Posts Tagged ‘jeremy lamb’

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As Memphis Sheds, OKC Stands As Beacon

January 31, 2013  ·  11:56AM

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – As Memphis, $37 million lighter after Wednesday’s dumping of Rudy Gay, visits Oklahoma City tonight, crystallized further is the small-market Thunder standing as the league’s one-and-only Super Team built to survive this new era under a sharp-toothed collective bargaining agreement.

The Super Team era is dead and the staggering luxury tax penalties that take effect next season scared Memphis straight into a salary sell-off. The Grizzlies moved lesser pieces in a deal last week that spared them from the last of the dollar-for-dollar tax penalty this season and could have allowed them to take one more postseason stab with its core four — Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.

But the Grizzlies’ new ownership and management groups decided not even to do that. Gay is now a Raptor. Who knows where Randolph and Gasol will be come July?

Soon even LeBron James and the Super Friends might have to short-circuit LeBron’s “not one, not two, not three…” proclamation because the owners’ demands in the CBA is squeezing the three superstar model onto life support. LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will be owed a combined $62 million in the 2014-15 season before which all three can opt out. That three-player total already tops this season’s salary cap and is just $8 million from entering the luxury tax.

Starting next season, the luxury tax penalty increases incrementally with each $5 million over the threshold.

The Lakers? The Nets? The Knicks? The Spurs? The Bulls? Name another team with a core as young, as talented and as manageably locked up as the Thunder with All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and ever-emerging big man Serge Ibaka. Surely not the Grizzlies. Perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers if they re-sign Chris Paul this summer to pair long term with Blake Griffin.

“We like our team,” Durant told NBA.com recently. “[General manager] Sam Presti, [assistant general manager] Troy [Weaver], do a great job of putting everything together and making it work, bringing great guys in here that fit with each other, making money fit, the salary cap, all that stuff. They make that work and we really trust them in every decision they make because they always try to put our team in position to do well.”

Presti and Co. made their difficult-but-necessary CBA-related move just days before the start of the season, further confirmation that the three superstar era is as good as dead when they gave up on signing James Harden and traded him to Houston. The deal netted sharpshooter Kevin Martin, and any criticism of the CBA pistol-whipping OKC into a chemistry-disrupting deal on the heels of an NBA Finals appearance evaporated with its seamless transition and fast start.

“We got rid of James, that had to happen, but we didn’t get rid of KD,” OKC coach Scott Brooks said. “We’re going to be good for a long time. KD is still here and Russell, and we have some young guys that are improving. Serge is only 23. Jeremy Lamb (Houston’s No. 12 overall pick acquired in the Harden deal), he hasn’t played much, but he has a chance to be really good, he’s only 20. [Hasheem] Thabeet, he’s not a known guy, then we’ve got some first-round picks.

“So we’re excited about where we’re going, but still we want to win a championship now. We’re not playing for next season or the next season after. We’re like every team, if you have a chance to win you want to win now.”

The Thunder are the favorite to return to the NBA Finals and a combination of shrewd decisions and foresight by the front office, good timing and great luck have positioned them to rule the West, if not the league, for seasons to come. No other team has such desirable young talent locked up for the long haul and locked into contracts that make it at least possible to swim around the luxury tax line of doom without being financially severed by the sharks.

Durant and Westbrook are 24, and Ibaka, incredibly, is only 23. Durant is already signed to a max deal through 2015-16 and Westbrook is too, and through 2016-17. Ibaka signed an extension in the offeseason and is on board through 2016-17 on a reasonable deal that will begin to pay him $12.3 million next season.

Martin becomes a free agent after this season. With just one playoff series in his first eight seasons with Sacramento and Houston, Martin, who is making more than $12 million this season, says he wants to re-sign with OKC.

And if OKC needs an escape hatch, Presti still holds the amnesty card, which he can use, if he so chooses, next offseason on a player such as center Kendrick Perkins, who will earn $18.6 million over the next two seasons.

“Our management does a great job of putting the right people around the organization,” Westbrook said. “It’s showing and it should help us out for years to come.”

