Grizzlies Sign James Johnson
11:49am: The Grizzlies confirmed the signing via press release.
10:03am: The Grizzlies are on the verge of signing small forward James Johnson from the D-League, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Johnson has spent the 2013/14 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, affiliate to the Rockets, where they are experimenting with an exceptionally high three point shot rate.
The Vipers tapped Johnson with the second-overall pick in this year’s D-League draft. The four-year NBA veteran averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG across four seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings. Johnson, 26, was in camp with the Hawks over the offseason before being waived in October.
In ten games for the Vipers this season, Johnson is averaging 18.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 29.9 minutes per contest.
Central Notes: Granger, Cavs, Leuer, Rose
Josh Smith enjoyed his best game as a member of the Pistons last night but it was all for naught as Detroit fell to the Trail Blazers in overtime. Smith had 31 points and seven rebounds, but he was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and OT as the Pistons collapsed in a 111-109 loss. Here’s today’s look at the Central Division..
- The Pacers are targeting next Friday as a return date for Danny Granger, tweets Candace D. Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Granger, a pending free agent, could become a trade chip for Indiana if he proves to be both healthy and redundant for the Pacers over the next few months.
- As of today, the Cavs-Grizzlies trade involving Jon Leuer, Mo Speights, Wayne Ellington, and a draft pick favors the Grizzlies based on the way Leuer is playing, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The big man is averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 14 games for Memphis this season.
- Sam Smith of NBA.com argues that coming into the NBA as a teenager, for the most part, stunts your development because you have not had as much chance to develop as a player and have your body develop to play against men. In his view, it’s one possible reason why recent No. 1 overall picks, like Bulls star Derrick Rose, have had injury troubles.
- Earlier today, I rounded up the latest on the Cavs.
Raptors Notes: Casey, Gay, Lowry
A look at the latest out of Toronto as the Raptors enjoy some time off before Wednesday night’s game against the Bobcats..
- Whether coach Dwane Casey wants to admit it or not, the Raptors appear to be a better team without Rudy Gay, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Sans Gay, Toronto has won three of four while garnering a third more assists per game. In Wolstat’s view, this current squad has a far better shot of competing for the Atlantic Division title than it did with Gay, who, on paper, was its premier singular talent.
- More from Wolstat, who opines that the Raptors have to get worse before they can get better. The Raptors have failed to land a superstar via free agency and will need to find a transcendent talent through the draft instead. When looking at recent NBA history, it’s clear that a team needs one (or more) top five picks to help lift them to the Finals. However, Wolstat doesn’t think they should make that happen by giving away assets.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star argues against trading Kyle Lowry or other desirable trade chips for draft picks since selections in 2017, ’18, or ’19 are far away and aren’t guaranteed to work out.
Cavs Notes: Waiters, Varejao, Dellavedova
The Cavs aren’t looking to deal but they’re always willing to listen, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Cleveland isn’t working hard to make any sort of trade, especially any involving big man Anderson Varejao or guard Dion Waiters. The Cavs have won five of seven since their 4-12 start and both players have had a significant role in that. Here’s more out of Cleveland..
- In this week’s Twitter mailbag, a reader asks Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal if Waiters is on his way out of Cleveland. While Cavs officials continue to say that they want to hang on to the guard, Lloyd gets the feeling that they will move him based on the conversations that he has had lately. The Cavs will stand pat if they don’t get an offer that they like, but it would seem that plenty of teams from around the league are fans.
- If the Cavs are set on dealing Varejao now is the time to do it, writes Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal. The big man is healthy and playing well and some think it’s only a matter of time before he is injured. Varejao played a total of 81 games in the previous three seasons.
- Rookie Matthew Dellavedova is a mini-Varejao who has had a major impact on the Cavs, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Lakers, Gay, Gasol
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division, as the Warriors and Suns do battle..
- The Kings are being roasted by many for dealing for Rudy Gay, but James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom comes to Sacramento’s defense. The Kings didn’t mortgage their future by throwing a pick into the deal or taking on a Joe Johnson-type contract that could potentially cripple the franchise for four or five seasons. They took a stab with a talented, young, healthy athlete with a proven track record of success.
- As Ramon Sessions finishes out his two-year, $10MM deal with the Bobcats, he reflected on how things might have played out if he stayed with the Lakers. “I think about it at times,” Sessions said Saturday, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “It’s one of those things that when I opted out, I wasn’t expecting to leave. I was expecting to work something out. But you know how the NBA business is.” Sessions turned down a one-year, $4.55MM player option with L.A. after the 2011/12 sesaon.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wonders if the Kobe Bryant–Pau Gasol narrative will end happily again. Many have speculated that Gasol’s future in L.A. could be in jeopardy once again as he is in his walk year and is butting heads with coach Mike D’Antoni.
Latest On Omer Asik
While there are strong rumbles that the Sixers, led by former Houston exec Sam Hinkie, will be the team to land Omer Asik, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the Celtics are worth keeping an eye on as well. The Celtics have two players in Jeff Green and Brandon Bass that at different salary ranges could fit next to Dwight Howard.
Boston also has a spare first-round draft pick or two to plug into any trade equation to sweeten the deal for the Rockets, a big deal considering that GM Daryl Morey wants to come away with at least one future first. It also helps that the Morey and coach Kevin McHale have longstanding relationships with Celts president Danny Ainge.
Stein wonders openly if the Rockets can afford to take on someone like Green ($18.4MM over two seasons after this one) or Philly’s Thaddeus Young ($19.4MM over same span) when they know they’ll have to give an extension bump to Chandler Parsons when he becomes eligible. That means it’s likely that a third team will get involved in an Asik swap.
