NBA Rumors: Latest Rumors Surrounding Rick Carlisle, Festus Ezeli and More
The 2015-16 NBA season started Tuesday night, and if early signs stay true, it should be another entertaining campaign.
The Chicago Bulls' Pau Gasol blocked the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James' layup on the final possession to give his team a 97-95 win, Andre Drummond (18 points, 19 rebounds) lifted the visiting Detroit Pistons to a 106-94 upset over the Atlanta Hawks and Stephen Curry's 40 points were the catalyst for the Golden State Warriors' 111-95 triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans.
All in all, it was great action. And the season's only just begun.
So let's look at a few storylines that have made league news recently concerning a coach's re-signing, a rising center's contract situation and a recently waived former prospect who's looking for answers.
Rick Carlisle
In the past 10 months, not a lot of things have gone the Dallas Mavericks' way. Rajon Rondo's arrival in December sabotaged the team's hopes at a deep playoff run, DeAndre Jordan went back on his contract agreement with Dallas in July and injuries abound for the squad.
However, according to ESPN's Marc Stein, one thing is going right for the Mavericks.
Carlisle is almost universally considered a top-five coach in the NBA, and usually even higher. He's an ace tactician who's been known to adjust his schemes to fit the personnel on his roster.
As head coach for the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, his skills have resulted in a 619-431 record and one NBA championship.
In the 2015-16 season, he's tasked with taking a veteran Mavericks team with little athleticism and defensive prowess to the Western Conference playoffs. It'll be tough but definitely possible with Carlisle manning the sidelines.
Festus Ezeli
Ezeli had a fantastic comeback season in 2014-15 for the Golden State Warriors. The 6'11" center had missed the entire previous campaign recovering from serious knee surgery, and he seemed to come back last season just as athletic and much more skilled.
He played some important minutes for Golden State in the NBA Finals, but the team has not moved toward a contract extension with him and seems unlikely to do so before the November 2 deadline, per Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.
Next summer, Ezeli will be sure to get a hefty raise from the $2.0 million he's making this season, per Spotrac. After the Warriors' first game against the New Orleans Pelicans, it's looking like he could become the team's primary reserve big man as a strong rim protector and finisher inside.
Ezeli used his 17 minutes on the court to score an efficient 13 points and four rebounds in the opener, helping Golden State to a 111-95 win.
If he keeps playing like this, he'll have plenty of suitors this offseason, and the Warriors will have to make a tough decision about his worth.
Perry Jones
Jones' disappointing NBA career took another unfortunate turn when the Boston Celtics waived him Saturday, and now he's left searching for options, per the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted the 24-year-old Baylor product 28th overall in the 2012 NBA draft, many saw him as the steal of the draft. Jones was an athletic 5-star forward out of Louisiana, and knee problems were the only reason he slipped out of the lottery.
However, he got buried on the Thunder bench for a couple of seasons, then didn't show enough at the outset of the 2014-15 campaign starting for the injured Kevin Durant. In the 13 games Jones started last season, he averaged just 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 27.5 minutes per game.
At this point, only a handful of teams have space to sign Jones after the roster deadline Monday. Maybe a squad with a player (or players) on the inactive list could pick him up at some point during the season, but it would preferably be a rebuilding team that could afford to give him some run.
Of course, playing overseas is always an option. Jones would be able to rebuild his confidence and eventually try to return stateside someday to live up to his potential.
