NBA News: Latest Buzz Surrounding Kawhi Leonard, J.J. Barea and More
Tuesday, Oct. 28 marks opening day for the 2014-15 NBA season, and naturally the league is abuzz with news regarding the fates, both long-term and immediate, of all 30 franchises.
Each team must operate like a chameleon, with one eye focused on the latest short-term concern and the other gazing at potential pitfalls off in the distance. Some have the luxury of building for the future while the present is secure; others' plans are derailed by the unpredictability of a professional sports league.
The 24/7 news cycle never sleeps, and this latest roundup of roundball revelations runs the gamut from contract talks to injury reports to waiver moves.
Kawhi Leonard Contract Talks Stall
Eventually, the San Antonio Spurs will have to bridge the gap from the Manu Ginobili-Tony Parker-Tim Duncan era to whatever it is that comes next, and Kawhi Leonard just might be the perfect player to smooth over any potential rough patches. All they need to do is sign him up long-term.
However, contract talks between the Spurs and Leonard have apparently stalled, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
"As Kawhi Leonard holds firm on his desire for a maximum contract, extension talks with the San Antonio Spurs have failed to gather traction despite a looming Friday deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, would become a restricted free agent in July without an extension agreement by midnight Oct. 31 – the deadline for eligible extensions for the NBA's draft class of 2011.
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The 23-year-old San Diego State alum is a rising star in the NBA and averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the 2013-14 regular season.
Leonard appears hardwired for hardwood glory, so it's interesting to see how the San Antonio Spurs—generally not ones to make mistakes when roster-building—will handle this situation in the coming days.
As Wojnarowski points out, Leonard could be a max-offer guy if he becomes a restricted free agent:
"Leonard, 23, is considered one of the NBA's rising young stars, and multiple league executives told Yahoo Sports he'll command a max offer sheet on the market next summer. The Spurs would assuredly match a sheet and retain Leonard, but there remains the risk of Leonard signing a similar offer sheet to Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons.
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Considering Leonard's leap from budding star to actual superstardom is based mostly on his excellent 2014 playoff run—which wasn't without its missteps— the Spurs may not be entirely convinced he is worth a max contract.
Leonard is an fine rebounder, fantastic on-ball defender and has the ability to shoot from outside (37.9 percent from three-point range last season). He could be a key cog for years to come in head coach Gregg Popovich's ball-movement offense.
A hot start to the season from Leonard would almost certainly serve as confirmation of his interminable gifts, but the Spurs don't appear to have the luxury of time when it comes to satiating their star forward.
J.J. Barea to Clear Waivers
The Minnesota Timberwolves have plenty of work to do in a post-Kevin Love-in-the-low-post era, and it appears that trimming the roster is just one step toward clearing a path for the younger players who will attempt to drag this franchise back to Association relevancy.
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Wolves have bought out the contract of veteran point guard J.J. Barea, who will leave the franchise after three productive seasons coming off the bench:
"The Minnesota Timberwolves finalized a buyout for veteran J.J. Barea on Monday that will enables the guard to become a free agent once he clears waivers.
Barea was waived by the Wolves before Monday's 5 p.m. deadline for teams to cut rosters down to 15 players.
Sources say that the Dallas Mavericks, meanwhile, are planning to re-sign Barea once he clears waivers. Barea is expected to clear because his salary-cap number for the coming season is $4.5 million.
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Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Barea "wants to play every game." With Ricky Rubio the unquestioned starter in Minnesota and veteran floor general Mo Williams playing well for stretches of the preseason, minutes would likely be hard to come by for Barea. They would also likely be painful minutes, as the Timberwolves went 40-42 last season and lost their best player (Love) to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer.
Barea is certainly still capable of putting in quality shifts on the court, even at 30 years old. Barea averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per 36 minutes last year, per Basketball-Reference.com.
According to Stein, he could return to the Dallas Mavericks, but they have a glut of point guards on the roster which includes the likes of Jameer Nelson, Gal Mekel, Raymond Felton and Devin Harris. Still, Barea offers more quickness than either Felton or Nelson and his ability to get to the rim could pair well with the outside shooting of forward Chandler Parsons.
The Indiana Pacers' Injuries Pile Up
Indiana Pacers fans are already facing the prospects of a lost season without All-Star swingman Paul George for the foreseeable future, which makes the latest injury news all the more painful for those hoping this team would be able to save face with a strong start to the season.
Unfortunately, the Pacers will be without three more key players for the beginning of the season. Autumn Allison of the Indianapolis Star has the latest:
"The team announced on Monday that David West, George Hill and C.J. Watson will miss not only the Wednesday night opener, but the first few games of regular season due to injuries.
West, who sprained his ankle during the Oct. 18 Dallas Mavericks preseason matchup, will miss three games, Hill is expected to be out for three weeks with a knee contusion and Watson is looking at two weeks for a bruised right foot.
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Yes, these players will eventually come back, but the Pacers squad that will take the court in the early goings this season will be practically unrecognizable from the one that managed to scrap its way to the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
Including George and Lance Stephenson, who signed with the Charlotte Hornets this offseason, the Pacers will be missing the scorers of 5,130 points from last year, per Basketball-Reference.com. This team may be predicated on playing lights-out defense, but it will be nearly impossible to replace this much offensive production with role players.
Hill's injury might be the most disconcerting, as the Pacers were likely expecting him to take on a greater role in the offense to offset the loss of George.
"We got some guys we think are going to step up and play well," team president Larry Bird said Saturday, per The Associated Press (h/t NBA.com). "I thought George Hill was excellent during training camp; he's gotten a lot better. I'm just amazed by how much better (Hill) has got."
Much of the attention will likely fall to center Roy Hibbert, who doesn't really inspire confidence after his baffling late-season decline in 2014. He's not much of an offensive force, averaging just 11.2 points per game in six NBA seasons. ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh thinks the start of the season could be rough for the All-Star center:
West is a veteran leader and should be the first of the aforementioned Pacers to return, per Allison's report. His competitive fire and intangibles will be key to preventing the Pacers from slipping to the Eastern Conference doldrums. However, even with a mostly healthy squad, Indiana's prospects appear to be quite dim without George.
