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Spurs, Hawks Have Fewest Ex-Lottery Picks In NBA

November 15th, 2015 at 2:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

So much of a team’s fate in the NBA is tied to its ability to land superstar talent. So much superstar talent comes through the top end of the draft that many organizations base their rebuilding philosophy around the draft lottery. The success of the Spurs and Hawks largely stands in defiance of that idea.

Every team in the league has at least three former lottery picks on its roster, aside from San Antonio and Atlanta. It’s undeniable that one of those lottery picks on the Spurs, Tim Duncan, is a generational talent and foundational player who helped mold the franchise into what it is today. But Duncan is 39, and while still productive, he’s no longer capable of carrying a team by himself. Offseason free agent signee LaMarcus Aldridge is the other former lottery pick on the Spurs, but the team has compiled its 7-2 record — second best in the Western Conference heading into today — without anyone else with a lottery pedigree.

The Hawks are the same way, thanks in large measure to coach/president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer and former GM Danny Ferry, both of whom have strong ties to the Spurs. Al Horford has been a mainstay, but while Thabo Sefolosha has been a key part of the team’s success, no one would mistake him for a superstar. Those are the only two former lottery picks on the Hawks, and yet they’re 8-3, and began today in second place in the Eastern Conference, the same position in which the Spurs find themselves in the West.

The assortment of teams with a league-high eight former lottery picks demonstrates the capriciousness of the draft. Three of them make sense, as the Clippers, Thunder and Warriors are all expected to contend, and Golden State is threatening to run away with the regular season’s best record for the second year in a row. The Hornets and Trail Blazers are sub-.500 teams with little expectation of winning this year, especially now that Charlotte has lost former No. 2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to injury.

Indeed, not all former lottery picks are created equal. Injuries keep some from helping their teams, while age hampers others. No. 1 picks have a greater chance of success than No. 14 picks do. Still, it’s telling that two of the most successful organizations in the NBA can rise to that level almost entirely without players from the lottery.

Here’s a look at the former lottery picks on every team, categorized by the volume of them on each roster:

Eight lottery picks

Seven lottery picks

Six lottery picks

Five lottery picks

Four lottery picks

Three lottery picks

Two lottery picks

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Western Notes: Stephenson, Chalmers, Kanter

November 14th, 2015 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers coach Doc Rivers cautions not to read too much into Lance Stephenson‘s brief cameo during today’s win over the Pistons, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Even with Chris Paul and J.J. Redick sitting out with injuries, Stephenson saw the court for just 1 minute and 42 seconds. Rivers said it was a “spacing” issue and he wasn’t convinced that Stephenson was “ready” during his brief appearance. Stephenson was dealt to L.A. in June after a disappointing season in Charlotte. He had started the Clippers’ first nine games, averaging 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Rivers said Stephenson handled today’s demotion well. “Lance has been great,” Rivers said. “He’s been in great spirit. He really has. Obviously, he wants to play. We want to play him. And tonight we chose not to. I thought he was the pro’s pro.”

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

  • Mario Chalmers came to the Grizzlies in a bad mood, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. After seven seasons in Miami, the Heat traded Chalmers to Memphis this week in a deal aimed at reducing their luxury tax payment. Chalmers is upset about being involved in trade rumors all summer, then having his playing time cut to 20 minutes per game this season. “I’m definitely playing with a chip on my shoulder, especially with the way everything went down in Miami,” he said.  “I’m just licking my chops at this new opportunity and I’m ready to help the Grizzlies start winning.”
  • After matching Enes Kanter‘s hefty offer from the Blazers, the Thunder are happy with the early returns, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Even though Kanter is being used as a backup, he’s justifying his four-year, $70MM deal with some impressive rebounding numbers. Kanter ranks sixth in the league in offensive rebounds and is third in rebounds per 48 minutes. He also provides scoring punch. With 27.5 points per 48 minutes, he trails just Jahlil Okafor and Brook Lopez among centers.
  • The Spurs recalled forward Jonathon Simmons from their D-League team in Austin today. He made his first appearance of the season in tonight’s game against the Sixers.
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Texas Notes: Pachulia, Cuban, Harden, Butler