Meanwhile, it’s believed that the Cavs like the thought of keeping Anderson Varejao better than the prospect of trading him for Asik. Word is the Cavs would prefer to join in as a third-team facilitator that helps Asik land in a different city. The Hawks also have an attractive frontcourt piece in Paul Millsap, but it’s believed that GM Danny Ferry is holding on to him for a better prize than the disgruntled Houston center.
Hakim Warrick Signs In China
Hakim Warrick has signed with Chinese team Liaoning Jiebao for the rest of the season and hopes to return to NBA afterward, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Warrick last appeared in the NBA with the Bobcats last season.
The Syracuse product spent the first four seasons of his career with the Grizzlies before a series of moves took him on a tour of the Association. Warrick signed with the Bucks in July 2009 and was traded to the Bulls in February 2010 before being sent to the Suns later that year for a second rounder. The traveling didn’t stop there: Warrick was shipped to the Hornets in a three-team deal in July 2012, traded to the Bobcats for Matt Carroll in November 2012, and shipped to the Magic, who promptly cut him, in February 2012.
Last month it was reported that Warrick was in China, working out for the Sichuan Blue Whales, who were looking to replace former Rutgers big man Herve Lamizana. For his career, Warrick owns averages of 9.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG, though those totals are buoyed mostly by his best years in Memphis.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Knicks, Lowry, Dolan
First-year Sixers head coach Brett Brown is enjoying his job but has few wins to show for it, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “There are only a handful of times – a very, very tiny handful of times – where you feel embarrassed,” Brown said. “By and large our team has played a style of play and played with an aggression that I’m proud of.” More from the Atlantic..
- The Knicks are still in play for Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, but they still won’t surrender a first-round pick to get him, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The Knicks can’t trade a first round selection that comes up earlier than 2018.
- With strong play from Pablo Prigioni, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Knicks need Lowry at all.
- Interference from owner James Dolan may hurt the Knicks badly, writes Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News. Dolan canned highly respected GM Glen Grunwald before the season in favor of Steve Mills, a GM who isn’t eager to make trades because he doesn’t want to put his job on the line, according to Lawrence.
- With all the talk of Knicks star Carmelo Anthony going elsewhere, you can count Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim amongst those who hopes he stays put, Adam Zagoria of SNY writes. “I think he came to New York, he likes New York, he wanted to be in New York,” Boeheim said. “I think that every player now is looking for the best place to win. Players aren’t looking for money or security. Elite players now are looking for, ‘Where can I win, where can I be in a winning championship-type team.’“
Hoops Rumors Originals
A look back at all of the analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron found that the Lakers lead the league in expiring deals.
- Is your favorite team Riggin For Wiggins or Jobbin’ For Jabari? Cheer them on as they race to the bottom with Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings.
- Should the Suns trade their picks for immediate help? Most of you say yes.
- Chuck explained how the Raptors/Kings trade worked financially.
- Chuck looked at this year’s one-day D-League assignments.
- Most of you see Rudy Gay getting $10-$15MM on his next contract.
- Jonathan Nehring looks at the players who signed on the mid-level exception this year.
Week In Review: 12/9/13 – 12/15/13
Kyle Lowry was set to be shipped to the Knicks and then all of a sudden, he wasn’t. After the Knicks and Raptors shook hands on a deal that would have brought the guard to New York, owner James Dolan reportedly put the kibosh on the deal. It’s believed that Dolan vetoed the deal in part because he doesn’t want to get burned by Masai Ujiri for a second time after he already gave away a boatload of talent to acquire Carmelo Anthony from Denver. More from the week that was..
- The Kings officially acquired Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray, and Quincy Acy from the Raptors for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson, and Chuck Hayes. No word yet on whether Rudy will allow stat sheets in the Sacramento locker room.
- Derrick Rose has told some confidantes that he’s concerned about the Bulls potentially losing key players in free agency.
- The Cavs may or may not be a suitor for Rockets center Omer Asik, depending on who you ask. Houston plans to move the big man this week.
- The Nets also like Lowry but they’ll only go so far to get him.
- The Knicks would prefer to keep Iman Shumpert out of a deal for Lowry for the purpose of including him in a future trade and perhaps packaging him with Amar’e Stoudemire.
- The Bulls met with Nikola Mirotic.
- The Suns are willing to trade their 2014 picks for a star.
- The Lakers are open to re-signing Pau Gasol but are reportedly fielding offers for him.
- The Pelicans have released swingman Josh Childress.
- Carmelo is allegedly the only Knick off-limits in a trade.
- The Clippers signed Stephen Jackson.
- Gilbert Arenas is aiming for a 2014 comeback. Insert gun joke here.
- The Bulls signed D.J. Augustin after he was waived by the Raptors.
- The Knicks might make a run at Tom Thibodeau.
- Jason Collins doesn’t believe that he’s being discriminated against for his sexual orientation.
- The Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph with Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans as the primary target, though that report has been disputed by others.
- Jason Thompson is on the block in Sacramento.
- The Thunder are willing to trade Jeremy Lamb.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wants to keep Dion Waiters.
- The Bobcats signed Chris Douglas-Roberts. They waived James Southerland to make room.
- The Grizzlies are looking for a long-term pickup rather than a short-term fix.
- Jonas Valanciunas is the Raptor least likely to be traded, but even he isn’t entirely off-limits.
- Elias Harris is headed to Germany.
- The Warriors signed big man HIlton Armstrong.
- The Lakers will target Leandro Barbosa and other point guards.