Cavs Waive Samardo Samuels, Nets And Thunder Interested?
3:49pm: Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com reports that the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder may have interest in signing Samuels.
12:14pm: The Cavs have waived power forward Samardo Samuels, the team announced. The team had until Monday to place him on waivers in order to avoid paying his minimum-salary contract for the rest of the season. The move leaves the Cavs with 14 players, 11 of whom are on fully guaranteed deals. Daniel Gibson's contract is partially guaranteed for $2.49MM, while Shaun Livingston and Kevin Jones are without any guarantee.
Samuels' deal included a partial guarantee of $200K, but since he's already earned more than that amount this season, Cleveland doesn't owe him any more money. He was in the final season of a three-year pact he signed with the team after going undrafted in 2010 out of Louisville. The 6'9" native of Jamaica averaged 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game for his career, but his numbers have steadily declined since his rookie season. This year, he's down to 3.2PPG, 1.2RPG and 10.9MPG.
Samuels was caught up in a minutes crunch at his position, where he was competing with Jones, Luke Walton and Jon Leuer for playing time behind starter Tristan Thompson. If they want to give him another shot without committing to him for the entire season, the Cavs could opt to bring him back on a 10-day contract, which can be signed starting Monday.
Timberwolves Waive Lazar Hayward
The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived Lazar Hayward, the team announced on Sunday. Their roster now stands at 14, which gives them room to sign another player to compensate for Kevin Love's hand injury.
Hayward, 26, appeared in two games for the Timberwolves and averaged 1.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG.
Atlantic Notes: Smith, Shumpert, Celtics, Bradley
The latest news and notes from around the Atlantic Division on Sunday afternoon:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com speculates about J.R. Smith's next contract. Smith holds a $2.9MM player option with the Knicks for the 2013/14 season, and the team would be able to offer him $5.5MM via early bird rights if he declines it. Zwerling thinks Smith could command more than that on the open market, but notes that he loves playing in New York and may be inclined to take a pay cut to stay.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that Iman Shumpert is hoping to return to the court in one to two weeks.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes that the Knicks have turned the tables on their long-standing rivalry with the Celtics and now have the upper hand in the matchup.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the improvements the Celtics have made defensively since Avery Bradley has returned to the lineup.
Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Drummond, Cook
Bob Finnan of The News-Herald blames Cavs GM Chris Grant and coach Byron Scott for the team's struggles this season, and calls on the team to take a more aggressive approach and pull the trigger on a deal for a "good, young piece" at the trade deadline if someone like that is available. The Cavs should carry that aggression into free agency, Finnan believes, and use their cap space for better assets than they've pursued recently. Finnan has more on the team, which we'll round up along with other notes from their Central Division rivals.
- We've heard before that the Cavs and Wolves have had brief discussion about an Anderson Varejao trade, and Finnan confirms those talks, speculating that Minnesota would probably want to include Derrick Williams, a potential deal-breaker. Finnan believes the Cavs may have interest in taking back Nikola Pekovic instead.
- There's been little talk of Scott's job security this season, but if the losing continues, Finnan doesn't foresee that immunity lasting into 2013/14.
- Former Bucks swingman Stephen Jackson said he spoke with GM John Hammond about a contract extension during his time in Milwaukee, but never took a confrontational tone, as Jackson told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Jackson expressed respect for Hammond and said he can envision working for him someday, though I'd guess he's referring to a front-office role rather than a return to the Bucks as a player. Jackson said Hammond was the only person from the Bucks organization he still spoke to, and balked at the suggestion that he'd reached out to coach Scott Skiles, with whom he feuded last season.
- Andre Drummond has improved as the season has gone on, but he's content with the Pistons' plan to bring him along slowly, MLive's David Mayo observes.
- Mayo and fellow MLive scribe Brendan Savage debate who got the better of Detroit's offseason trade with the Bobcats that swapped Ben Gordon for Corey Maggette.
- Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com writes that Daequan Cook understands that he must earn playing time with the Bulls after signing in Chicago this morning.
Lakers Rumors: Dwight Howard, Trades, Pau Gasol
The Nuggets, whom the Lakers face tonight, possess what L.A. couldn't have imagined wanting when the season began: the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Still, the 15-17 Lakers wouldn't mind trading places with Denver, which is 19-16 and two and a half games in front of L.A. for eighth place in the West. While we continue to await a turnaround for the purple and gold, here's more on the Lakers.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel implores Dwight Howard to commit to the Lakers rather than further tarnish his image with more waffling about his next destination. Schmitz, who believes the extra year the Lakers can add to his deal will ultimately motivate Howard to stay, thinks the Mavericks could be in play for him this summer, but isn't sold on the idea that the big man would consider the Hawks.
- "It seems inevitable" the Lakers will make a trade, tweets HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler. Still, no Pau Gasol deal is jumping out there for the team, as all the offers for Gasol that Kyler has heard would represent a downgrade for L.A. (Twitter links). In any case, the team isn't as panicked as the media portrays, Kyler tweets.
- Kyler believes the Raptors and Rockets are the teams most willing to make a worthwhile offer for Gasol, with the Celtics a close third.
- Kobe Bryant tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times that the Lakers would be best served by having the ball in the hands of Gasol and Steve Nash.
Mavericks Waive Douglas-Roberts, Considering James?
The Dallas Mavericks have waived Chris Douglas-Roberts, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The guard appeared in six games for the Mavs since being called up from the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League. He averaged 2.8 PPG in those games.
