a good job of being a good bridge between he and I.”

Here’s more from out West:

  • Baron Davis, who agreed to join the NBA D-League earlier today, worked out for the Mavericks last Saturday when the team was in Los Angeles, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), but coach Rick Carlisle laughed off the report, as SB Nation’s Tim Cato relays (on Twitter).
  • Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff continues to learn while on the job, something that is vital if he hopes to remain in the position on a long-term basis, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “Every day you learn something,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s the same as assistant coach and the same as a head coach. You should continue to learn. You watch so much basketball you should see something somewhere from somebody different all the time. I hope I continue to learn. If I don’t then I know everything.“
  • Bryce Cotton, whom the Suns waived prior to the leaguewide contract guarantee date, has rejoined the Austin Spurs in the NBA D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor.
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Pelicans Eye Millsap, Johnson, Dejean-Jones

January 11th, 2016 at 6:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans are expected to consider several wing players for 10-day contracts now that Quincy Pondexter is set to miss the entire season, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who mentions free agents Elijah Millsap, Orlando Johnson and Bryce Dejean-Jones by name. New Orleans has been carrying an open roster spot since trading Ish Smith to the Sixers last month.

Millsap cleared waivers last week from the Jazz, who cut him rather than guarantee his contract for the rest of the season. The 28-year-old brother of Paul Millsap had seen his minutes dwindle this season, to 8.6 per contest in 20 appearances, after he averaged 19.7 minutes a night in 47 games with Utah last year.

Johnson, who was the 36th overall pick in 2012, has been playing for the D-League affiliate of the Spurs for the past month, averaging 15.5 points in 32.3 minutes per game, with sizzling 50.7% shooting on 73 attempts from 3-point range. The 26-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season with the Pacers and Kings.

Dejean-Jones signed with the Pelicans in August as an undrafted free agent after winning a spot on the New Orleans summer league team. He averaged 8.8 points in 18.2 minutes per game during the preseason, but a rash of injuries at other positions helped persuade the Pelicans to cut him before opening night. He’s since joined the Jazz affiliate in the D-League and has posted 18.5 points in 31.5 minutes per contest across six appearances.

Which player makes the most sense for the Pelicans, or is there another name they should consider? Share your thoughts with a comment.

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Reggie Williams Signs To Play In Russia

January 10th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Will Joseph

Veteran small forward Reggie Williams, who played with the Spurs last season, has signed  a deal to play with Avtodor Saratov in Russia, the overseas team announced (h/t Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The contract is for the remainder of the season, according to Avtodor Saratov’s press release.

The Spurs waived Williams, who was on a non-guaranteed deal, in late October. Williams joined the Spurs for the remainder of last season in February after signing a pair of 10-day pacts with the team. Williams was with the Heat on a training camp deal before last season, but he failed to make the opening night roster.

Williams, 29, made 20 appearances for the Spurs last season, averaging 1.9 points in 5.3 minutes per game. His career averages through 200 career NBA regular season contests are 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He owns a slash line of .458/.363/.747. Williams has also played for the Warriors, Bobcats (now the Hornets) and Thunder.

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Western Notes: Anderson, Gentry, Morris, Butler

January 7th, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans are unlikely to trade Ryan Anderson this season, according to coach Alvin Gentry, as John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid reiterates his earlier report that Anderson’s name was involved in preliminary talks with the Suns about a Markieff Morris trade, though nothing has materialized on that front, Reid says.

”Everyone knows that Ryan’s name is going to be out there,” Gentry said. ”We have made not one call about trading Ryan, nor will we. So those are the kind of things that’s going to happen that people are going to inquire about. Once you’ve been in the league for a couple of years, everyone knows that’s part of it.”  

