Pera, Levien On Gay, Stats, Hollins, Randolph, Tax
Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien today held their first press conference with local media since November, and after a pair of trades within the last month, there was plenty to catch up on. Marlon W. Morgan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal rounded up comments from the presser, and fellow Commercial Appeal scribe Kyle Veazey followed up with an exclusive interview with the two men in charge of the team. Both pieces are worth a read, but we'll round up the highlights of what Pera and Levien had to say from both stories here:
Pera on Rudy Gay:
"I was actually a big Rudy Gay fan. He was 6'9", over a 7-foot wing span with a 40-inch vertical, really smooth and athletic and on the highlights all the time. He was awesome. But like I said, going back to basketball and how it’s a team sport and all the pieces fit together, the offense we run is really traditional. It’s inside-outside, a grinding type of offense. Rudy’s talent, his potential really couldn’t be maximized in our system. I think it was good for him and I think it was good for the team. I think the pieces we got back were much stronger. I wouldn’t say the players we got back were necessarily better than Rudy. Rudy’s a special talent. But for our team and for our fit, I think the personnel and the team we have constructed now is probably the best Grizzlies team when you’re looking at the total team and chemistry and how it fits our style of play.”
Pera on the team's reliance on advanced metrics:
"Well, we like the movie "Moneyball." They use a lot of advanced statistics for the Oakland A's teams. But the difference between baseball and basketball, is (in) baseball, you have individual players, they each have an on-base percentage and a batting average, defensive capabilities. All these parts added together equals the strength of the team, right? But in basketball it's completely different. A player can be immensely valuable in one system and maybe not as valuable in another system. I think it's the combination of pieces in basketball. Analytics are a great tool but you also have to look at the individual player analytics in the context of the system you're running."
Pera on whether coach Lionel Hollins, in the last year of his deal, will receive a new contract:
“I think all that for now is confidential. The final decision will come down to Jason and I’ll approve whichever direction he wants to go."
Levien on Hollins:
"I don’t think it behooves us to speak publicly about any kind of contract situation. We had a great meeting with Lionel and I’ve certainly enjoyed the interaction he and I have had over the past several months. He has a proven track record that’s very impressive as a coach. We see him as a big asset to the team."
Levien on Zach Randolph:
"There was never a serious discussion or dialogue around trading Zach Randolph. I can say that categorically. We’re really proud of him for going back to the All-Star Game."
Levien on the team's luxury tax strategy:
"We don't have a hard and fast rule about being in the tax or not being in the tax, being up to the line or not. We want to field the most competitive team. Part of it is — yeah, you don't want to throw money away — but part of it is, when you're in the tax, it restricts in the kind of trades you can make, the kind of free agents you can sign, the kinds of decisions you can make to get better. That's what the rules do now. It's not just about the money. So, we've talked about not having a hard and fast line, or where we're going to be, but thinking through what's our end game? Our end game is to be consistently very competitive and try to win a championship. I think some years you're going to see us in the tax, some years you're going to see us well below it, some years you're going to see us just up against it. The money is one of the factors, but the biggest factor is how do we field the best team going forward?"
Lakers, Knicks, 76ers Eyeing Lou Amundson
When the Timberwolves signed Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson to rest-of-season deals last week, Louis Amundson was the roster casualty, released to open up a roster spot. He's now an unrestricted free agent, and is drawing some interest from teams in need of frontcourt help, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports (via Twitter). Berger reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers, Knicks, and 76ers are among the clubs that have internally discussed Amundson.
Amundson was on a minimum-salary contract with the T-Wolves, so the cost of claiming him off waivers wouldn't have been exorbitant. As such, I doubt we'll see any sort of bidding war over the 30-year-old. Still, he would certainly have appeal on a 10-day contract, or perhaps as a post-trade-deadline addition, for teams with a roster spot available. At the moment, the Lakers and Sixers have open roster spots, while the Knicks would need to release a player to clear room.
In 20 games with the Wolves this season, Amundson averaged just 8.1 minutes per contest, his lowest mark since 2007/08. His 6.4 PER and .368 FG% were also career-lows. In past seasons, the veteran big man has proven to be a useful bench piece with the Suns, Warriors, and Pacers.
Sacramento Close To Unveiling Plan To Keep Kings
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson says he's "very close" to unveiling the identities of the deep-pocketed investors he has recruited to make a bid to keep the Kings in the city, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Based on previous reports, it's expected that Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov will lead the counter-offer for the Kings from Sacramento.
According to Johnson, he's up against a March 1st deadline to finalize the city's proposal. The mayor is hopeful that the NBA, which is expected to hear Sacramento's pitch to keep the franchise at the Board of Governors meetings in April, will give Sacramento an audience sometime before April, according to Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press (link via Star Tribune).
