Odds & Ends: Amare, White, Gee, Beasley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com is impressed with Amare Stoudemire for accepting a reduced role for the Knicks this season.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes that the Rockets and Royce White are beginning to come to terms on a plan for managing the rookie forward's anxiety disorder.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer praises forward Alonzo Gee's improvement as a defender.
- Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Michael Beasley is beginning to reach his potential with the Suns.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises Bulls GM Gar Forman for the team's bench.
Gay Trade Notes: Grizzlies, Trades, Vujacic, Lowry
On Wednesday, the first major trade of the season was consummated as the Grizzlies shipped Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi to the Raptors for Jose Calderon to Ed Davis, then sent Calderon to the Pistons for Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. Here are the latest updates on the involved teams in light of the blockbuster deal:
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes that Gay voiced his frustrations with the continuing trade rumors to Grizzlies executives, which was part of the impetus for the trade.
- Rob Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace may still make further trades before the deadline.
- Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal tweets that the team is no longer pursuing Sasha Vujacic after they were unable to reach an agreement with his team in Turkey.
- Holly MacKenzie of Sportsnet.ca writes that Kyle Lowry welcomes his new responsibility as the unquestioned starting point guard in Toronto following the trade of Calderon.
Timberwolves Notes: Roy, Rubio, Gasol, Williams
The latest news and notes around the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening:
- Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets that Brandon Roy had another setback in his rehab as he attempts to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery.
- Ricky Rubio defended Pau Gasol against criticism he's faced this season, saying he would welcome the opportunity to play with him (AP link via USA Today).
- Krawczynski also writes that Derrick Williams, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, wants to separate himself from some other players picked in his slot that haven't worked out.
Danny Ainge Discusses Pierce, Trades, Grizzlies
Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge appeared on WEEI on Thursday and gave a radio interview in which he covered a variety of topics relating to the Celtics' handling of Rajon Rondo's knee injury and the team's plans for the trading headline. Brian Robb of CelticsHub.com has a transcript of some of Ainge's comments.
On the likelihood of a trade:
“I think whether we win every game or whether we struggle, I think it all depends on what opportunties are presented, so we are open and listening and are having discussions regarding a lot of different possibilities, but we don’t feel pressure to do anything. We want to make some change to help improve our team, but we don’t feel pressure.”
On the possibility of trading Paul Pierce:
Nothing is close to being done. I too, would like to see Paul Pierce retire as a Celtic. That would be great. We are all attached to Paul. He’s been great for the city, the franchise, each of us individually, he’s been a true pro. Having said that, if something came up I would talk to Paul, but my job is do what’s best for the Boston fans, and what’s best for the Boston Celtic team, regardless of my personal ties and personal relationships with players.”
On discussions with the Grizzlies prior to the Rudy Gay trade:
“Memphis with new management has been pretty active. We’ve had discussions but nothing that ever got close. It’s been well documented what they were trying to accomplish, to get under the tax and get for Rudy. They got some good players though, and time will tell.”
D-League Moves: Miles Plumlee, Kevin Jones
Here are Thursday's D-League assignments and recalls, with the latest moves at the top of the page:
- The Pacers have re-assigned Miles Plumlee to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today in a press release. Plumlee has averaged a double-double for Indiana's D-League affiliate in 11 games with the Mad Ants this year, posting 12.8 PPG and 11.2 RPG.
- A day after assigning him to the D-League, the Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones, the team announced in a press release. Jones recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds in the Canton Charge's loss to the Erie BayHawks last night, and will rejoin the Cavs for their game tomorrow in Detroit.
Kings/Seattle Updates: Thursday
We're likely a ways off from any sort of resolution on the future of the Kings franchise, but in the meantime, each day seems to bring some sort of development on the sale of the team. Here's Thursday's latest:
- Attorney Donald Fitzgerald and trustee David Flemmer, who is handling the sale of Bob Cook's 7% share of the Kings, are negotiating with the Maloofs in the hopes of gaining access to the details of the Seattle sale, according to Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. Fitzgerald and Flemmer believe minority owners should have the first right of refusal to match the Seattle offer, and say they need the Seattle documents to pursue their claim.
- If Fitzgerald and Flemmer are successful in their claim, one of the existing limited partners or whoever buys Cook's 7% share could have the opportunity to block the sale to the Seattle group, says Kasler.
- According to Kasler, the NBA expects to make a ruling on the Seattle purchase during the NBA's Board of Governors meeting in mid-April. Cook's share of the team is supposed to be auctioned off on the same day.
- Sacramento's City Hall has launched a feasibility analysis of Downtown Plaza as a spot for a new arena, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Ron Burkle, who is reportedly putting together a counter-proposal for the Kings, has advocated directly to NBA commissioner David Stern for building an arena at Sacramento's Downtown Plaza.
Odds & Ends: Mavs, Van Gundy, Howard, Barbosa
Shorthanded following the completion of the Rudy Gay trade, the Pistons and Raptors were both beaten in their respective games on Wednesday night. Tonight, in the first game of the post-Gay era in Memphis, the Grizzlies will be tasked with what would be a tough matchup under normal circumstances, as they travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. While we look forward to that game, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- The Mavericks were never going to be a part of a three-team trade with the Grizzlies and Raptors if it meant giving up Vince Carter, team president Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Jeff Van Gundy, who admits that he misses being on an NBA bench, is expected to explore potential coaching opportunities starting next summer, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Dwight Howard re-aggravated the torn labrum in his right shoulder on Wednesday night, but intends to play through the pain and isn't currently considering surgery, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News wonders if Howard's injury woes could open the door for the Mavericks to buy low on the All-Star center in a trade.
