Northwest Notes: Afflalo, Blazers, Timberwolves
The Nuggets re-signed Arron Afflalo to a five-year, $43MM deal six days before the season began, and have since watched him lose a point off his scoring average (11.6 PPG this year) and turn the ball over a career-high 1.3 times a night. He's had a pair of his best performances of the season the last two times he stepped on the floor, lending credence to the idea that his unsettled contract situation and resulting lack of preparation time led to his poor early-season play, says Aaron J. Lopez of NBA.com.
Here's more from the Northwest Division:
- After hinting that lineup changes could be coming, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he's sticking with his current starting five, reports Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Fellow Oregonian writer John Canzano suggests that, in the wake of Jeremy Lin's surprising play, McMillan should find more minutes for young, unproven talent like Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams.
- The Timberwolves, who have been starting Luke Ridnour, a point guard, at the two, are likely to acquire a true shooting guard via trade, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Nets Close To Signing Andre Emmett
The Nets are set to sign D-Leaguer Andre Emmett within the next few days, Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reports. Emmett, a second-round pick by the Sonics in 2004, is averaging 23.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.4 APG for the Reno Bighorns. The 29-year-old's only NBA experience is eight games with the Grizzlies in 2004/05.
The Nets currently have the maximum 15 players on their roster, so someone would have to be released in order for Emmett to join the team. The move would run counter to a report three days ago that the Nets were not looking to sign anyone else despite a rash of injuries, including season-ending surgery for recent signee Keith Bogans. Shelden Williams, Sundiata Gaines and Bogans are all minimum-salary players whose contracts are up at the end of the year, making them the most likely candidates to go.
Atlantic Notes: Turner, Valanciunas, Lin
The Sixers, who once looked as though they might run away with the Atlantic Division title, shouldn't look behind them now. The Celtics have gone 10-3 since starting 5-9, and entered the night three and a half games back. The Knicks, infused with Jeremy Lin's mojo, have won five straight and are six games back. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is just 3-3 in its last six games. Here's what's going on as the race tightens:
- Behind the smiles surrounding the Sixers' fast start is the worry about getting worthwhile returns from the second overall pick in the 2010 draft. Evan Turner's minutes have been in decline. Coach Doug Collins says it's a result of other wing players performing well, and not a slump on Turner's part, reports Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Turner believes he's on the wrong end of supply and demand, saying, "There's a recession, baby. We're like the stock market with playing time."
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details how Raptors coach Dwane Casey almost signed Lin for the Mavericks a couple of years ago when Casey, a former Dallas assistant, was running a summer league team.
- The fifth pick in the 2011 draft, Raptors pick Jonas Valanciunas, just scored some new hardware, notes Wolstat in the same report. He's FIBA Europe's Young Player of the Year, joining Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez and Jan Vesely, all of whom won the award in the past. Valanciunas recently met with Raptors GM Brian Colangelo for the first time since last summer as the two move closer to a deal to bring the 6-foot-11 center to Toronto next year.
Gilbert Arenas Rumors: Monday
Yesterday, we heard that Gilbert Arenas worked out in Los Angeles with the Lakers in attendance. Here are the latest updates following that workout, as the free agent guard continues to seek an NBA job….
- Kobe Bryant, who earlier indicated he'd have no problem with the Lakers signing Arenas, gave further endorsement of such a move today, reports Andrew Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles. Bryant said, "It certainly wouldn't hurt, that's for sure."
- Warriors consultant Jerry West also attended Arenas' workout, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, Golden State doesn't have interest in Arenas — West was "just watching," Wojnarowski hears.
- Sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles that Arenas looked "slimmed down" and "explosive" at Sunday's workout.
- Adding Arenas is viewed as a low-risk move by the Lakers, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler adds that L.A. is reluctant to make any significant subtractions from their roster via trade, preferring to explore internal changes or use their trade exception before considering any major deals.
- Some league sources believed that Arenas was waiting to see whether Dwight Howard was traded so he could play with D12 on his new team, according to SI.com's Sam Amick.
Minor Moves: Selby, Ford, Sallie
The Grizzlies have assigned point guard Josh Selby, who has struggled to see playing time behind Mike Conley and Jeremy Pargo, to the Reno Bighorns of the D-League, the team announced. Selby, a former Kansas Jayhawk, was selected 49th overall in the second round of the 2011 draft. He averaged 2.9 PPG and 1.4 APG with the Grizzlies this year.