"I'm under the assumption that the joint committee may want to hear from us sooner," Johnson said. "We're going to have all the agreements and all the actions and all the documents squared by March 1st, as well as if there's an opportunity to present to the joint committee prior to mid-April, then I feel very confident. We're going to have all our ducks in order. We're going to be ready before mid-April if that's what it takes."
While the Maloofs have already reached an agreement with a group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, and have filed to relocate to Seattle, Johnson says the deal isn't as done as the Seattle group would have you believe. The former NBA veteran remains confident that Sacramento has a realistic chance of keeping the Kings in town.
"You just cannot tell me that when Sacramento presents a comparable, fair, competitive deal to what Seattle's done and makes good on this arena that this team is going to be plopped and relocated somewhere else," Johnson said. "At the end of the day, you just can't tell me that's going to happen."
Nets Rumors: Gordon, Josh Smith, Millsap
No team was more active last summer than the Nets, who signed two maximum-salary players and traded for a third in the span of a week. So it only seems appropriate that the club would be busy again at the trade deadline. Brooklyn has been linked to multiple possible trade targets this month, including Ben Gordon of the Bobcats and Josh Smith of the Hawks.
However, according to Mitch Lawrence and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets aren't overly optimistic about landing Gordon or Smith. The Daily News report indicates that Brooklyn has "cooled" on Gordon, who the club doesn't view as a good fit defensively. Lawrence and Bondy also suggest that the Nets are pessimistic about their odds of landing Smith, since the Hawks are seeking a more attractive package than Brooklyn's, which would include Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks.
While talks with the Bobcats and Hawks may not be progressing, the Nets are still hoping to land a big man. Brooklyn is focusing on a group of power forwards that includes Paul Millsap, according to the Daily News report. Nearly a month ago, we heard that the Nets might try to make a play for Millsap, though a deal wasn't considered likely.
As trade rumors continue to swirl around the Nets, GM Billy King insists that he likes the current roster, and that a move isn't necessarily in the works. Even though he's in the last year of his contract, King wants to avoid making a desperation move, telling reporters yesterday that he won't shake things up for the sake of it.
"Are we going to make a trade? We may, we may not,'' King said. "I'm not going to make a trade just to make a trade. Do I believe this group can regroup and play well? Yes."
Leandro Barbosa Out For Season
TUESDAY, 2:55pm: Multiple reporters, including ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link), have confirmed that Barbosa will in fact miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
MONDAY, 9:34pm: After suffering a knee injury in the waning minutes of the third quarter, Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa had to be helped off of the court and was ruled out for the remainder of tonight's game against the Bobcats. Now, Kevin Garnett says that the team was informed that Barbosa will be out for the remainder of the year, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Losing Barbosa for the rest of the year would be a devastating blow to the C's as he was called upon to fill the void in the backcourt after Rajon Rondo's season ending injury. Boston still has Avery Bradley to pitch in at one-guard, but they will almost certainly look for additional help now that they are paper thin at the position.
Eastern Links: Rose, Pargo, Shumpert, Will Bynum
As the Bulls continue to hang around in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, there's been speculation that getting a certain former MVP back in the lineup could make Chicago the biggest threat to knock off the Heat. But as he tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Derrick Rose doesn't have a set timetable for his return and isn't about to rush back.
"I'm not coming back until I'm 110%," Rose said. "Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It's just that I'm not coming back until I'm ready."
As Bulls fans wait on Rose, let's round up a few links from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jannero Pargo's second 10-day contract with the Hawks expired last night, and though Atlanta has interest in retaining him for the season, the team will keep the roster spot open for now, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). With just 14 guaranteed contracts on the books, the Hawks have a little flexibility to take on a player at the trade deadline.
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld weighs the pros and cons for the Knicks if they were to trade Iman Shumpert.
- Will Bynum's name figures to pop up in trade rumors over the next nine days, but the Pistons guard isn't thinking about that at all, according to David Mayo of MLive.com.
- ESPN.com's 5-on-5 panel debates whether "sell-high" trade candidates such as Amare Stoudemire, Kyle Korver, and Jameer Nelson would be worth the risk for potential suitors.
- The Pacers are the team that would benefit the most by acquiring J.J. Redick from the Magic, writes Bradford Doolittle in an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com.
Celtics Eyeing Mack, Not Considering West
Each week seems to bring news of another season-ending injury for the Celtics, who had already lost Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger for the year, and now appear on the verge of ruling out Leandro Barbosa for the rest of the season. As the team considers its free agent options, Shelvin Mack is a possibility, but Delonte West is not being considered, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Mack, 23, was on the Wizards' roster in camp, and though he didn't make the regular-season roster, Washington brought him back for a couple weeks before the contract guarantee deadline. After he was released for a second time by the Wizards, Mack secured two 10-day contracts with the 76ers. In between stints with NBA team, the Butler product earned a spot in the D-League's All-Star game, having averaged 19.6 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 19 contests with the Maine Red Claws this season. The Red Claws are the Celtics' D-League affiliate.