November 14th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks didn’t get the center they wanted this summer, but Zaza Pachulia wasn’t a bad consolation prize, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. When DeAndre Jordan changed his mind about coming to Dallas, the Mavericks swung a deal with Milwaukee to bring in Pachulia. The 13-year veteran has been an early-season surprise, posting double-doubles in points and rebounds five times in the first nine games. He credits the Mavericks’ experience for their 5-4 start. “You look around the locker room and guys have been in the league 10, 11, 12, 17 [years], so these guys know how to play the right way,” Pachulia said. “It’s like day and night when I came from Milwaukee. It’s become so much easier. Maybe because the mentality that I have is to play team basketball, it’s easier for me to fit in this system.”

There’s more basketball news from the Lone Star State:

  • After years of Western dominance, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sees the balance shifting, MacMahon posts on ESPN.com. “The East looks like the better conference so far,” Cuban said. “That’s a good thing.”
  • Rockets star guard James Harden and coach Kevin McHale have different levels of concern about the adjustment to Ty Lawson, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Lawson was acquired in a July trade with the Nuggets to give the team an extra playmaker. However, the 4-5 Rockets are off to a disappointing start — losing twice to the Nuggets and once at home to the Nets — and McHale doesn’t like what he has seen. “Both of those guys have to play better,” the coach said. “They have to play better defense, they have to rebound, keep people out of the middle, it’s just not them, it’s a multitude of people.” Harden thinks the adjustment to Lawson is just a matter of time. “I look at when LeBron [James] went to Cleveland with Kyrie [Irving] they didn’t mesh right away,” Harden said. “It takes time. I’m not worried about that.”
  • The Spurs are noticing the contribution of Rasual Butler, even though he’s not playing much, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The 36-year-old Butler, who signed with the team just before camp started, hasn’t seen more than 15 minutes in a game yet this season or scored more than six points. “He’s a good shooter. He’s aggressive. Always a smart veteran who makes good decisions. He helps us off the bench because of those things,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
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Southeast Notes: Riley, Anderson, Patterson

November 13th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Heat team president Pat Riley tried to convince LaMarcus Aldridge to take Miami’s mid-level exception on a one-year deal this summer with the idea of re-signing him for the maximum salary using cap space in 2016, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). That conflicts with an earlier report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who heard that Riley was selling Aldridge on the idea of signing a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers so that he could be available in 2016. The mid-level plan would have been a tough sell, especially since the Heat are limited to just the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level instead of the full $5.464MM. Aldridge ultimately wound up signing with the Spurs on a max deal that pays him $19.689MM this season. Next year’s maximum salary for Aldridge would be a projected $29.3MM, thanks to the rising salary cap and the fact that Aldridge would be a 10-year veteran and eligible for the highest maximum-salary bracket. Still, he ultimately decided against trying to recoup the losses of a financial sacrifice this season with a more lucrative max deal in 2016. See more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Wizards have struggled on defense, ranking just 24th in defensive efficiency according to NBA.com, but coach Randy Wittman thinks the team’s newcomers are better defenders than those they replaced, notes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Alan Anderson, one of the team’s offseason signees and a key part of the team’s defensive upgrade, is out until December, though John Wall credits him for his voice in the locker room that’s helped keep the team from panicking amid its disappointing 3-4 start, as Michael details.
  • The physicality of the NBA caught Hawks rookie Lamar Patterson by surprise, but he’s already had his moments, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines. Patterson has been in and out of the rotation already this season for Atlanta, though he hasn’t played in the past three games. The Hawks inked the 2014 No. 48 overall pick this past summer as a draft-and-stash signee.
  • Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer won’t be coaching tonight in the team’s game against the Celtics in Boston, since he’s returned to Atlanta to attend to a family matter, the team announced via press release. It’s unclear how long he’ll be away. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson will be in charge for tonight’s game, the team says.
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And-Ones: D-League, Printezis, Taylor

November 12th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA D-League president Malcolm Turner says the NBA is moving closer to a 30-for-30 model that would provide each NBA team with its own D-League affiliate, and Turner believes that it is a goal that could be realized within the next five years, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “All those NBA teams who currently don’t have a D-League team, we’re in active conversations with all of them,” Turner said. “Each team is at varying stages in terms of interest, and we’re trying to prioritize actionable interest and opportunities we can act on now. We’re already working on the pipeline of opportunities for 2017/18 and beyond. One of the reasons we’re focused on them so far in advance is 30-for-30 is our No. 1 initiative and we feel like we’re now within striking distance of achieving that goal.”