New Orleans has listened to teams that have inquired about Anderson, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month, so while the Pelicans might not be making calls, it seems they’ve at least taken them. In any case, see more from New Orleans amid the latest from the Western Conference:

  • Any trade the Pelicans make will come via mutual consent between Gentry and GM Dell Demps, Gentry also said, as Reid notes in the same post.
  • Suns GM Ryan McDonough thinks the talent on his roster is better than the team’s record indicates, though he feels some change is necessary, as he said Wednesday on the “Burns and Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and as Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. McDonough said a Morris trade wasn’t necessarily close but otherwise gave few hints in that regard. “Look, we’re not going to sit here and put our head in the sand and act like everything’s OK and we’re doing everything fine,” McDonough said. “We obviously need to make some changes and we’ll explore those things as aggressively as we usually do.”
  • Doc Rivers confirmed Wednesday that the Clippers will keep Luc Mbah a Moute and his non-guaranteed contract on the roster past the close of business today, the last day NBA teams have to waive players without guaranteed salary for this season before it becomes guaranteed, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Rivers said a few weeks ago that it was “probably safe” to assume the team would keep Mbah a Moute for the rest of the season. The 29-year-old, who’s making the minimum salary, has been in the Clippers starting lineup since late November.
  • Jabari Young of the San Antonio News-Express gets the feeling that the Spurs will keep Rasual Butler‘s non-guaranteed contract past today, thus guaranteeing his minimum salary (Twitter link).
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Western Notes: Rondo, Hornacek, Randle, Simmons

January 5th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Rajon Rondo said he has “no regrets” about his brief, tumultuous Mavericks tenure, calling Mark Cuban a “great guy” an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Rondo said he and Rick Carlisle both tried their best to get on same page but couldn’t and insisted a back injury was the reason he didn’t play after Game 2 of the team’s playoff series against the Rockets last year, even though MacMahon reported that the injury was a ruse. Rondo admitted after MacMahon pressed him that he and the Mavs organization “had some talks” regarding his departure. The ESPN scribe asked the point guard whether he felt as though it perhaps would have hurt the team if he stuck around for the remainder of the playoff series.

“I think it ended up hurting anyway,” Rondo said. “But me just sticking around, I didn’t want any more tension between myself and Rick and all the media attention that it was getting. People were seeing stuff on the floor, like making up plays that I took off, and it’s like, some plays I might take off to this day. I mean, I was tired, so you just never know. I just wanted to get out of there and just lay low and had a talk with my agent. But that’s water under the bridge.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • Suns higher-ups are fond of Jeff Hornacek and don’t want to fire him, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com hears, but the situation in Phoenix is worsening, Windhorst writes. Still, while coaching changes around the league don’t appear to have a measurable positive effect, it doesn’t seem as though teams will be any less hesitant to make bench bosses pay for poor on-court results, the ESPN scribe contends amid a broader piece.
  • Byron Scott‘s handling of the young players on the Lakers has drawn criticism, and his relationship with Julius Randle has been up-and-down, with the coach on Monday imploring the 2014 No. 7 overall pick to “grow up,” as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details.
  • The most significant offseason acquisition for the Spurs admits he didn’t know much about Jonathon Simmons, perhaps the most anonymous of the new Spurs, when camp began, but LaMarcus Aldridge and the rest of the NBA are learning just what the rookie can do, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Simmons had a career-high 18 points Monday. “[The Spurs] always try to find guys they can fit into the system, and he’s no exception to that,” Aldridge said. “He’s the energy guy we need, and he’s gotten better every game.”
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Central Notes: Jennings, Tolliver, Prunty, Gibson

January 5th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Jennings isn’t sure whether the Pistons will trade him, but he said Monday that he hopes he’ll finish the season in Detroit, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will listen to offers but has consistently attempted to tamp down trade rumors involving the point guard who’s successfully returned from injury, Mayo writes.

“Our plan, right now, is that Brandon can help us make a playoff push, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Van Gundy said. “That’s our plan right now. If something happens in the next five weeks, we’ll look at it. But right now, he’s a very good player who can help us, and that’s the only way we’re looking at him.”