The new CBA is ending the Super Team era and it threatens any young building team with uncomfortable decisions and short-term cohesion.

At the moment, no team is better positioned to conquer it than the Thunder.

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Lamb Rolls With Change In D-League

January 10, 2013  ·  8:59PM

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RENO, Nev. — Things change.

Jeremy Lamb knows that as well as anybody.

He was the 12th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Rockets and was supposed to be a key part of a young nucleus for the future. Then on Oct. 27, Lamb was traded to the Thunder as part of the deal that sent James Harden to Houston.

Now 2 1/2 months into his rookie season, Lamb’s destination changes from day to day as he’s played 13 games with OKC and 11 as an assigned player with the NBA D-League Tulsa 66ers.

On Thursday, Lamb wrapped up his two-game stint at the D-League Showcase by hitting 11-for-19 shots to score 33 points and also had eight rebounds and three assists.

“I hit some shots and that always feels good,” said Lamb. “But the main idea is to get reps and try to stay sharp in case they need me at OKC.”

At just 20 years old, Lamb knew there was plenty he had to learn at the pro level, but figured he’d be doing it exclusively alongside Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder this season.

“I’ll admit that I wasn’t really happy when they first came and told me that they wanted me to play in the D-League,” he said. “I mean, you come out of college and get drafted and the thrill and the expectation is that you’re in the NBA.

“You’re hearing what they’re saying when they tell you about the D-League and how it can help. Still it’s pretty hard not to feel like you’ve been demoted. But once I got to Tulsa and got play a few games and get plenty of minutes, I could understand the value and it’s made a lot of sense.”

Lamb has shuttled back and forth between OKC and Tulsa regularly, averaging more than 35 minutes a game with the 66ers, while getting just a token few runs with the Thunder.

His most significant contribution came on Dec. 19 when Thunder coach Scott Brooks called on Lamb to replace Durant late in the first quarter of a game against the Hawks. He not only hit two-of-three shots and scored five points in five minutes, but also didn’t allow Josh Smith to score, despite giving up size on a steady diet of post-up plays.

While Lamb is averaging 21.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in the D-League, he’s got the most work to do at the defensive end.

“I’ve got to learn to be more consistent on defense,” he said. “You can’t take a possession off. You can’t lose your focus at any time. Those are things that I definitely work on in practice when I’m in OKC, but’s game situations that really test your concentration. The idea is to make the most of these games in the D-League and to get myself to a point where if something happens in OKC and I’m needed, I’m ready to step in.”

As Lamb knows, things change quickly.

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Blogtable: Harden Trade Aftermath

October 31, 2012  ·  11:37AM

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Blogtable Week 1: Harden Trade | Under-the-radar stories | Lakers’ outlook

What do you expect out of James Harden in Houston this year? And how much will the trade affect the Thunder?

Steve Aschburner: I acknowledge Harden’s talent, especially his ability to get to the foul line, and expect that he’ll do well as the Rockets’ No. 1 option. But he’ll have to do it against serious game-planning by opponents — there’s no Durant or Westbrook to draw most of the defensive attention. So be careful what you wish for, James. As for OKC, I think they made a great save with what they got in trade, but tinkering with a winning formula — for whatever reason — is risky. Short term, they could regret GM Sam Presti‘s pro-activity.

Fran Blinebury: Harden will put up a lot of points as top gun on a bad team. It remains to be seen how effective he can be in late game situations without playing off Durant and Westbrook. Kevin Martin will replace his scoring and late FTs in OKC, but they’ll miss Harden at the point.

Jeff Caplan: Harden will be a scoring machine in Houston. Just look at the roster. He has to be. He will take loads of pressure off of Jeremy Lin and with the media no longer obsessed with Linsanity, Harden will give Houston something it wouldn’t have had otherwise — relevance. Everyone will be interested to see how Lin and The Beard mesh and more so how Harden performs as a starter for the first time in his career — and on a team that doesn’t feature two dominant scorers. As for the Thunder, chemistry — these guys really liked each other — and fourth-quarter execution will stand out. Martin will go bonkers with the open looks he’ll get, but Harden was a beast with the ball in his hands during crunch time and the Thunder will have to make adjustments.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Harden will do well. He will move from complementary offensive weapon to Durant and Westbrook into a centerpiece role and thrive while paying for the opportunity in losses. The team he leaves behind, the Thunder, will obviously be impacted. They traded their third-best player for Martin. That is definitely a step back for a team trying to win a championship.

