Fab Melo Clears Waivers
Big man Fab Melo has cleared waivers after being cut loose by the Grizzlies late last week, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Syracuse product was set to earn $1.31MM in 2013/14.
Melo's stint in Memphis didn't last very long as he came over via trade from the Celtics in mid-August. It's still unclear if the Grizzlies intended all along to waive the center after giving up Donte Greene to get him. Ultimately, the move cost the Grizzlies a little bit of cap flexibility but netted them at least $300K in cash as the C's gave them $1.66MM in the swap.
Melo was the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft and only appeared in six NBA games for the Celtics in 2012/13. He spent the bulk of the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, averaging 9.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 33 games for the Maine Red Claws. Despite his lack of a real professional resume, it wasn't a given that Melo would clear waivers given his size and athleticism.
Washburn On Bucks, Johnson, Wilcox
In today's column, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that much of the Bucks success lies on the capable shoulders of Larry Sanders. The big man inked a four-year, $44MM deal with Milwaukee this offseason that will put him at the center of a very different team than the one that went to the playoffs this past season. “He’s one of the key, if not the key, piece for us moving forward,” GM John Hammond said of Sanders. “Larry is one of the top shot-blockers in our business. And I think he’s only going to get better defensively. We’re really excited to have him part of our organization, moving forward long term.”
In an Eastern Conference where the Celtics and Hawks in rebuilding mode, and the Magic, 76ers, and Bobcats are lottery-bound, teams like the Bucks , Cavs , Pistons, Wizards, and Raptors will have an opportunity to take a step forward, in Washburn's estimation. Here's more from today's column..
- The fact that former Hawks forward Ivan Johnson couldn't land a mini mid-level deal despite being a solid 29-year-old rebounder is an indication that it will be a tough market for the remaining free agents looking for more than the minimum. Teams with salary-cap space would much rather invest money in younger players and prospects than veterans while contenders have filled their rosters, leaving only training camp invitations. There's also speculation that teams are wary of the luxury-tax threshold with the increased penalties brought on by the new CBA. The Celtics are one team that has been in the process of shedding salary – like Shavlik Randolph and Terrence Williams – for that reason.
- Former Celtics veteran Chris Wilcox is still without a club as September gets underway and he'll have to find a home rather quickly. While he wants to play in the NBA, he's open to other possibilities. “I am open to going overseas,” Wilcox said. “At the same time, I would love to stay here in the NBA. If it’s something that I have to do, then I’ll do it.”
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was appointed as GM of the Kings' D-League affiliate, could be an NBA GM candidate in the coming years. The retired forward has been in the Sacramento front office the past three seasons and has been considered a rising exec. It's worth noting that Abdur-Rahim stayed in the Sacramento front office in the face of the team’s ownership and coaching change.
Hoops Links: CBA, Horford, Bargnani, Eurobasket
On this week in 1999, we saw one of the largest deals in NBA history go down. Eleven players changed teams as the Grizzlies traded the rights to guard Steve Francis and forward Tony Massenburg to the Rockets for guard Michael Dickerson, forward/center Othella Harrington, forward Antoine Carr, guard Brent Price, a future Houston first round draft pick, and the Magic's 2000 second rounder. Meanwhile, Orlando traded forward Don MacLean to the Rockets, and received guard Lee Mayberry, forward Makhtar Ndiaye, guard Rodrick Rhodes, and forward Michael Smith from Vancouver.
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..
- Yudelytics looked at the effects of the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Dime Magazine caught up with Hawks big man Al Horford.
- Posting And Toasting wonders what Andrea Bargnani can bring to the table.
- The Basketball Post tells us what to expect from this year's Eurobasket.
- Blog A Bull shows some love for Joakim Noah.
- Hardwood Paroxysm recaps the Suns' summer.
- Liberty Ballers makes the case for tanking.
- Rufus On Fire says the Bobcats have room to improve.
- Indy Cornrows asks if its title or bust for the Pacers.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here's a look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- The Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app is now available!
- Ryan Raroque checked in on the free agent stock of Earl Barron.
- Luke Adams broke down the fallout from the Caron Butler deal.
- I asked Hoops Rumors readers if the Blazers are playoff bound and opinions were more or less split.
- Chuck Myron gave us an update on declined rookie-scale options.
- Luke brings us an update on ten-day contract signees from 2013.
- Chuck examined the impact of playing experience on coaching.
- A four-year, $40MM deal should get it done for Gordon Hayward, Chuck writes.