Turner also acknowledged that increasing player salaries in the D-League to be more competitive with overseas clubs is an important part of allowing the league to grow, Zillgitt adds. “As we grow, we obviously have additional player rosters to fill,” Turner continued. “We want to make sure we’re adding more and better talent to the league rather than less. We are taking a look at any and all opportunities to enhance our value proposition for talent. We’re in the market for top talent to fill our rosters and assessing our overall business accordingly. We have a bright future, and we’re working very hard to realize those opportunities.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Wolves owner Glen Taylor is engaged in serious talks to sell approximately 20% ownership of the franchise to a group led by Grizzlies minority partner Steve Kaplan, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. The group’s motivation for purchasing a minority share is that it hopes to position itself to buy the majority stake if Taylor decides to sell the franchise in the future, Wojnarowski adds.
  • Greek power forward Giorgos Printezis, whose draft rights went from the Hawks to San Antonio in July as part of the Tiago Splitter trade, is on the Spurs‘ radar, though at 30 years old he is running out of time if he wishes to make the jump stateside, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes. “It was good to meet with Giorgos. We traded for his rights last summer and this was the first time I got to spend some time with him. I have never met him before,” said Spurs GM R.C.Buford, who recently scouted the player in Athens. Printezis’ contract with Olympiacos runs through the summer of 2017, according to Barkas. As for the chances of seeing the forward in San Antonio at that point, Buford told Barkas, “I think that a part of this decision belongs to him. For sure we will be following him and if our needs fit his needs, then we will see what happens.”
  • The Bucks, who are currently without their own affiliate, are willing to invest in a D-League team, and the franchise will meet later this month to discuss the possibilities, Zillgitt tweets.
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Vlade Divac Denies Asking Players If Karl Should Go

November 12th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:45pm: Divac said the idea he asked the players if they wanted Karl fired is a misconception, notes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee.

“You guys make my job hard,” Divac said to reporters. “There is partial truth to a lot of what has been reported, but much of it was off. First of all, I never asked the players if I should fire Coach or said I was thinking of doing that. I walked into the locker room after [Monday’s] game and said, ‘OK, you guys don’t want to play with Coach? What’s the problem?’ I wanted to catch them by surprise a little bit and get them to talk openly about what was going on. Then the coaches came in, and we talked some more. I think it was very positive for everyone.”

THURSDAY, 10:15am: A league source who spoke with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com disputes the idea that Divac asked Kings players if the team should get rid of Karl, though he doesn’t mention Bratz’s involvement. We have more on the Kings drama right here.

6:43pm: Divac answered affirmatively when Marc J. Spears asked him if Karl’s job is safe (Twitter link).

“Yeah,” Divac said. “Yeah. Nothing has changed, really. 1-7, we all know we’re better.”

The blame for Cousins’ tirade doesn’t rest on Karl’s shoulders, Divac also told Spears, who earlier passed on a statement from Cousins apologizing for his outburst (All four Twitter links). Divac wouldn’t say whether the team is disciplining Cousins in any way for the tirade, Spears notes (Twitter link).

“Most important thing we had after the meeting was we were on the same page, bottom line, on how to improve. That’s positive stuff,” Divac said.

5:36pm: Karl wanted to suspend Cousins for two games after the center’s Monday night verbal tirade, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays. According to Jones, Divac told the coach that he did not have authority to suspend Cousins, and Divac refused to grant Karl permission to impose the suspension.

3:15pm: Karl is indeed in jeopardy of losing his job as soon as this week, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports. Meanwhile, owners who have minority shares in the Kings are more frustrated than ever with Ranadive in large measure because he isn’t consulting with them on decisions, Amick hears from a source.