Sekou Smith: Harden will get his chance to headline alongside Lin, and that should be good for some excitement here and there. But they don’t look like a playoff team to me. And the Thunder will survive his departure with a re-stocked bench and a scorer (Martin) more than capable of filling Harden’s spot in the scoring column.

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Lakers Win In Harden Trade

October 28, 2012  ·  12:36PM


HANG TIME WEST – We have a winner in the Rockets-Thunder trade.

The Lakers.

James Harden instantly becomes a max player on the next contract because no way Houston risks losing him after spending heavy Saturday to get Harden from Oklahoma City, and the Rockets win the day by finally landing a player with star capability. But, meanwhile, the Lakers just became bigger favorites to win the West.

The Thunder traded their third-best player — the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, the No. 2 facilitator on offense after Russell Westbrook — for one player with NBA experience, Kevin Martin. Oklahoma City also gets well-regarded rookie Jeremy Lamb, Toronto’s first-round pick via Houston (with various protections the next five seasons) and Dallas’ first-rounder via Houston (protected through 20 in 2013). So this could one day turn out to be a good save by general manager Sam Presti, once management decided it would not find common ground with Harden on an extension. For now, though, it is an obvious blow.

The Thunder are not going away and could, bolstered by the experience of playing into June for the first time, make another drive to the Finals. It’s just that they are not as good as they were Saturday morning.

The Lakers, the ultimate in win-now mode, definitely were not sorry this trade happened. OKC’s big three of Kevin Durant, Harden and Westbrook played 84 minutes together while eliminating L.A. in five games in the West semifinals, and the Thunder outscored the Lakers during that time by 47 points. As one of several players to hurt the Lakers in transition, Harden got to the line and averaged 16 points in the series despite poor shooting.

No, not sorry at all.

You still don’t want to run into the Thunder starters in a best-of-seven. Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha is still a unit with June potential. But nothing changes the reality that the Lakers and Clippers got better in the offseason while the Thunder, though helped by being a year older, just took a roster hit.

Does it drop the Thunder behind the Spurs and/or Clippers?

Possibly, but not definitely. Oklahoma City is still loaded with positives and finishing second would not be a surprise, but the top of the conference is such a cage match that a swing of a few games in the regular season could make a huge difference. One game in the playoffs could mean early vacation.

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Harden Makes Rockets Relevant Again

October 28, 2012  ·  12:47AM


HOUSTON — The Tigers are already down to their final chance in the World Series because they simply can’t connect with the ball.

Give Daryl Morey credit because no matter how desperate the situation got, he never stopped swinging.

After trying fruitlessly to land a big fish in the free-agent market or by trade for the past several years — Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard — the Rockets general manager finally got his hook into James Harden.

So much of the focus on the stunning deal that was consummated Saturday night will be on Oklahoma City. That’s to be expected when an up-and-coming powerhouse that was in the NBA Finals last June unloads one of its key players. There is instant speculation about whether the Thunder will now be able to hold off a charge from the reloaded Lakers, the returning Spurs, the re-energized Clippers and all the rest in the deep Western Conference.

But no matter if the veteran Kevin Martin fits seamlessly into the picture or the rookie Jeremy Lamb explodes onto the scene or the Thunder have to wait for the handful of first and second round draft picks to bear fruit, a young OKC team with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka at the core will have its chance to shine again.

For the Rockets it was just as significant and perhaps an even more urgent move to finally become relevant again. Nobody is expecting that Harden can transform Houston into an instant contender, or even lift his new team into the playoffs this season. Yet he gives the Rockets what they have been missing since the combination of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady crumbled in a heap of broken body parts. In Harden they have a recognizable young star who is entering the prime of his career.

