Quincy Pondexter To Miss Rest Of Season
Grizzlies swingman Quincy Pondexter is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken foot, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The team says it’s a tarsal navicular stress fracture in his right foot, according to a press release that lists Pondexter as out indefinitely. The Grizzlies have nonetheless confirmed to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal that Pondexter is likely out for the year (Twitter link).
The 25-year-old sustained the injury Saturday in a game against the Warriors. He’d just signed a four-year, $14MM rookie scale extension before the October 31st deadline. Concerns about his foot likely helped prompt the team’s interest in signing a free agent guard. Memphis is reportedly bringing Kendall Marshall, Seth Curry, Darius Morris and Reggie Williams in for workouts. The Grizzlies have the minimum 13 players on their roster, meaning there’s room for as many as two additions.
Pondexter was averaging slightly fewer minutes than last season, when he set career highs in nearly every category. His three-point shooting has been off as well, with the former 26th overall pick having connected on 32.4% of his three-point attempts compared to 39.5% last year. It’s nonetheless a significant loss for a 9-10 team already reeling from a long-term injury to Marc Gasol. Pondexter’s absence could mean more playing time for rookies Nick Calathes and Jamaal Franklin, depending any roster moves the team makes.
Southwest Rumors: Grizzlies, Asik, Dalembert
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reveals the details behind the Grizzlies‘ bizarre parting with assistant coach Barry Hecker in the middle of last season’s playoffs. Hecker butted heads with former head coach Lionel Hollins as well as Dave Joerger, who was then a fellow assistant, and he alleges that Joerger was after Hollins’ job as early as two years ago. There’s more on the Grizzlies coaching situation among the latest news from the Southwest Division:
- The Grizzlies front office is beginning to wonder if they made the right hire with their decision to promote Joerger, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes in his weekly power rankings. Joerger’s job is nonetheless safe, Spears adds.
- An executive tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio not to rule out the Celtics and Bucks as possible destinations for Rockets center Omer Asik. Other recent reports have also linked those teams to Asik.
- The Mavericks planned to make Samuel Dalembert their starting center when they signed him to a two-year deal this past offseason, but he’s in danger of falling out of the rotation, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- The Spurs recalled Aron Baynes and Nando De Colo from the D-League today, the team announced. De Colo had 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Baynes put up 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Austin Toros last night, hours after the Spurs sent them down along with Malcolm Thomas.
Kings/Raptors Trade Reaction
News of the pending trade between the Raptors and Kings overshadowed Kobe Bryant‘s return to the Lakers, which was supposed to be the story of Sunday night around the NBA. There are plenty of reverberations in the wake of the deal that featured Rudy Gay, and we’ll round them up here:
- The Raptors were at the 15-man roster limit before the trade, and since they’re acquiring four players and giving up three, they’ll have to cut someone. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun initially figured D.J. Augustin was ripe for the chopping block before hearing Dwight Buycks was most likely to go (Twitter links). HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler pegs Julyan Stone as the probable cut, but Wolstat (on Twitter) thinks Stone is most likely to stick.
- There was increasing mutual dissatisfaction between the Raptors and Gay, note Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. It’s almost certain that Gay will exercise his $19.3MM option for next season, Wojnarowski and Spears write, and the Kings didn’t ask Gay about his plans regarding the option before agreeing to the trade, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
- The Raptors might not be weakening their team this season, Kyler writes in his NBA AM piece, figuring the players they’re acquiring might be much better than the ones they’re sending out. Kyler also suggests the Kings may use the next couple of months to evaluate Gay to decide whether to flip him at the trade deadline.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey remains on shaky ground, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Raptors spoke to nearly every team in the league about Gay, Lowe writes, specifically mentioning the Pistons, Bucks and Cavs.
- Toronto brass had already decided to rebuild before they found a taker for Gay, but sources told SportsNet’s Michael Grange just two days prior to the deal that GM Masai Ujiri had essentially given up on what seemed like a futile search for a trade partner.
- In the same piece, Grange writes that league sources were stunned that the Kings were willing to take on Gay, with one executive asking rhetorically, “Doesn’t Sacramento watch the games?”
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has been struggling to accept the idea of another losing season for Sacramento, which helps explain why he’s been so active on the trade market, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Cavs Owner Wants To Keep Dion Waiters
Dion Waiters has emerged as a trade candidate within the past couple of weeks, as a report late last month suggested the Cavs were shopping last year’s No. 4 overall pick while the team insisted it was merely fielding calls for him. Still, there appears to be little motivation at the highest level of the organization to trade Waiters. Owner Dan Gilbert is fond of the shooting guard and wants to keep him, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
Broussard also notes that the relationship between Waiters and backcourt mate Kyrie Irving is improving. The ESPN scribe reported last month that rumors of a fight between Irving and Waiters were false, though Waiters and Tristan Thompson apparently engaged in a heated argument during a recent team meeting.
The Bulls, Knicks and Sixers have been among the teams rumored to be in the mix for Waiters, who turns 22 on Tuesday. Rival executives have expressed disbelief that the Cavs would give up on Waiters so soon, though the majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted believe Cleveland should trade him away.
Thunder Willing To Trade Jeremy Lamb
The Thunder are open to trading Jeremy Lamb for a more experienced and consistent bench player, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who tucks the news into his leaguewide notes column. Lamb, the 12th overall pick in 2012, came to Oklahoma City as part of the James Harden blockbuster on the eve of last season.
The onus has been on the 6’5″ shooting guard to step up this year following the departure of veteran Kevin Martin in an offseason sign-and-trade. Lamb spent much of last year shuttling back and forth between the Thunder and their D-League affiliate. He’s averaging 8.9 points on 45% shooting in 19.9 minutes per game, but that’s hardly the impact that Harden or Martin, who preceded Lamb in the role as backup wing player, had during their tenures in Oklahoma City.
