After just two seasons in the NBA, Utah big man and storied Frenchman Rudy Gobert is already one of the league’s premier defensive anchors. But if he has his way, he’ll soon be becoming an even more complete player.
According to Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune, Gobert is planning to add mid-range shooting to his game by working with Dirk Nowitzki’s famed shooting coach, Holger Geschwindner, in Germany this summer. His offseason plan:
“There are a lot of players that we talk about having potential and upside,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said at the end of last season. “I think the most unique think about Rudy is his desire to get better.”
To get there, the young center wants to spend his summer getting stronger, particularly in his lower body, to help handle a heavier workload next season.
And, already one of the league’s most feared rim protectors, Gobert hopes to put a little more fear into opposing defenses next year. The center intends to improve his post game and add some mid-range shooting to his repertoire. He says he’s hitting consistently from about 15-feet right now, and he plans to spend 10 days in Germany with Dirk Nowitzki’s shooting coach later this summer to help fine-tune his form.
The Jazz are a fascinating team to watch in the years ahead. Certainly, the West is loaded, and their status as a small-market franchise will make attracting marquee free agents difficult.
However, they have a nice young core of Gobert, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors to build around, and they’ll add yet another lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft on June 25.
Of the three primary building blocks, Gobert might be the most promising. After becoming a full-time starter after this year’s All-Star break, Gobert averaged 11.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 34 minutes per game, making him one of the league’s premier rim protectors. The Jazz also went 19-10 over that stretch, and that 65.5-percent winning pace extrapolates to a 54-28 record over a full season. That clip would easily put them as a mid-tier playoff team, even in the West.
And with Gobert’s offseason work ethic, he could be getting even better in the months ahead.
MAVS HOPE TO KEEP AL-FAROUQ AMINU, BUT MATH COULD BE TRICKY
The Mavericks may find themselves in a surprisingly tough spot with young, athletic forward Al-Farouq Aminu when he hits the free-agent market in July.
Mark Cuban’s Mavs grabbed Aminu off the scrap heap late in 2014 free agency, and the 24-year-old seemed to flourish in Rick Carlisle’s system. He saved his best performances for the NBA Playoffs, averaging 15 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the final three games of Dallas’ first-round series loss to Houston following the knee injury that sidelined starting small forward Chandler Parsons.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, league sources estimate that the market for Aminu will be in the $4 million/year range this summer — or a big chunk of the mid-level exception (MLE) for teams over the cap. The problem is that with so many contracts expiring, Dallas is likely to operate as a below-the-cap team. That means they wouldn’t have the MLE, and instead would have to use some of their precious cap room to retain Aminu. MacMahon explains:
The Mavs will explore options to dump Raymond Felton’s $3.95 million in a trade, preferring to use that money to pay Aminu. If the Mavs can’t move Felton in a deal, they could opt to waive him via the stretch provision, which would chop two-thirds of his salary off the team’s 2015-16 cap, creating a chunk of space that could help keep Aminu.
The Mavs might also be able to convince Aminu to accept a below-market offer to stay in Dallas on a short-term deal, such as a two-year deal with a player option for the second season, like the contract he signed last summer. Such a deal would have to come with a promise from the Mavs to negotiate in good faith next summer, when they would have Aminu’s early Bird rights, allowing them to go over the cap and pay him as much as the midlevel exception to keep him. With the cap soaring next summer, Aminu might make more money in the long run in such a scenario.
It would also allow him to continue working with the Dallas coaching staff that helped develop him and playing in a system in which he found a comfort zone. Aminu has clearly indicated that he’d be happy to stay in Dallas.
“I love this team,” Aminu said. “I love this city. … I hope I can be right here.”
The Mavs undoubtedly love Aminu as well, seeing as how he’s one of the only quality young pieces on the roster. But it may require a leap of faith on someone’s part for Aminu to stay, seeing as how his playoff performance will likely lead to some significant bids for him around the league.
Perhaps it’s Aminu signing a one-year deal and taking the gamble of an even bigger payday in 2016, when the salary cap explodes. But it might have to be Dallas committing a chunk of their cap space to Aminu in hopes of him developing further into a core player for their future. Stay tuned.
OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
Portland assistant coach David Vanterpool interviewed for the Denver Nuggets’ head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Interim coach Melvin Hunt remains a strong candidate for the Denver job, along with Michael Malone and Mike D’Antoni, league sources said.
While Vanterpool isn’t considered a frontrunner to replace Brian Shaw, Denver general manager Tim Connelly’s discussion with Vanterpool in recent days is reflective of the respect Vanterpool’s earned in three seasons an NBA assistant coach.
Vanterpool has developed a strong reputation for his work with All-Star guard Damian Lillard and 2013 first-round pick C.J. McCollum. Vanterpool has grown into a significant part of Portland coach Terry Stotts’ tactical preparation in their three successful seasons together.
The Nuggets have said they want to have a head coach hired before the June 25 NBA Draft, which is just over two weeks away. That means more news could be coming very quickly. A separate report from ESPN‘s Marc Stein says Hunt remains the favorite.
Flip Saunders expects to continue leading the Minnesota Timberwolves as their head coach, according to a new interview from Saunders himself on NBC Sports Radio. His remarks:
Are you going to coach this team?
Saunders: “Right now I’m coaching the team. It’s a question everybody asks. It’s interesting, when I ended up coaching a year ago, it was the right thing to do at that time for the organization. We had the unknowns with Kevin Love, we would have pigeonholed ourselves if we took a veteran coach and maybe not have the flexibility to go as young as we did. Right now, the most important thing is to develop our young talent. We have done a pretty good job with our staff and organization moving in that direction. Until I feel we can get somebody who can move forward a little bit, we’ll [stay] where we’re at.”
Do you hear from coaching agents often?
Saunders: “Last year I probably talked to 12 coaches. A lot of people probably weren’t aware. I’m not one to advertise. I’ve done the same thing as far as numerous coaches this year. It might not be for right now, but it could be down the road. I’m constantly in the evaluation process for coaches.”
Saunders, who also serves as Minnesota’s president of basketball operations, remains open to stepping back into a front-office-only role. Minnesota owner Glen Taylor has said that eventually, he wants Saunders as the GM and a different coach leading his team on the floor.
However, Saunders doesn’t want to make a bad fire and force the issue, especially with the team still in the first year of its post-Kevin-Love rebuild. So barring someone unexpected stepping in late, it looks like Saunders will remain in place as they embark on Year Two of the Andrew Wiggins era.
Ben DuBose is a veteran sports reporter who has followed the Houston Rockets and the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon was Akeem Olajuwon. He writes for both SheridanHoops and ClutchFans, an independent Rockets blog. You can follow him on Twitter.