With Harden and Jeremy Lin now together, the Rockets will have a backcourt at least with the potential to make fans want to watch. There is still plenty of heavy lifting to be done in Houston. But the first step was to land someone with cache, who could bring a level of excitement and potentially All-Star skill. For that Morey deserves credit.

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Thunder Trade Harden To Rockets

October 27, 2012  ·  11:21PM


HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Contract extension talk between the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning KIA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden took a wrong turn somewhere. How else to explain tonight’s shocking news, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, that Harden has been traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, two first-round Draft picks and a second-round Draft pick?

The Thunder will also send Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets to complete the deal.

This shakes up not only the Western Conference playoff chase but also the entire landscape of the league, what with the Thunder losing one of the most explosive scorers in the league as he enters the prime of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers remade their roster over the summer, adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to a nucleus of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace. And the Thunder needed to keep the core of a team that had home court in The Finals last season intact if they intended to hold off challenges from the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference crown.

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Rockets Appear To Have Landed Asik

July 23, 2012  ·  9:37AM





HANG TIME, Texas — Maybe it’s time the Rockets struck up a partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You know the motto: “We always get our man.”

The Rockets appear set to go 2-for-2 in their pursuit of free agents, reeling in center Omer Asik from the Bulls just a week after landing point guard Jeremy Lin from the Knicks.

Chicago has until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday to match the Houston offer sheet, which is a similar $25.1 million bookend to the deal they gave Lin. But it seems the Bulls have already made their decision, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

And just as the Rockets spent that Saturday lockup up a replacement, the Bulls agreed Saturday with a player who could fill in for Asik.

“The Knicks signaled their intention to let Lin go when they reached a sign-and-trade agreement with Raymond Felton. The Bulls appear ready to sign center Nazr Mohammed to replace Asik, with Mohammed indicating via Twitter he is leaving the Thunder.

The Rockets had reached agreement with Asik in the first full day of free agency after meeting with him as soon as the free agency recruiting period began at midnight July 1. They tried to trade for Asik, a stellar defensive player off the Bulls’ bench, the past two seasons. He averaged 3.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game last season.

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Posted in Free Agency 2012 / Comments (109) /

Selby, Lillard Named Co-MVPs

July 22, 2012  ·  7:10PM

By Drew Packham, NBA.com

LAS VEGAS — Memphis guard Josh Selby and Portland point guard Damian Lillard were named co-MVPs of the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday.

Selby, the Grizzlies’ second-year guard out of Kansas, led all players in scoring at 27.5 points per game as Memphis went 2-2 entering its final game Sunday. Selby shot 59.3 percent from the floor — including 70.6 percent on 3-pointers. Selby made at least five 3-pointers in each game, talling 24 in the four games (24-for-34). Selby was also active defensively, averaging 2.5 steals.

Lillard, whom the Blazers took sixth overall in the 2012 Draft, averaged 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in four games. Lillard shots 43.8 percent from the floor, highlighted by a 31-point, seven-assist performance in Thursday’s 84-78 win over Atlanta. Lillard finished second in scoring (first among rookies) and sixth in assists (third among rookies).

All-Summer League Team:
Josh Selby – Memphis Grizzlies
Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
Malcolm Thomas – Chicago Bulls
Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards
Tobias Harris – Milwaukee Bucks
John Henson – Milwaukee Bucks
Jeremy Lamb – Houston Rockets
Dominique Jones – Dallas Mavericks
Cory Joseph – San Antonio Spurs
Jimmy Butler – Chicago Bulls
Kemba Walker – Charlotte Bobcats
Donatas Motiejunas – Houston Rockets
Jae Crowder – Dallas Mavericks

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Posted in 2012 Summer League / Comments (27) /

Las Vegas Summer League: Day 6 Recap

July 19, 2012  ·  12:49AM

By Drew Packham, NBA.com
 

 

LAS VEGAS — Adam Morrison looked like the Adam Morrison of old Wednesday night.

And as the player of few words put it, “the shots just went in.”

