2013 September | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Sign Mustapha Farrakhan

September 30th, 2013 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have finalized their camp roster, and one player we hadn't previously heard mentioned is among the invitees. Mustapha Farrakhan will be in camp with the team, the Clippers announced today in a press release.

Farrakhan, 25, participated in camp with the Bucks a year ago, but was released before the regular season began. He spent the year bouncing around the D-League, appearing in multiple games for the Iowa Energy, Sioux Falls Skyforce, and Idaho Stampede. The 6'4" guard averaged just 6.8 PPG on 38.0% shooting for the season.

With the addition of Farrakhan, the Clippers will carry 18 players into camp, including 13 on fully guaranteed deals.

Western Notes: Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, Cousins

September 30th, 2013 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

As a number of NBA teams hold their annual fall Media Days, let's check in on a few items out of the Western Conference….

With Chase Budinger expected to be sidelined with a knee injury for the near future, the Timberwolves are getting calls about potential replacements, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). According to Wolfson, Josh Howard is one possibility, but the Wolves aren't making any moves for now.
Mavericks GM Gersson Rosas sat down with Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com to talk about analytics, his transition from the Rockets, and the advantages of a one-to-one D-League affiliation. He admits that the Mavs must catch a few breaks to be successful this season, pointing to defense and rebounding as weaknesses (video links).
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni and executive Jeanie Buss are now on the same page, despite the fact that Buss had initially hoped to see Phil Jackson hired by the team.
DeMarcus Cousins' contract extension with the Kings, which was officially announced today, is built on trust between Cousins and the team's new ownership group, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

Kings Sign Cousins To Four-Year Max Extension

September 30th, 2013 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 11:06am: The Kings have officially signed Cousins to a long-term extension, the team announced today in a press release.

FRIDAY, 12:06am: The Kings and DeMarcus Cousins have reached an agreement in principle on a new long-term deal for the big man, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. According to Jones, Cousins will sign a four-year extension with Sacramento worth the maximum salary. The new deal will keep the former fifth overall pick under contract through 2017/18.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter) pegs the total value of Cousins' new contract at about $62MM, though the exact amount won't be known until next July when the 2014/15 cap figures and maximum salaries are set. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the pact won't include an option on the fourth year, while Jones tweets that it was Cousins' preference to do four years rather than five.

By agreeing to a four-year extension with Cousins, rather than a five-year deal, the Kings will hold on to their designated player tag to potentially use on another player down the road. There are no real candidates at this point to become Sacramento's designated player, though perhaps if Ben McLemore's development goes as planned, the team will consider going to five years for him when he becomes extension-eligible.

Cousins, 23, is coming off a season in which ne nearly averaged a double-double, with 17.1 PPG and 9.9 RPG, to go along with a 20.2 PER. We had heard earlier in the week that he and the team were nearing an extension, with the potential for a deal to be finalized before camp got underway. With an agreement in place, it looks like the Kings will be in position to finalize and announce Cousins' new contract before the club plays its first preseason game.

Cousins' new contract will make him the fourth player this offseason to sign a rookie-scale extension, including the third to sign a max deal. John Wall and Paul George both agreed to five-year max extensions with their respective clubs, while Larry Sanders inked a four-year contract worth $44MM. As I noted when I examined extension-eligible players yesterday, plenty of situations are still up in the air, including Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Favors, and Gordon Hayward.

Heat Signed, Released Ricky Sanchez

September 30th, 2013 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

When the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies at last season's trade deadline, Miami acquired the rights to 2005 second-rounder Ricky Sanchez as part of the swap. However, the Heat no longer hold Sanchez's NBA rights, having signed him on September 16th and released him this past Friday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).

While the Heat presumably would have preferred to stash Sanchez overseas, the Puerto Rican big man was a free agent this summer. So when Miami issued the required tender to retain Sanchez's rights, he signed that offer, forcing the team's hand, as Winderman explains (via Twitter). Because the club wasn't interested in bringing him to camp, he was subsequently waived, meaning he's now free to sign with any team, NBA or otherwise.

Sanchez, 26, played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico last season, averaging 11.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 42 contests.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Toronto, C’s, Bogdanovic

September 30th, 2013 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

According to 76ers owner Josh Harris, a full-scale implosion of the roster was always the plan in Philadelphia, but it was delayed in part due to the club's success in 2011/12 (link via Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News).

"When I first bought the team, there were elements of the decision-making that I noticed weren't how I would have done it," Harris said. "But at the same time we did so well that first season ('11/12) that I chose to stick with the plan. The second season was a big disappointment and that made me feel empowered that it was the right time to make a bunch of changes. I've always had the same vision, but I took it a little more slowly given the success of the first season."

As the new-look Sixers prepare to get their training camp underway, let's take a look around the rest of the Atlantic Division….