MacMahon reports that the Mavericks will look to sign a player to a 10-day contract with the roster spot created by releasing Douglas-Roberts. One player the team may look at is Mike James, who played for the Bulls last season.
HoopsWorld On Roster Depth
Several writers from HoopsWorld.com have posted a new roundtable column in which they examine roster depth in the NBA. Five writers have different opinions on which team is the deepest in the league:
- Eric Pincus praises the Clippers' bench, writing that contributions from reserves such as Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes have taken pressure off stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul to play heavy minutes. He also points out that the Clippers are off to a strong start despite continued injuries to veterans Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups.
- Alex Kennedy points out that the Spurs are getting contributions from many different non-star players, singling out Gary Neal, Tiago Splitter, and Patrick Mills among the keys to their success.
- Tommy Beer writes that the Knicks are proving detractors wrong, with veterans like Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby making a positive impact instead of letting their ages be a liability. He also says that sixth man J.R. Smith has been integral to their strong play so far.
- Bill Ingram is impressed with the way the Warriors have been able to compensate for injuries to Andrew Bogut and Brandon Rush and prove themselves competitive in the Western Conference.
- Stephen Brotherston says the Celtics are deeper than last season, although he points out that their chemistry has not gelled yet.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Gay, Ibaka, Cuban, Pachulia
Sunday's NBA action has already begun with a matinee between the Thunder and Raptors. It could be an even more active day off the court, as teams must make decisions on players with non-guaranteed contracts by the end of tomorrow. Here's the latest from around the Association.
- The Cavs won't rush to fill the open roster spot they'll have once Samardo Samuels clears waivers, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- While the Grizzlies have made it known that Rudy Gay might be available in a trade, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld doesn't think the team is in any hurry to pull the trigger, and may wait for a better deal at draft time (Twitter links).
- Serge Ibaka's four-year, $49MM extension doesn't kick in until next season, but he's already rewarding the Thunder with improved play, as Jeff Latzke of The Associated Press examines (link via the National Post).
- Mark Cuban, who is once more complaining about officiating, thought about selling the Mavs after they lost the 2006 NBA Finals, but now he wants to keep the team in his family for generations to come, notes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
- Zaza Pachulia is pulling down more rebounds per 36 minutes than he ever has, but he isn't giving much thought to his unrestricted free agency this summer, as HoopsWorld's Lang Greene chronicles.
- Fellow HoopsWorld scribe Tommy Beer categorizes the league's best bargains at multiple price points.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details the twists and turns of Patrick Beverley's life that have led him to the verge of a deal with the Rockets.
- Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside argues that Ron Howard deserves to be listed among the top prospects in the D-League.
Rockets Suspend Royce White
10:31am: The suspension is without pay, as Feigen confirms. White tweets his response, writing, "Threat, Fines, Suspension won't deter me. I won't accept illogical health decisions, I will keep asking for safety & health."
10:02am: The Rockets have suspended Royce White, sources tell Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). It will be a one-week suspension, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. It's the latest setback for the 16th overall pick in the draft this past June, who said this week there's a "very high" chance he'll never play in the NBA, and refused an assignment to the D-League last weekend.
In a statement, Rockets GM Daryl Morey said the suspension is for "refusing to provide services as required by his Uniform Player Contract," as Berman details (Twitter links). Morey also said the Rockets will continue to work with White, who has yet to make his debut for Houston as he seeks accomodations for his obsessive-compulsive and generalized anxiety disorders, which manifest in a fear of flying. White dismissed the idea of playing for another NBA team in a radio interview this week, and the Rockets have no intention of releasing him, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last week.
The suspension doesn't come as a surprise to White, Feigen tweets. The rookie has been unable to reach an accord with Morey despite having engaged in talks for the last week. Still, it's not clear exactly what the suspension accomplishes, since White is already estranged from the team. After White spoke on the radio last week, Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com wrote that White has yet to receive a paycheck due to the fines he's incurred during his absence from the team, which dates back to mid-November. The Rockets had fined White for every day he missed or failed to meet with Dr. Aaron Fink, the team-assigned therpist, but White said in November that he had begun seeing Fink and was no longer being fined.
Bulls Sign Daequan Cook
SUNDAY, 10:22am: The Bulls officially announced their signing of Cook, via press release. The move brings the team's roster to 14 players.
FRIDAY, 5:15pm: Cook has cleared waivers and will sign with the Bulls, according to his agent, Mike Conley Sr., Stein reports (Twitter link). Given Chicago's salary constraints, the deal will have to be for the minimum.
4:12pm: Cook has indeed cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Stein.
4:03pm: Daequan Cook was waived by the Rockets two days ago, which means he's set to clear waivers today. While it's possible that a team submitted a waiver claim for him, it's more likely that no club is willing to take on his guaranteed $3MM+ 2012/13 salary. Assuming Cook clears waivers, the Bulls are "firmly in the lead" to sign him, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
The Bulls' roster moves this season have been limited by the club's proximity to the hard cap, which doesn't allow for much flexibility. Still, Chicago has the room necessary to take on a minimum-salary player for the rest of the year. 10-day contracts can also be signed starting on Monday, though it's not clear if Cook would be open to a 10-day deal or whether he's seeking a full-season guarantee.
Cook, 25, headed to Houston in October's James Harden blockbuster, and averaged career-lows in minutes (10.3) and points (3.4) per game in his 16 appearances for the Rockets. He was still effective from three-point range, however, with his 36.7% mark this season right in line with his career average (36.5%).