There hasn’t been any drop-off in the win-loss column for the Thunder in spite of the lack of an established sixth man, as they’re 15-4 following last night’s blowout of the league-best Pacers. Lamb, just 21, is still developing and in the second season of a four-year rookie contract that will give him a little more than $2.1MM this year, but GM Sam Presti is apparently willing to seize on an opportunity for an immediate upgrade. The Thunder’s flexibility is limited, since they’re only about $1.4MM shy of the luxury tax line.
Jason Thompson, Kyle Lowry On Trade Block
The Kings and Raptors agreed to a major seven-player trade last night, but there could be more moves coming for both teams. The Kings are trying to deal away power forward Jason Thompson, while the Raptors wouldn’t mind parting with point guard Kyle Lowry, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Sacramento has already pulled off a pair of in-season swaps, acquiring Derrick Williams and Rudy Gay. Those two will likely bump Thompson from the starting lineup. Finding a new home for Thompson won’t be easy, Stein points out, since he’s in the second season of a five-year contract for nearly $30.2MM with a 5% trade kicker.
No Raptor appears to be off-limits for a trade, aside from Jonas Valanciunas, according to a recent report. The team’s primary goal for the season now seems to be improving its draft lottery chances, making Lowry a prime trade candidate, as Stein suggests. Lowry is making $6.21MM in the final season of his deal. Greivis Vasquez, whom Toronto will receive in the swap with the Kings, could replace Lowry in the starting lineup.
Though the Kings and Raptors just hooked up on a trade, and respective GMs Pete D’Alessandro and Masai Ujiri worked together in the Nuggets front office, it doesn’t appear there are discussions between the teams involving Thompson or Lowry.
Grizzlies To Work Out Seth Curry, Others
MONDAY, 7:40am: Kendall Marshall will also work out for the Grizzlies, Wojnarowski tweets. The former 13th overall pick is coming off a near triple-double in his debut for the D-League affiliate of the Sixers.
SUNDAY, 10:53pm: The Grizzlies are bringing in several guards to workout early this week, including Darius Morris, Reggie Williams, and Seth Curry, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Memphis has been ravaged by injuries early on in the season, requiring extra depth in the backcourt.
Morris was cut loose by the Sixers earlier this season along with Kwame Brown. The guard, 23 in January, has an offer in hand from Turkey but might be able to ply his craft in the U.S. this season if he can impress Memphis brass.
Williams, 27, was a victim of a numbers crunch in Houston, where the Rockets cut his 50% guaranteed contract at the end of the preseason to get under the 15-man roster limit. He worked out for the Bulls last month but didn’t wind up inking a deal.
Curry, of course, is the younger brother of Warriors star Stephen Curry. The Duke University product is currently with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz after missing the cut in training camp over the summer.
Hoops Links: Williams, Nets, Woodson, Raptors
On this date in 1999, Rockets forward Charles Barkley’s storied career came to an end in Philadelphia, when he attempted to block a shot by the Sixers’ Tyrone Hill. Barkley, who scored 23,755 points (13th in NBA history) and grabbed 12,545 rebounds (14th in NBA history), tore the left quadriceps tendon away from the kneecap in the first quarter of Houston’s 83-73 loss to Philadelphia. After the game, Barkley held a news conference and paid tribute to former teammates Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones, who Barkley said initiated him in the ways of the NBA in his early years with the 76ers. Barkley would return to play token minutes in the last game of the regular season, which would then be the final game of his career.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the blogosphere..
- Toronto Sports Daily has 12 reasons why a small market finals would be great.
- Hardwood Paroxysm talks Derrick Williams and expectations.
- The Brooklyn Game went on the YES Network to discuss the current state of the Nets.
- Posting and Toasting wants to know what happens if Mike Woodson gets canned.
- Raptors HQ says the Raptors showed a lack of identity in their loss to Phoenix.
- Orlando Magic Daily talks Maurice Harkless and more on their latest podcast.
- Red94 wonders if Thad Young is really an upgrade.
- Peachtree Hoops explains the Hawks’ options when it comes to the Nets’ picks.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, email Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Minor Moves: Baynes, De Colo, Spurs, Conroy
Today’s minor moves..
- The Spurs assigned center Aron Baynes, guard Nando De Colo, and forward Malcolm Thomas to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. Baynes has appeared in 11 games for the Spurs this season, averaging 1.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.9 minutes. De Colo has seen action in six contests this season for the Silver and Black, averaging 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 9.0 minutes. Thomas was recently signed by the Spurs on Dec. 3 and will make his first appearance for the Toros this season. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Point guard Will Conroy has signed to play in Germany with BBC Bayreuth, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia notes. Conroy appeared in four games with the Timberwolves last season, but the close friend of Brandon Roy wasn’t in an NBA camp this fall.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Raptors, Kings Discussing Rudy Gay Deal
6:08pm: The two sides are nearing agreement on a deal, Wojnarowski tweets.
6:02pm: The Raptors and Kings are discussing a deal centered on Rudy Gay, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc. J Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
Last month, it was reported that GM Masai Ujiri is exploring trade options for Gay and others with Jonas Valanciunas, 2011′s fifth overall pick, the only real untouchable of the bunch. Gay looks like the most obvious chip since he’s still capable of being a top scorer for a team and could be a rental since he has a player option for 2014/15 that he could turn down in favor of a longer deal. With a $17.89MM salary, the Raptors will have to take some serious salary back in any trade.
More than three-quarters of Hoops Rumors readers say that they expect Gay to be traded before the deadline.