- Appearing on WEEI's Mut & Merloni in Boston, Leandro Barbosa said the idea he had asked the Celtics to trade him was "definitely a miscommunication" (link via Victor Barbosa of WEEI.com).
- Jeremy Pargo, who was recently waived by the Cavaliers, hasn't ruled out playing overseas, and has drawn some interest from Greece's Olympiacos, reports David Pick of Sportando (Twitter links).
Trade Exceptions Set To Expire At Deadline
As our list of outstanding traded player exceptions shows, there are a number of trade exceptions that could be in play as this season's deadline approaches. A trade exception allows a team to absorb a salary without sending any salary out in return. For instance, with the $4.2MM exception the Grizzlies obtained when they traded Marreese Speights to Cleveland, Memphis could acquire one or more players who are earning $4.3MM this season ($4.2MM + $100K).
Trade exceptions, which cannot be combined, expire a year after they're initially acquired, so the TPEs that were created at last year's March trade deadline will expire if they go unused on or before February 21st. While the exceptions don't expire until March, teams obviously won't have the opportunity to use them during the few weeks after the deadline passes.
Most notable among those exceptions set to expire in March is the $13MM TPE the Nuggets obtained when they dealt Nene to Washington at the 2012 deadline. The Nuggets are very unlikely to use that entire exception, but it certainly gives them some added flexibility as they weigh their options over the next three weeks.
Here's the complete list of traded player exceptions that will expire if they go unused at the trade deadline:
- Denver Nuggets: $13,000,000
- Golden State Warriors: $3,294,960
- Milwaukee Bucks: $2,506,500
- Brooklyn Nets: $1,390,000
- Brooklyn Nets: $1,377,383
- Los Angeles Clippers: $1,223,166
- Memphis Grizzlies: $1,184,750
- Los Angeles Lakers: $854,389(*)
- San Antonio Spurs: $854,389
- Los Angeles Lakers: $544,340
(* This TPE was initially listed as $1,422,027 and had since been corrected.)
Warriors Unlikely To Make Move Before Deadline
The Warriors will be adding one potential impact player to their rotation for the season's second half, but he'll be returning from an injury rather than arriving via trade. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, while Golden State is welcoming Andrew Bogut back to the lineup, it's highly unlikely that the team acquires another player via trade. One team source told Thompson that the odds of a Warriors move are "remote."
The Warriors wouldn't mind adding a big man, and Thompson mentions names like Timofey Mozgov and DeJuan Blair as potential fits. The club could also use a backup shooting guard or an athletic wing. However, acquiring anyone that fits that bill would likely require Golden State to give up a player it likes, in which case the team would prefer to stand pat.
The Warriors are also slightly above the luxury-tax threshold, so if anything compelled the team to make a move, it might be a desire to get out of tax territory. Still, Thompson believes the Warriors would have to shed a big contract like Richard Jefferson's or Andris Biedrins' to get below the tax line, which is extremely unlikely.
Even without Bogut for most of the season, the Warriors are exceeding expectations, having recorded a 28-17 record so far, good for fifth in the Western Conference.
More Reactions/Fallout To The Rudy Gay Trade
Last night, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors rounded up a number of links addressing the potential fallout of the blockbuster trade finalized by the Grizzlies, Raptors, and Pistons. Of course, given the magnitude of the deal, plenty more reactions surfaced overnight and this morning, so we'll round many of those up right here:
- Grantland's Zach Lowe passes along a couple interesting tidbits of note related to the trade, reporting that Mike Conley and Zach Randolph are on pace to reach incentives that would increase their cap figures for next season. Lowe also says that Rudy Gay gave the Raptors no assurances that he'd pick up his 2014/15 player option.
- In the long-term, Ed Davis may be the most exciting player the Grizzlies received in the deal, but in the short-term, Tayshaun Prince's play will likely dictate how the move is judged, says Sam Amick of USA Today.
- The Celtics were never too seriously involved in talks for either Gay or Jose Calderon, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto, Bryan Colangelo said the first question Gay asked him after the deal was why Colangelo didn't draft him in the first place (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg). The Raptors passed on Gay to draft Andrea Bargnani in 2006.
- In grading the trade for all three teams, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com and Matt Moore of CBSSports.com both consider the Raptors the losers, but Zach Harper of CBSSports.com makes the case for why Toronto was smart to acquire Gay.
- Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops also argues that the Grizzlies and Pistons came out ahead in the deal.
- Pistons GM Joe Dumars has often talked about maintaining cap flexibility and building around the team's young core, and this trade reflected that philosophy, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes the deal was a "ridiculous coup" for the Grizzlies, while Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald isn't so sure (Twitter links).
- Whether you believe the Grizzlies are that much worse than they were yesterday really hinges on your opinion of Gay as a player, writes Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Henry Abbott of ESPN.com shares six thoughts on the trade.