The Celtics are considering other options besides Mack, according to Wojnarowski, and there's no indication yet that the team is in a rush to make a move. With two open roster spots, the team could sign a player to a 10-day deal and still have a little roster flexibility at the trade deadline to add a player, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com suggests (Twitter link). It's possible Danny Ainge waits until after the trade deadline to re-assess the available options.
However, it doesn't sound as if West will be one of the options considered by the C's, despite the fact that he started his career in Boston and returned to the team in 2010/11. West was cut by the Mavericks earlier this season for off-court issues and hasn't caught on with another NBA team since then.
Jazz GM Talks Roster, Trades, Mo Williams
Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey spoke to reporters on Monday, and while he didn't comment on specific trade talks or targets with next week's deadline approaching, he addressed a few topics of interest in more general terms. Jody Genessy of the Deseret News has the notable quotes from Lindsey, so let's round them up right here:
On what sort of moves the Jazz are exploring:
"We have the foundation in place and a lot of flexibility to allow us to make decisions in going in whatever direction we want. If this team catches a great rhythm and advances in the playoffs, we can invest in that. If the team doesn't meet expectations, our internal expectations, we can readjust the team in a lot of different ways."
On whether the team is involved in more trade talks than usual:
"Normal course of business. I wouldn’t characterize it as saying any more or any less busy. We have a job to do. We can't hide from that. Kevin [O'Connor] and I have to listen and survey. Our overriding point is we want to be very disciplined to the threshold that's been built, the flexibility that's been built…. We want to be very strategic (about) who we add. Is there a value add? This is now, draft, free agency. Do they fit the character of our playing group and our organization?"
On bringing along young players like Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, and Derrick Favors slowly:
"We understand the public – as we are – is excited about the young guys, but we've got to bring them a long at the appropriate pace. I think we're adhering to the history of the organization when we're doing that…. What is Derrick averaging minute-wise, 21-22 minutes? What's the greater good, giving him 28 or 30? Does he develop better? Or is the greater good giving him a real sense of appreciation that he earned the additional bump in minutes eventually whenever that is? I don't know."
On whether Mo Williams, a free agent at season's end, could be Utah's point guard past this season:
"Yes, he could. We'll see how the rest of the season goes. I'll say this, he's acquitted himself well here. He's been very professional and we really appreciate what he's done so far."
On whether the Jazz will look to land a star or build a team-first roster of solid players:
"I think there's a lot of different ways to team-build. You can look at different models, whether it's heavily star-driven, a true franchise player that is an all-time great, or you have a Detroit model, for lack of better description, where they do it with five good starters and good depth…. I think with how we're positioned, we have the ability to react to a lot of different scenarios and team-build in a lot of different ways. I don't mean to harp on flexibility. I think that's a strength of ours is to react to markets."
Spears On Spurs, Smith, Maynor, Knicks, Grizzlies
Not content to simply rank the NBA's teams, one through 30, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports also includes plenty of interesting trade rumors and nuggets within his power rankings. Here are the items of note from Spears in this week's installment:
- The Spurs, who used to employ current Hawks GM Danny Ferry, are among the teams interested in Josh Smith.
- Eric Maynor has been drawing some interest, and Spears suggests that he could be a fit for the Jazz, the team that initially drafted him.
- The Knicks are still trying to decide whether they should wait on injured bigs Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace or sign a free agent.
- Zach Randolph appears safe in Memphis, but the Grizzlies could still try to make a deal using one or more of their seven trade exceptions.
- Spears hears from a source that it's been nearly three weeks since the Raptors and Bulls last discussed a Carlos Boozer/Andrea Bargnani swap.
- No Suns player is untouchable via trade.
- Talks between the Bobcats and Nets involving Kris Humphries and Ben Gordon remain at a standstill.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Redick, Smith, Wizards
The NBA's three worst winning-percentages all belong to Southeast teams, but two of those three clubs collected victories last night, as the Bobcats upset the Celtics and the Wizards beat the Bucks for their fourth straight win. Here's the latest out of the division:
- The Magic will be able to afford to keep J.J. Redick past this season, but must decide whether it's worth investing long-term money in a role player when they're trying to create cap flexibility, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the Magic certainly aren't sitting out the trade deadline, but may ultimately stand relatively pat if there are no deals out there that help them gather long-term assets and flexibility. The price on Redick has been "steep" and many of the offers out there wouldn't help Orlando in the long run, according to Kyler.
- Josh Smith tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com that he has "a lot invested" in his hometown of Atlanta, and that he'll give full consideration to re-signing with the Hawks if he remains on the team through this season.
- The Wizards' acquisitions of Nene Hilario and Emeka Okafor are looking better now that the team has gotten healthy, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.