Jennings called his one-game D-League rehab stint critical to his comeback, as Mayo also relays, and Reggie Jackson continued his praise of Jennings, calling him “the ultimate teammate,” as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. See more on the Pistons and the rest of the Central Division:

  • Soon-to-be free agent Anthony Tolliver wants to re-sign with the Pistons in the offseason, as he wrote recently on his personal blog and as Aaron McCann of MLive points out.  “I want to have a good, solid season and help my team win as much as possible,” Tolliver wrote. “And then when I’m a free agent this summer, I hope to sign back with Detroit and try to make this a long-term home for my family and me.”
  • Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty got his start in the NBA with the Spurs, and he’s using Gregg Popovich as a model for success, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Still, head coach Jason Kidd remains influential, and Prunty said he and the rest of the coaching staff keep in close contact with Kidd, who’s on a leave of absence as he recovers from hip surgery.
  • The offseason surgery that uncovered and repaired a torn ligament in Taj Gibson‘s formerly troublesome left ankle has the trade candidate feeling much better, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I’m completely stronger as far as my lateral movement and being able to switch more to guards,” the Bulls power forward said. “I feel a lot faster.”
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Texas Notes: Aldridge, McCallum, Williams

January 4th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite LaMarcus Aldridge‘s numbers being down from recent seasons, the Spurs are pleased with how well the power forward is adapting to the organization and its system, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “It’s difficult to do in your first year,” coach Gregg Popovich said of Aldridge. “A lot of guys take a whole year to get used to us. He’s been remarkable in catching on this quickly.”

Speaking about Aldridge’s production in San Antonio, point guard Tony Parker told McDonald, “You can’t judge LaMarcus compared to his numbers from last year. It’s not fair. Any Spur, you can’t judge by their numbers. The way we play, it’s for everybody. We’re not going to have a guy who is going to score 30 points or take 25 shots. It’s just not going to happen with this team.” In 33 appearances for the Spurs this season Aldridge is averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, down from his 2014/15 numbers with Portland of 23.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG.

Here’s more from the Lone Star State:

  • Mavericks point guard Deron Williams has come off the team’s bench the past two games, a role that the veteran says he doesn’t mind, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets (ESPN Now link). “It doesn’t matter to me,” Williams said. “When I was out and missed those four games, we won all four and J.J. Barea was rolling, so you don’t want to shake up something like that. Coach said, Do you have a problem coming off the bench?’ I said no. I’ve done it a little the last couple of seasons. It’s not a big deal to me. If it helps the team, I’m all for it.“
  • Montrezl Harrell‘s role with the Rockets will expand while Donatas Motiejunas deals with back issues, and despite the rookie being the leading scorer for Houston’s D-League affiliate, the power forward is willing to do whatever the coaching staff asks of him, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. “Every time I go down, I don’t focus anything offensive-wise,” Harrell said. “I know that will come. Those are great guys down there I played [with] in summer league. Every time I go down there I focus on playing defense and make sure my rotations are right. Going into the game, I have a scouting report on who I will be guarding and make sure I take great pride in making sure I do my job defending that person.”
  • The Spurs have recalled point guard Ray McCallum from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. McCallum is averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 37.7 minutes of action through seven total appearances for Austin this season.
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Western Notes: Aldridge, Wolves, Kings

January 3rd, 2016 at 8:28pm CST by Will Joseph

LaMarcus Aldridge averaged more than 20 points per game in each of his final five seasons with the Blazers, yet even though he is scoring only 15.8 points per game for the Spurs, San Antonio is delighted with how the offseason acquisition has started to gel with his new team, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes.

“It’s difficult to do in your first year,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, per McDonald. “A lot of guys take a whole year to get used to us. He’s been remarkable in catching on this quickly.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • While Wolves owner Glen Taylor has said interim coach Sam Mitchell has this season to prove himself, Mitchell doesn’t concern himself with the job’s labeling or his future beyond 2015/16, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays. “My job is to coach the team and do what I think is right to do,” Mitchell said. “I don’t worry about whether I’m going to be here or not. My job is to teach these players to the best of my ability so that whoever is coaching this team, whether it’s me or anybody else, at least these guys have any idea how to play.”
  • DeMarcus Cousins‘ interaction with George Karl still remains as an interesting topic because of their rocky relationship over the summer, so it was not surprising that Cousins was asked about his high-five to the Kings coach following Karl being called for a technical foul Saturday, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. “I’ve told y’all before, honestly, it’s not about that,” Cousins said. “As long as we’re on the same page and have the same goal on a nightly basis, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter if we’re friends or whatever the case may be. It’s about winning games; that’s all that matters.”
  • In a chat with readers, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that he believes the Mavs will make a trade before the deadline, though he does not necessarily think it will be a significant one.
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