Austin Rivers mentioned in Zach Lowe's article on third year players

[thiefinthenight]

Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans

Rivers, the no. 10 pick and an NBA blue blood, has basically been a disaster; his rookie season was one of the worst ever among guys who actually played real minutes. He improved just about every facet of his game in Year 2, but he still barely cracked 40 percent from the floor, struggled to finish at the rim, bricked away midrange shots opponents happily gave him, and looked off open shooters in favor of wild floaters.

The Third-Year Decision: What Will These NBA Teams Do With Their Still-Developing Prospects?

[HornetGuru]

With the added weight I want to give rivers another year. Technically he would be a senior, his talent is great and if he never becomes a finisher he could be a great 3 and d that can also pass

[speedyG]

The part about looking off open teammates is bull, he is about as unselfish a player as there is..All these writers are still stuck on the image of him being some spoiled ballhog from Duke

[isitsunday]

They don't take into account the many passes he made to open players and the shots werent knocked down can't tell you how many of those i seen

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

In the chaos of LeBron James Day, the Pelicans considered both trading Rivers and waiving him with the stretch provision to make sure they had enough room to complete the Asik deal with Houston. To be clear: Stretching Rivers was an absolute last resort, and New Orleans demanded real assets for him in trade talks, per several league sources. New Orleans eventually traded Asik into cap space after acquiring several nonguaranteed contracts they could trade to Houston — including the contracts of Alonzo Gee and Scotty Hopson, who might have spent time on all 30 NBA rosters this summer.

[HoustonPelicans]

In the chaos of LeBron James Day, the Pelicans considered both trading Rivers and waiving him with the stretch provision to make sure they had enough room to complete the Asik deal with Houston. To be clear: Stretching Rivers was an absolute last resort, and New Orleans demanded real assets for him in trade talks, per several league sources. New Orleans eventually traded Asik into cap space after acquiring several nonguaranteed contracts they could trade to Houston — including the contracts of Alonzo Gee and Scotty Hopson, who might have spent time on all 30 NBA rosters this summer.

Hmmm interesting since Demps came out on Media day and said they went out of their way to make sure that Rivers remained on the team.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

Rivers would earn $3.1 million in 2015-16, about the equivalent of the taxpayer midlevel exception, if the Pellies pick up that option. That doesn’t sound like much, but it could limit New Orleans’s ability to pivot into being a major cap room team if Omer Asik bolts in free agency. The Pelicans won’t have much cap flexibility as long as they keep Asik’s $12 million cap hold on the books, and they may need to do that in order to keep his Bird Rights — and the right to go over the cap in re-signing him — in a frothy big-man market. They could in theory re-sign him with cap room, but Rivers’s $3.1 million might torpedo that plan. And if Asik jumps ship, Rivers’s option could be the difference between major cap room and sub–$10 million room. The Pelicans could also stay over the cap, which would put the midlevel exception in play, but they don’t need Rivers’s contract to do that.

Let's hope Asik stays next season.

[Cheaney]

Hmmm interesting since Demps came out on Media day and said they went out of their way to make sure that Rivers remained on the team.

Probably went out if his way by demanding real assists in return lol

[Cheaney]

Hmmm interesting since Demps came out on Media day and said they went out of their way to make sure that Rivers remained on the team.

Probably went out if his way by demanding real assists in return lol

[Kumar]

Heh, side note, I corrected Zach Lowe this morning on this article. He said Rivers shot 36% from the spot up three, and I knew it was higher. He acknowledged and fixed it!