Morrison scored 23 points to help the Clippers to an 86-80 win over the Spurs, going 9-for-13 from the field (2-for-3 from beyond the arc) and was aggressive in both taking the ball to the hole and hitting the step-back jumpers that drew raves since his days at Gonzaga.

“I got it going, and guys did a good job passing me the ball,” said Morrison, who played 31 minutes for the second straight game in Las Vegas.

Morrison, trying to make a return to the NBA, latched on with the Brooklyn Nets in Orlando, averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. Here, though, he’s seeing more playing time and through two games is averaging 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.

“I’m just trying show people I can play,” Morrison said. “Move around, show them I’m healthy. We’ll see what happens.”

Non-rookie of the day: Tobias Harris enters his second season trying to find a spot in the Bucks’ rotation. The small forward made a nice case Wednesday, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Bucks’ 78-75 loss to the Wizards. Other notables: Jimmy Butler scored 24 points with seven rebounds in the Bulls’ 96-88 loss to the Raptors, a night after putting up 25 and seven in a loss to Boston.

Rookie of the day: The nod goes to John Henson, the Bucks’ No 14 pick, who had 20 points and nine rebounds. Henson looked nice in the low post, controlling the boards and showing off some nice interior moves. Henson missed Milwaukee’s first game with the flu, so this was the NBA’s first look at the long big man out of UNC. Other notables: Houston’s Royce White had a double-double in his final game of Summer League, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds. Other Rockets stood out in their win over Chicago: Terrence Jones had 17 points and nine rebounds, Jeremy Lamb scored 16, while undrafted point guard Scott Machado had 20 points and six assists. Raptors rookie Terrence Ross scored 21 in Toronto’s win, while Atlanta’s John Jenkins scored 21 in his finale for the Hawks in their 67-61 win over Dallas.

Coming up: Two teams wrap up their Las Vegas schedules Thursday: Raptors (4 p.m. ET vs. Knicks, NBA TV) and Kings (6:30 vs. Celtics, NBA TV). Two other games will be televised on NBA TV: Clippers-Lakers at 8:30 and Bobcats-Nuggets at 10:30. Also showing on NBA TV replay: Cavs-Wolves at 3 a.m. ET.

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Las Vegas Summer League: Day 5 Recap

July 18, 2012  ·  1:01AM

By Drew Packham, NBA.com


LAS VEGAS — Nolan Smith’s scary injury put a damper on a busy and exciting Day 5 on Tuesday. Portland’s second-year point guard had 27 points before being carried off on a stretcher with 42 seconds left in the Blazers’ 99-88 loss to the Rockets. Smith was fouled hard on a breakaway and remained down on the floor for several minutes before being taken off the court. Smith reportedly suffered a concussion, and the injury overshadowed Smith’s second straight solid performance, in which he was 10-for-16 from the floor with five rebounds and five assists.

Non-rookie of the day: Josh Selby of the Grizzlies lit up the scoreboard with 35 points on a 12-for-21 shooting night. Even more impressive were the seven steals Selby racked up. Selby had 20 points in Memphis’ Summer League opener and is making a strong case to take the minutes left by departing free agent O.J. Mayo. Other standouts: Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and eight rebounds, looking like a man among boys in the Spurs’ 92-81 win over the Lakers; Markieff Morris had 24 points and 17 rebounds in the Suns’ 89-74 loss to the Cavs; and Byron Mullens capped off the night by scoring 33 on 13-for-24 shooting (3-for-5 on 3s).

Rookie of the day: Several rookies shined Tuesday, including Portland’s Damian Lillard (27 points including 5-for-10 on 3-pointers) and Jeremy Lamb (23 points), but it was another Houston rookie who gets the nod. Terrence Jones, whom the Rockets took 18th from Kentucky, had 24 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 11 of 20 shots. Jones also matched up well with Portland’s rookie big man Meyers Leonard, doing a good job keeping him in check.

Coming up: Four games will be televised Wednesday on NBA TV: Bucks-Wizards at 4 p.m. ET, Kings-Raptors at 6:30, Hornets-Suns at 8:30, Warriors-Heat at 10:30. One game will be shown on delay: Hawks-Mavericks at 4 a.m. ET.

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