- Here's a look at free agent spending by division, courtesy of Luke.
- Most of you don't see the Bucks making the playoffs this year.
- Is Tracy McGrady a Hall of Famer? Looks like we're all on the fence.
- Hoops Rumors readers believe that Jonas Valanciunas and Jeff Green will be the most improved players in the Atlantic Division this year, according to Ryan's poll.
- Alex Lee asked our readers what they expect out of Antawn Jamison in L.A. and most say he'll put up 5-10 points per game.
- How did 2013's restricted free agents fare?
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Smith, Wyatt, Celtics
J.R. Smith has never been one to shy away from a microphone and this week he gave Knicks beat writers some solid late-August material. Somewhere in between firing shots across the East River at Paul Pierce and the Nets, Smith was asked about Carmelo Anthony's opt out in the summer of 2014. "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him," said Smith. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Smith told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he signed with the Knicks rather than the Nets when he returned from China in February 2012 because “the Nets weren’t good. Now they’re still not good.’’ Meanwhile, Berman's colleague Fred Kerber tweets that the Nets never had any interest in the New Jersey native.
- Smith says that he's unsure of whether or not he'll be ready for the Knicks season opener against the Bucks, but Berman (Sulia link) gets the impression that he won't be. Berman expects him to miss a week or two of action.
- Don't be surprised if former Temple standout Khalif Wyatt receives a training camp invitation and spends some time with the Sixers during the regular season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard could fill a void on a team in desperate need of a long-range shooter, Pompey writes. Wyatt averaged a team-best 13.8 PPG for Philadelphia in summer league.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the Celtics' training camp invites.
Michael Malone On Ranadive, D’Alessandro, Petrie
It has been a whirlwind year for the Kings, but at long last, it looks like the franchise has found some stability. The tug of war between Sacramento and Seattle is through and the Kings are staying put in California's capital behind recently-minted owner Vivek Ranadive. There are some major changes on the floor, too, with star Tyreke Evans departing for New Orleans and Michael Malone replacing Keith Smart as head coach. Malone took some time to sit down with Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee to discuss his new challenge. Here's a look at some of the highlights..
When the sale to the Ranadive-led group was finalized, did you think you had a chance at the job?
It's funny, but I remember my father telling me, "You are always working for your next job. Somebody is always watching." And unbeknownst to me, here is Vivek these past two years, watching me at practices, watching me at games. But really, it's not like we were talking on the phone all the time. The most time we ever spent together was on draft night (2012). We were sitting in the war room in Oakland, and we talked for a while. We saw things in a very similar way, and we created a bond, a relationship that night, that led to this.
You were more involved with the NBA draft and recent offseason moves than most head coaches. Do you expect to maintain that degree of input?
You've heard Vivek say that a lot of coaches aren't that involved, but that they need to be involved because they're the guys who have to coach. The first couple weeks – and Geoff Petrie and his staff were terrific in a very uncomfortable situation – we didn't have a GM at the time. I felt like I was head coach and GM. So I was very, very happy when we hired Pete [D'Alessandro]. He came in immediately and was asking: "Who did you like during the workout? What do you think?" We had constant communication on the draft and free agency.
How well did you know D'Alessandro before he was hired?
Not much. I had heard about him, being another New York guy. And I heard a lot of good things about him when he was at Golden State and Denver. But that was it. The neat thing about Pete for me … a lot of guys probably look at this job a little differently, because I was hired before the GM, but he was fine with that.
People were talking quite a bit about the head coach being hired before the GM. Was that awkward for you?
The reality is some people would be turned off by that. Is it the norm? No. But it's not like it never happens. The thing I love about Pete … there's no egos here because at the end of the day it's going to be us. We get the job done or we don't. We both know we need each other to get this thing turned around. And we have an owner who believes in us and is giving us everything we need to succeed. If we don't have that, we have no chance.
So what is your approach? Do you have a two-year plan? A five-year plan?
This is going to be a process. We have to change the culture, establish an identity, and while we'll try to win every night, we don't want to skip steps. We don't want short-term success. I'm not sure what year we get into our new arena, but by that year, we want to be a playoff team, and not to just be competing in the playoffs. We've talked about that. We know we have to have patience to do it right. Are our young guys getting better? Are we defending? Gang- rebounding? Running with discipline? The only thing I promised Vivek is that we will no longer be the worst defensive team in the league. So if we do that and change our culture, that will result in more wins and a better product.