In a press conference in Toronto, the NBA and the Raptors officially announced that the city will be hosting the 2016 All-Star Game. The Toronto Sun first reported the story last week.
There are no quick fixes on the way for the Celtics, but the importance of this developmental stage for the team shouldn't be undersold, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
Danny Ainge's phone remains "active," but the Celtics GM is looking forward to seeing which of the club's current players stand out, as he tells Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. "I wouldn’t say this is a perfect mesh of players, but I would like to see how they play together, and win jobs and opportunities, and just how players fit our system and Brad [Stevens]’ style of play," Ainge said. "I like the competitiveness in camp, and I also like the team because there are so many questions to be answered, so many unknowns."
NetsDaily passes along a report out of Turkey indicating that Bojan Bogdanovic has rejected a contract extension offer from Fenerbahce. If Bogdanovic doesn't ink a new deal, he'd be a free agent next summer, meaning there's a decent chance the Nets' 2011 second-rounder could come stateside.
Earlier today, we learned that the Knicks exercised Mike Woodson's 2014/15 contract option and that the Nets have signed Marko Jaric to a camp deal.

Nets Sign Marko Jaric

September 30th, 2013 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have signed Marko Jaric to a training camp contract, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The addition of Jaric brings Brooklyn's roster count for camp to 19 players, including four on non-guaranteed deals.

Jaric, a first-round pick in 2000, hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2008/09 season with the Grizzlies. Over the course of his seven-year NBA career, he averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.6 APG to go along with a 12.0 PER. Jaric received a camp invite from the Bulls last fall, but didn't make the team and didn't end up landing with another team, stateside or overseas.

The Nets already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there likely won't be any roster spots available for the team's camp invitees. Perhaps though, if Jaric impresses the club over the next few weeks, he'd receive consideration later in the year if Brooklyn needs to add a player or two.

Knicks Pick Up 2014/15 Option On Mike Woodson

September 30th, 2013 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have officially exercised their 2014/15 option on Mike Woodson, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move ensures that Woodson will remain under contract for the next two years, and will no longer be on an expiring deal this season.

Woodson, who replaced Mike D'Antoni as the Knicks' head coach in 2011/12, has compiled a 72-34 (.679) record with the team so far, though New York hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs in either of his two seasons.

There had been some speculation that Woodson could be on the hot seat for the coming year, given his contract status, the high expectations for the Knicks, and the fact that Steve Mills recently replaced Glen Grunwald as the club's general manager. Grunwald and Woodson have a long history, dating back to their days as college teammates at Indiana.

Cavs Bringing Henry Sims To Camp

September 30th, 2013 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have added one more player to their training camp roster, having reached an agreement with Henry Sims, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The signing of Sims will increase Cleveland's preseason roster count to 18 players.

Sims, 23, made his NBA debut last season for New Orleans, appearing briefly in a pair of games for the then-Hornets. The 6'10" center spent most of the year with the Erie BayHawks, earning a spot in the D-League All-Star game, and finishing with averages of 16.4 and 8.7 RPG in 41 contests. We heard multiple times in August that the Cavs were considering extending a camp invite to Sims, who also drew some interest from the Knicks.

There's no guarantee Sims will earn a regular-season roster spot for the Cavs, but he should at least be given a shot. Even if we assume Andrew Bynum (partially guaranteed) and C.J. Miles (non-guaranteed) are locks for the roster, that could still leave two openings up for grabs, for the likes of Sims, Jermaine Taylor, Kenny Kadji, and Elliot Williams.

Hoops Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writers

September 30th, 2013 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

We're looking to add part-time contributors to the Hoops Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. The criteria:

Exceptional knowledge of all 30 NBA teams, with no discernible bias. Knowledge of transaction-related concepts and CBA basics.
Extensive writing experience is necessary with professional experience preferred. A background in journalism is a plus.
Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names. Ability to follow the site's style and tone.
Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need the best of both worlds: quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. Ability to use Twitter. Both of these are crucial.
Strong evening availability – typically 5-11pm central time shifts. Flexibility to cover daytime and weekend shifts is also a significant plus.
At least some college education is required.
If you're interested, email hoopsrumorsapplications@gmail.com and take a couple paragraphs to explain how you qualify and stand out. Many will likely apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to all applications.

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Hoops Links: Turner, Thunder, Mavs, Rockets

September 29th, 2013 at 11:59pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 1983, the NBA and the Players’ Association established a landmark program in sports to battle drug abuse, providing treatment and rehabilitation that also mandated expulsion of repeat offenders and players convicted of using or selling drugs.

Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..

Hoop76 explains why Evan Turner might be in line for a career year.
Daily Thunder has some big questions heading into training camp.
The Two Man Game looks at the Mavericks' narrative.
Red94 previews the season ahead for the Rockets.
Celtics Hub wonders if Jared Sullinger can be a center.
Silver Screen And Roll wants to hear less from the Buss family.
Blazers Edge asks if Portland's guards can play together.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.

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