Elsewhere around the fringes of professional basketball, where everyone dreams of becoming the next Jeremy Lin:
- Former Suns forward Sharrod Ford was part of a D-League trade Monday, heading to the Canton Charge in exchange for Frank Hassell, who goes to the Erie Bayhawks.
- Roburt Sallie, who played collegiately at Memphis, was cut by his Spanish team after a male-enhancement drug resulted in a positive test for doping. Sallie disputed the claims to Royce Young of CBS Sports, and says he chose to leave the team, and not the other way around.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Monday
Dwight Howard felt excluded from the offense in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Bucks. That's prompted coach Stan Van Gundy to reiterate his confidence in the big man, saying, "I don't know if there's anything stopping him," as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Van Gundy also said there are plenty of players on the Magic who want the ball late in games, and that it's up to the coach to decide who gets it.
Here's the rest of what's happening around D12 and the Magic City:
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld spotted a Pacers scout in Orlando tonight, which is striking considering the Magic has already played the Pacers three times, and the teams don't meet again until March 11. The Pacers haven't been a part of Howard rumors so far, so they may be looking at other players in case the Magic want to make a separate move.
- If the Magic decide to trade Howard, the Nuggets and Jazz provide a blueprint of what to do when dealing away a superstar, while the Hornets demonstrate the opposite, writes Austin Link of ESPN Chicago.
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Odds & Ends: Gasol, Thunder, Batum, Rondo
February 13th has historically been a busy day for trades, with the most recent blockbuster coming in 2010 — the Mavericks and Wizards finalized a seven-player deal that sent Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to Dallas. Other notable Valentine's Eve deals? Shawn Marion to Toronto (2009), Damon Stoudamire to Portland (1998), and Mychal Thompson to the Lakers (1987). With a late trade deadline this season, we're not expecting any big deals quite yet, but the day's still young….
- Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle is still on board with the Rockets trying to acquire Pau Gasol.
- While the Thunder might prefer a veteran backup at point guard, there are reasons to believe they'll be fine with Reggie Jackson, says Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The rookie has served as Russell Westbrook's backup since Eric Maynor went down for the season with a torn ACL.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops thinks the Lakers should consider signing Gerald Green from the D-League.
- Re-signing Nicolas Batum will be a priority for the Trail Blazers this summer, whether or not Gerald Wallace exercises his player option, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com tries to make sense of Rajon Rondo's season, wondering if trade rumors are affecting Rondo's performance at all.
2012/13 NBA Free Agents
Looking for the players still available for teams eyeing the free agent market? Hoops Rumors has you covered. We compiled a few separate lists of players in position to hit free agency after the season — unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents, players with contract options, and players on non-guaranteed contracts. With no more option decisions remaining and all the offseason's restricted free agents signed, we're still updating our lists of unrestricted FAs and non-guaranteed deals.
For the most part, our listed free agents are limited to players who were on rosters in the 2011/12 season. For instance, Allen Iverson may still be seeking an NBA contract, but because he hasn't played in the league since 2009/10, you won't find his name in our lists.
If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @hoopsrumors.
Cuban: Beaubois Still In Mavs’ Long-Term Plans
Amid speculation that the Mavericks will attempt to clean house to clear cap space this summer, owner Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas that Rodrigue Beaubois remains in the team's long-term plans.
With their sights set on offering a max deal to at least one free agent, such as Dwight Howard or Deron Williams, the Mavericks have made recent roster moves with an eye on their 2012/13 cap figure. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are among the veterans on expiring contracts, while Shawn Marion is a trade candidate and Brendan Haywood is a candidate to be amnestied.
Beaubois, the Mavs' first-round pick in 2009, is averaging career lows in FG% (.409) and points per 36 minutes (14.6), and hasn't played in the team's last two games. Cuban suggests that Beaubois' in-game development isn't a priority for a team looking to defend its title.
"That’s what practice is for," Cuban said. "That’s why you come in and work on your game. If you want a deep team, that’s part of the price, but he’s part of our long-term plans, so there’s no rush. He’ll get plenty of minutes."
Beaubois' $2.23MM salary in 2012/13 certainly doesn't represent a huge cap hit. However, if the Mavericks hope to bid on both Howard and Williams with Dirk Nowitzki and his $20.91MM salary already on board, they figure to try to clear as many contracts as they can this summer.
When Jesse Blanchard assessed the Mavericks' stocks yesterday, he dubbed Beaubois the team's "lone intriguing young talent."