WEDNESDAY, 2:46pm: Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and assistant GM Mike Bratz asked players during Tuesday’s team meeting whether they thought he should fire coach George Karl, reports Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. The players weren’t sure how to respond, McIntyre adds, though Caron Butler said after the meeting that the players are behind the coach. DeMarcus Cousins verbally lit into Karl after Monday’s loss to the Spurs, though he later felt a level of regret about having done so, McIntyre also hears. Divac is under pressure as Vivek Ranadive’s interest in hiring John Calipari to both coach the team and run the front office has ramped up in recent months, according to McIntyre.

Cousins asked a couple of teammates if he had been too hard on Karl, who simply walked away at the end of the center’s rant, and they advised him not to “scream and curse” at his coach the way he had, as McIntyre details. Karl and Cousins have had an up-and-down relationship, at best, since Karl took over the team in February, with the two saying over the summer that they had patched up their differences following reports indicating that Karl wanted the team to trade Cousins and had sought to do so. Kings officials are reportedly concerned with Karl’s low energy amid a 1-7 start.

Ben McLemore expressed confusion during Tuesday’s team meeting about his role, though teammates told him it was to hit 3-pointers and defend, and that those are the responsibilities of everyone aside from Cousins and Rajon Rondo, as McIntyre details.

The Kings denied a report over the summer indicating that they had reached out to Calipari at that point, and Calipari has continually maintained that he isn’t interested in returning to the NBA, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. The team’s decisions to draft Willie Cauley-Stein, whom Calipari coached at Kentucky, and sign Rondo, who played at Kentucky before Calipari became coach there, were mostly because of Ranadive’s friendship with Calipari, McIntyre writes.

How do you see the Kings saga playing out? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

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Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Durant, Mitchell

November 12th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

LaMarcus Aldridge wouldn’t say much in response to a question from Jason Quick of CSNNW.com about his summer 2014 pledge to re-sign with the Trail Blazers in 2015. Aldridge signed this past summer with the Spurs instead, of course.

“I’m not going to get into all of that,’’ Aldridge said. “What is done is done. I feel like both sides kind of have what they want. Now, I’m here [with the Spurs].’’

Aldridge expressed love for Portland and its fans despite his decision to split, as Quick relays, but the power forward privately made it clear he was no fan of the culture and climate of the Pacific Northwest, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who offers a fascinating inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. See more from around the Northwest Division:

  • It was Aldridge’s decision to leave the Blazers, but the team deserves blame for failing to convince the star that it was worth it to stick around, The Oregonian’s John Canzano argues.
  • Kevin Durant need look no further than the Thunder in free agency next summer if he seeks a team with a roster that can help him win championships, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com believes.
  • Sam Mitchell‘s future beyond this season as coach of the Timberwolves is unresolved, but his lineup decisions so far indicate that he’s not merely focusing on the near term, observes Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune.
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And-Ones: Durant, Green, Aldridge

November 12th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Chuck Myron

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News mentions the Lakers, Bulls and Knicks as major-market suitors for Kevin Durant, and the Warriors as a team that could catch his eye, but people around the league have long felt as though Durant will either sign with the Thunder or the Wizards, Deveney writes. It’s a sentiment one Eastern Conference GM who spoke with Deveney confirms. Still, Washington doesn’t plan an extravagant pitch, a source tells Deveney, in keeping with the former MVP’s low-key personality. That said, neither the Warriors nor the Heat should be ruled out as potential Durant destinations, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. See more from around the NBA:

  • Gerald Green punched a man who was trying to restrain him from going from the lobby of his condo building to his unit, according to a police report that Manny Navarro and Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald obtained. The man, who elected not to press charges, was attempting to keep Green in the lobby so that he would be there when rescue officials arrived, the report states, according to Navarro and Rabin. Green had earlier approached the front desk of the lobby with bloody hands and asked for a call to paramedics, then proceeded to the valet area in front of the building and collapsed, the report continues, as Navarro and Rabin detail. Green, who was handcuffed but not arrested, was hospitalized and later released and is serving a two-game suspension from the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said the team still believes it can count on Green, who issued an apology as part of a team statement, Navarro and Rabin add.
  • The Mavericks weren’t the favorites for LaMarcus Aldridge, but they still had a chance to sign him when they abandoned their pursuit to instead nail down the more certain acquisition of Wesley Matthews, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports details in an inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. Aldridge liked Kobe Bryant‘s basketball chat but little else about the Lakers presentation, while Aldridge was reluctant to share the marquee with James Harden despite an intriguing Rockets pitch and found Raptors GM Masai Ujiri appealing but not convincing enough to sway him to Toronto, according to Wojnarowski.
  • The Spurs wooed Aldridge with a casual, face-to-face approach from Gregg Popovich and other San Antonio principals, Wojnarowski explains in the same piece. Popovich’s decision to fly in for a second visit, prompted by Aldridge’s second Lakers meeting, helped sealed the deal for the Spurs, thanks in part to a last-minute appeal from Riley that the Heat president intended to use to sell Aldridge on a secondary role in Miami, Wojnarowski writes. Instead, Aldridge took Riley’s message to heart as he embraced the idea of sacrificing some of his impressive offensive numbers in San Antonio’s egalitarian offense, as the Yahoo scribe details.
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D-League Notes: Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Sixers

November 11th, 2015 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

GM Gar Forman said the Bulls haven’t used the D-League that frequently because they wanted the players “in our culture,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along via Twitter. Earlier today, the Bulls formally announced that they will have their own D-League team starting in the 2016/17 season, so that concern will no longer be an issue.

Here’s more D-League news to pass along:

  • Edy Tavares is headed to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, the Hawks announced today, confirming Tuesday’s report from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta was sending the rookie on assignment. The Hawks don’t have a D-League affiliate, so it wasn’t initially clear where he’d end up, though it’s no surprise to see him head to the Austin Spurs, given the ties between the Atlanta and San Antonio organizations.
  • The Sixers sent point guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, the team announced via press release. The duo aren’t expected to play in any D-League games, but they will work out with the team as they recover from their respective injuries, per John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. These are the first D-League assignments of the season for Philadelphia.
  • The Celtics assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, and later recalled both him and Jordan Mickey, the team announced (Twitter links). Both players were sent to Maine to log more practice time. It was the third D-League assignment of the season for Young, and the second for Mickey, as our assignment and recall tracker shows.
  • The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the 2015/16 season for both the player and team.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post

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Western Notes: Russell, Aldridge, Capela

November 11th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Rookie D’Angelo Russell is obviously in the Lakers‘ long-term plans, but that doesn’t mean he is ready to take on a huge role just yet, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes.

“I’m not just going to put him out there to put him out there,” Coach Byron Scott said. “If I do that and he’s not prepared and he’s not learning, then I’m preparing him to fail. And I’m not going to do that. I think this kid is too valuable to us.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t going to get caught up in his decision to leave Portland when the Blazers host the Spurs tonight, Jason Quick of CSNNW passes along via Twitter. “I’m not going to get into all of that. What is done is done. I feel like both sides kind of have what they want. Now, I’m here,” Aldridge said.
  • Clint Capela is proving he belongs in the NBA and Rockets GM Daryl Morey has high expectations for the big man, as he tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “Sky’s the limit for him.” Morey said.  “To do what he’s doing at 22 is amazing in the NBA against the talent in the league and to come from playing mostly in the D-League last season, to start a few games for us, and in games that we’ve won, is huge. His ability to protect the rim, run the floor, rebound — we really feel like he’s got a chance to be a high-level player.”
  • Capela has seen some added playing time this season with Dwight Howard not playing in both games of back-to-backs and there is no urgency to change the game plan, Morey tells Watkins in the same piece. “It’s going to come down to the doctor’s advice,”  Morey said. “He has not played back-to-back and he’s played at an extremely high level. So I think the doctors are looking at that and feeling like that’s the smartest course at this point. If he gets to no symptoms whatsoever and playing at a high level, I think they might mix him in at some point. For now and the foreseeable future, I think they want him to sit out back-to-backs.” Howard can hit free agency this summer if he elects to turn down his player option, which is worth slightly more than $23.28MM.
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