Warriors Waive Dewayne Dedmon
The Warriors announced that they have waived center Dewayne Dedmon. The 24-year-old was originally signed as a D-League callup on November 18th.
The 7’0” center appeared in four games with Golden State, logging a grand total of six minutes. During his time with the Warriors, Dedmon also appeared in one game with Santa Cruz while on assignment to the D-League club, registering 23 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in a 117-103 victory over the Austin Toros on November 24th.
The Warriors inked Dedmon at a time when they were desperate for frontcourt help in the wake of Jermaine O’Neal‘s injury. The club even considered asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine if he would come out of retirement to give the club an extra big.
Carmelo Denies Already Deciding On His Future
Everyone is wondering what Carmelo Anthony will do when he hits the open market in the summer of 2014, and that apparently includes Anthony himself. In response to boisterous ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith reporting that sources have told him the Knicks star has decided to skip town, Anthony issued a flat denial, tweets Rod Boone of Newsday.
Anthony went on to say that he doesn’t talk to those close to him about his future plans (link). “Anybody in my crew, anybody on my team, family, nobody.” He also asserted that if a story doesn’t come from him then it’s “not true” (link).
Anthony, who is coming up on his three-year anniversary of being traded to New York, has been vocal about his frustration over the club’s putrid start. For those who believe LeBron James is staying put in Miami, Anthony appears to be the top prize in a loaded free agent class this summer.
New York Notes: Carmelo, Prokhorov, Dolan
If you had December 5th circled on your calendar to make sure you didn’t miss the Knicks and Nets squaring off in Brooklyn…feel free to make some alternate plans instead. With the Knicks at 3-13 and the Nets not looking much better at 5-13, there are serious doubts about whether NYC’s teams will recover this season. The latest from the Big Apple..
- Knicks owner James Dolan was largely motivated to trade for Carmelo Anthony in 2011 so that he didn’t wind up in Brooklyn. “There was definitely a fear that Carmelo would wind up with the Nets if the Knicks didn’t get him,” a former Knicks employee told Harvey Araton of the New York Times. “Dolan was annoyed by the billboard [of Prokhorov and then minority owner Jay-Z near MSG] — you couldn’t blame him for that — and he was determined to make sure he got Carmelo.”
- Araton checked in with Prokhorov via email for his story and the Nets owner indicated that he’s not ready to panic. “We’re only a month into the season! Give it a little time. And have a little faith,” Prokhorov wrote.
- The Russian owner also took the opportunity to send a jab in Dolan’s direction. After the pow-wow earlier this year featuring the two owners and commissioner David Stern, Dolan quipped that he got a “free lunch” out of the meeting. Asked what he got out of it, Prokhorov wrote in his email, “As logic would dictate, the check.”
- At least one person is optimistic that the Nets and Knicks will rebound in 2013/14. “I believe New York and Brooklyn are too talented of teams to continue on the track that they’re on,” said Celtics GM Danny Ainge, according to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Ainge’s Celtics currently occupy the top spot in the Atlantic Division, but they’re also three games from last place.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Porter, Gortat, Heat
The Hawks were the lone Southeast Division representative in action last night and they didn’t disappoint, topping the Clippers 107-97 in Atlanta. Kyle Korver went 6-9 behind the arc and scored 23 points while Paul Millsap led the way with 25 points and nine boards. Here’s today’s look at the Southeast Division..
- Wizards rookie Otto Porter Jr. won’t commit to a return date, but he feels that he’s getting closer to making his NBA debut, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is currently 9-9 without the services of its No. 3 overall pick. The Georgetown product was (and is) considered by some to be the best overall talent in the 2013 draft.
- If Bradley Beal, Al Harrington, and Porter can get back on the floor, Wizards center Marcin Gortat believes that his team can shock everyone, Lee writes. “We should be really good,” Gortat said. “Maybe at the end – maybe at the end – I will be the guy who is going to laugh, from some of the people here that we won 50 games.” Gortat came to the Wizards in a late-October trade with the Suns.
- When asked if offseason pickup Michael Beasley has found his idea role in the NBA – an impressive scorer off the bench – Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel said that the Heat are still working to make him a complete player, which means bringing his defense up to speed.
Odds & Ends: Mozgov, Hawks, Garnett, Draft
Timofey Mozgov might be the hottest player in the NBA right now and that can be largely attributed to assistant coach Melvin Hunt, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. “All the Russian I know can’t be repeated,” Hunt explained, “because when he gets frustrated and says them, I know they’re bad words.” More from around the Association..
- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t expect Dennis Schröder to stay in the D-League for long. “My guess is he’ll be back sooner but we’ll see how it’s going down there and how it’s going up there,” Budenholzer said, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta assigned the rookie guard earlier today.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News attempts to fix the Eastern Conference for all the teams not named the Heat or Pacers. The list, unsurprisingly, starts with the Nets and the struggles of offseason addition Kevin Garnett.
- A few league executives and scouts indicated to Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter) that Glenn Robinson III‘s stock is falling. The Michigan standout is currently slotted to go No. 17 on DraftExpress’ mock draft.
- The Nets and Knicks better hope that they can turn things around this season because they can’t hope to build through the draft, notes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Both NYC teams have mortgaged their futures in an effort to contend in the present.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Iguodala, O’Neal, Morris
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division..
- Warriors GM Bob Myers told reporters, including Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, that he’s not looking to make any changes at this stage, given Andre Iguodala‘s injury. “No, I think we want to see. It may be one game, two games, three games where we’ve actually been healthy. I think it’d be way too rash to start looking at something until you’ve actually seen the team for a good, extended period of time,” said Myers.
- Not much was expected from 18-year vet Jermaine O’Neal when he inked a one-year, $2MM deal with the Warriors, but he’s proven to be a pivotal part of the team, writes Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News.
- Turkish team Trabzonspor made an offer to former Lakers guard Darius Morris, according to a report from Djordje Matic passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Morris averaged 6.9 PPG in 12 games for the 76ers this season before he was waived along with Kwame Brown in November.
Charlie Westbrook To Sign In D-League
Guard Charlie Westbrook has agreed to sign a deal in the NBA Development League, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Westbrook was in training camp with the Heat this summer and was said to impress, but the logjam of talented veterans was too much for him to overcome.
Westbrook had been deciding on his next professional team and he joined the D-League’s waiver process tonight to determine his franchise. The 24-year-old played four games with the Heat in preseason, with averages of 5.7 minutes and 2.5 points before being released on October 21st.
Undrafted in 2012 out of the University of South Dakota, Westbrook was on the second team all-conference as a senior, scoring over 18 points per game. He spent last season in Italy, where he averaged 16.2 points per contest.
Eastern Notes: Frank, Bulls, Beasley
The Eastern Conference will have a few chances to improve its dismal record against the West tonight, as the Cavs and Hawks host the Nuggets and Clippers respectively, while the Pacers play in Utah. As we look forward to a night of NBA action, let’s check out a few items from around the East….
- Having been demoted by the Nets, Lawrence Frank will retain “high-powered” legal counsel, likely in the hopes of working out a buyout agreement with the team, a source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. As various reports have noted since Frank’s “re-assignment” yesterday, the Brooklyn assistant signed a lucrative six-year contract with the club this summer.
- In spite of Derrick Rose‘s season-ending injury, the Bulls are still excited about their future, GM Gar Forman said on ESPN Radio on Tuesday. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com has the key quotes from Forman.
- Along with ESPN’s Scoop Jackson and Doug Padilla, Friedell debates whether the Bulls believe they’ll re-sign Luol Deng next summer, in a separate piece.
- Given the way Michael Beasley has played this season, it’s clear that at least one of the Heat‘s two non-guaranteed players will have his salary guaranteed, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Roger Mason is the other Miami player on a non-guaranteed contract.
- Beasley ranks among the best bargain signings of the offseason, according to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld, who also includes Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll in his list.
Players On De Facto Expiring Contracts
As we enter the NBA’s trade season, players on expiring contracts become coveted commodities, allowing teams to acquire talent without sacrificing future cap flexibility. Most avid NBA fans can probably list a few notable trade candidates on expiring deals without even looking up the player’s contract status — Luol Deng, Danny Granger, and Kyle Lowry are a few names that immediately come to mind.
In addition to those players in the last year of their contracts, there are plenty of guys around the league who are on de facto expiring deals. In other words, their contracts extend past this year, but at this point, they’re owed little or no guaranteed money beyond this season.
One example in Jameer Nelson in Orlando. The veteran point guard is under contract for $8MM in 2014/15, but only $2MM of that amount is currently guaranteed. So if a team were to acquire Nelson this season, it could do so with the knowledge that it wouldn’t necessarily have a big impact on next year’s books. Nelson would earn just $2MM if he’s released before July 15th, 2014, and will only earn his full $8MM salary if he remains under contract beyond that date.
