2018-19 NBA Bric-a-brac (Week 2)

Firings
Tyron Lue (Cavs)
Lue is no longer in the running for Coach of the Year. The post-Lebron period got off to a rough start, apparently the upper management is ready to move on to the youth movement while Coach Lue wanted to milk the vets for W's. Well, neither strategy seems to be working so this parting is probably for the best for both parties. Lue had some health concerns last season so I wouldn't be surprised if he took the rest of the year off and re-appeared late in the playoffs jockeying for a job for next year. Larry Drew becomes the interim (I don't see him keeping the job, though, unless Collin Sexton wins ROY).


Trades
Bucks got Jodie Meeks, a 2020 2nd rd pick swap (actually an alteration of a previous swap that had already been arranged), cash; Wizards got...uh....nothing, as far as I can tell.
Meeks had a (brief) period of being a for-real filler-upper in the NBA but that was a while ago and for the last few years he's been more injured than not and relatively mediocre on the floor; that said, he looks to get some bench minutes as a wing scorer. The pick swap is probably pretty meaningless. Cash is everyone's favorite Xmas gift, so that's nice. As for the Wizards, not taking back anything is not really legal, is it? They needed the roster space to make room for Dwight Howard, I guess.

Pelicans get Wesley Matthews; Clippers get Alexis Ajinca
Pelicans need all the help they can get, Matthews will play whereas Ajinca was only an emergency time sub. The Clippers have already waived Ajinca (who, at best, is the poor-poor-poor man's Anthony Davis, which is to say he kinda looks like AD but has 1/100 of his game).


Signings
Suns -- Jamal Crawford (1yr/$?)
Well, they needed depth at PG but, man, I'm not a Crawford fan to begin with but Phoenix feels like the absolute worst spot for him. All of his bad habits will get plenty of time to develop, at best he's bait for the trade deadline and even if he's great, it'll make zero difference to the team. This is a desperate move for the Suns, which is awkward one week into the season.

Cavs -- Larry Nance Jr (4yr/$?)
This is a 4-yr extension, probably a good move. They entered into this deal with all the optimism that he's a future building block for them, but realistically he's probably more valuable as a trade candidate. Either way, good signing, I like Nance (I really think Lebron would've loved playing with him, too).

Bulls -- Shaq Harrison
Thought he was a better fit for the Suns but the Bulls have already had a ton of injuries, so immediate depth was needed and Shaw will get playing time.

2-way contracts: Pacers (Davon Reed), Lakers (Johnathon Williams), Kings (Troy Williams), Pistons (Zach Lofton)


Extensions
Ahh, it's that time of year, so which rookie contracts got prolonged?
Kings -- De'Aaron Fox, Harry Giles, Skal Labisserie, Buddy Hield, Justin Jackson
The Kings youth movement is well stocked and having good success early on. I think these were all no-brainers, but don't be surprised if some of these guys get traded.

Lakers -- Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma
Yup, all four of them are keepers or top quality trade bait. I think it's already Ingram's team.

Blazers -- Caleb Swanigan, Zach Collins
I liked Swanigan a lot in NCAA, not sure what kind of pro he'd make, but the Blazers seem ready to give him another year (I can see him being a great practice player, which is valuable). The Blazers supposedly love Collins seeing him as the cornerstone of their future; I'm not quite that high on him but extending him is the obvious move.

Hawks -- Taurean Prince, John Collins, Deandre Bembry
Collins was arguably the most under appreciated member of last year's really good rookie class. Prince and Bembry are promising youngsters. All three of these are good moves for the Hawks right now.

Knicks -- Frank Nkilitina
I liked what I saw of Frankie, he's still a project but, hey man, the Knicks got nothing but time to groom youngsters.

Mavs -- Dennis Smith Jr
Smith had his critics last year but he was all alone on that team. Now with Deandre Jordan, Luka Doncic and a healthy Wes Matthews, he'll have more opportunity to be good (and less opportunity to be bad). Good move, he's a Mav for the foreseeable future.

Nets -- Caris LaVert, Jarrett Allen
Nice players, definitely keepers for the Nets.

Pacers -- Myles Turner
Frankly he contributed not much to the Pacers' resurgence last year, if he takes a step forward he could still blossom into a legit star.

Suns -- Josh Jackson
I thought he was the best all-around athlete in the 2017 draft, still not much of a scorer but the Suns will afford him good time to hone his game. Good move.


Waivings
Bucks -- Tim Frazier
I kinda like Frazier, thought he could be useful for some deep bench minutes for them, but I guess the Bucks are deep enough.

Clippers -- Jawun Evans
Don't know much about Evans. I can see him playing for the Hawks, though.

Knicks -- Paul Watson
I don't know who that is.

Pistons -- Reggie Hearn
The rosters get pruned at this time of year and Hearn was probably never likely to make the team.

Suns -- Darrell Arthur, Shaq Harrison, Davon Reed
I thought Harrison fit the youth movement, though Arthur absolutely does not. Reed was moved to make room for Jamal Crawford, I guess.

Pelicans -- Troy Williams
Moved to make room for Tim Frazier.

Lakers -- Travis Wear
The new Mad Dog Madsen. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a Laker uni Summer League 2019.

Pacers -- CJ Wilcox
I would've thought Wilcox would've made the roster, guess the summer signings took up too much space.

Bulls -- Omer Asik
Why wasn't he waived months ago? There was no way he was gonna play for the Bulls this season regardless of his health.


Injuries
Out indefinitely: Zhaire Smith (Sixers), DeMarre Carroll (Nets), Nene Hilario (Rockets), Daniel Hamilton (Hawks), John Collins (Hawks), Dion Waiters (Heat), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Kings), Krystaps Porzingas (Knicks), Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs), Michael Porter (Nuggets), Brandon Knight (Rockets), Lonnie Walker (Spurs), Denzel Washington (Bulls), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), Treveon Graham (Nets), Will Barton (Nuggets), Kris Dunn (Bulls), Bobby Portis (Bulls), Luke Kennard (Pistons)

Out for the year: Dejounte Murray (Spurs)