Listed below are the guys on these unofficial expiring contracts this season, separated by those who are owed partial guarantees and those who aren’t owed any guaranteed salary. The following players are not listed:
- Players with player options or early termination options in 2014/15. In these cases, the team has little to no agency in deciding whether or not to keep a player under contract, which makes it hard to treat that contract as expiring. Rudy Gay represents a prime example of this case, since his ’14/15 player option significantly complicates his trade value.
- Players on non-guaranteed contracts for 2013/14. If they’re already on non-guaranteed deals, it’s safe to say they aren’t owed guaranteed money beyond this season.
- Recent signees. We can probably assume that in-season additions like Malcolm Thomas (Spurs), Elliot Williams (76ers) and Lorenzo Brown (76ers) signed non-guaranteed deals, meaning they also won’t have guarantees for 2014/15 and beyond.
Here’s the full list:
Non-guaranteed for 2014/15:
- Quincy Acy (Raptors)
- James Anderson (76ers)
- Pero Antic (Hawks)
- Will Barton (Trail Blazers)
- Chauncey Billups (Pistons). Team option.
- Keith Bogans (Celtics)
- Dwight Buycks (Raptors)
- Nick Calathes (Grizzlies)
- Omri Casspi (Rockets)
- Earl Clark (Cavaliers)
- Jae Crowder (Mavericks). Team option.
- Alonzo Gee (Cavaliers)
- Willie Green (Clippers)
- Orlando Johnson (Pacers)
- Doron Lamb (Magic)
- John Lucas III (Jazz)
- Jason Maxiell (Magic)
- Khris Middleton (Bucks)
- Quincy Miller (Nuggets)
- Kyle O’Quinn (Magic)
- Chandler Parsons (Rockets). Team option.
- Phil Pressey (Celtics)
- Ronnie Price (Magic)
- Donald Sloan (Pacers)
- Chris Smith (Knicks)
- Ishmael Smith (Suns)
- Jeff Taylor (Bobcats)
- Jeff Withey (Pelicans)
Partially guaranteed for 2014/15:
- Robert Covington (Rockets). $150K guaranteed.
- Jamal Crawford (Clippers). $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Samuel Dalembert (Mavericks). $1.8MM guaranteed.
- Austin Daye (Raptors). $250K guaranteed.
- Draymond Green (Warriors). $250K guaranteed.
- Tyler Hansbrough (Raptors). $1MM guaranteed.
- Amir Johnson (Raptors). $5MM guaranteed.
- Kosta Koufos (Grizzlies). $500K guaranteed.
- Andre Miller (Nuggets). $2MM guaranteed.
- Jameer Nelson (Magic). $2MM guaranteed.
- Tony Parker (Spurs). $3.5MM guaranteed.
- Glen Rice Jr. (Wizards). $400K guaranteed.
- John Salmons (Kings). $1MM guaranteed.
- Luis Scola (Pacers). $941K guaranteed.
- Anderson Varejao (Cavaliers). $4MM guaranteed.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
D-League Updates: Teague, Schröder, Marshall
The Rockets were upset by the Jazz on Monday, but had won eight of their previous nine games before that, and are comfortably in the playoff picture in a competitive Western Conference. So far though, Houston’s D-League affiliate is off to an even better start. Led by Rockets camp invitee Troy Daniels, as well as assignees Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers sit atop the D-League standings with a 5-0 record, and have averaged an incredible 133.4 points per game so far.
Here are a few more Wednesday notes from around the D-League:
- Bulls GM Gar Forman indicated yesterday that Marquis Teague wouldn’t have a long-term stay in the D-League, but Forman probably didn’t expect to recall Teague quite so early. The Bulls guard has been recalled from the Iowa Energy due to Mike James‘ knee injury, according to the team. “As soon as I landed they told me to come right back,” Teague told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have assigned rookie guard Dennis Schröder to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The 20-year-old has appeared in just 11 of 19 games for Atlanta this season, so he should see more playing time in the D-League. Schröder will join Hawks teammate Jared Cunningham on the Bakersfield Jam.
- The Delaware 87ers made their acquisition of Kendall Marshall official today, sending out a press release to formally announce the addition of last year’s 13th overall pick.