Sasha Vujacic Signs To Play In Italy
Former Lakers, Nets and Clippers shooting guard Sasha Vujacic has signed with Reyer Venezia of Italy, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Massimo Oriani of La Gazzetta dello Sport originally reported the deal. The contract covers the rest of the season for the 30-year-old, who had briefly returned to the NBA last month on a 10-day contract with the Clippers. Doc Rivers said shortly after the deal expired that the club might re-sign Vujacic at some point this season if there was a roster spot available, and though the Clippers have just 14 players at this point, it looks like a reunion won’t materialize.
Vujacic spent most of this season attempting to revive his NBA career, which had been dormant since 2010/11, but his recent decision to join the Interperformances agency might have signaled a shift in plans. He spent 2011/12 and 2012/13 playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
The Slovenian native last played in Italy before the Lakers drafted him 27th overall in 2004. He won a pair of championships with the purple-and-gold, but in parts of eight NBA seasons, he’s never averaged more than 9.8 points per game. He set that career high with the Nets in 2010/11, the only year he averaged as many as 20 minutes per contest.
And-Ones: Alexander, Kobe, Knicks, Sampson
The Warriors invited Joe Alexander to training camp over the offseason already knowing that the small forward was dealing with a serious injury, writes Andrew Matheson of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “Joe was always a long term play,” said Kirk Lacob, GM of the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team Alexander is with now. “By the time he showed up, we did a lot more sensitive testing and realized he wasn’t ready to go for a while — if we wanted him to be healthy for the rest of his career and regain a lot of the athleticism he lost, because he used to be an absolute freak athlete,” Lacob said. “So we brought him to camp and told him, ‘Here’s the deal: You’re going to miss camp, you’re going to miss a couple of months, but we’re going to get you there. We promise that.’” More from around the NBA.
- After openly questioning Lakers management and declaring he has no patience for a rebuilding effort, Kobe Bryant has since opened up communication with the Lakers front office, the 18-year veteran said in a conversation with ESPN’s Darren Rovell. “[Jim Buss] and I actually talked after that and it’s important for us to have that conversation because this is their team, it’s been in their family for years and we all know what the track record is for that, but I’ve also been part of this franchise since I was 17 years old,” Bryant said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “I feel like I bleed purple and gold and I want to see this franchise be successful. I don’t want to hear the comments of dissension between Jim and [Lakers president] Jeanie [Buss]. We need to figure this thing out. We’re all moving in the same direction.”
- Irving Azoff is reportedly becoming Knicks owner James Dolan‘s closest confidant, but Azoff tells Scott Cacciola of The New York Times that he won’t play any further role with the Knicks after shepherding the hiring of Phil Jackson as team president.
- Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson is a leading candidate for the newly-vacant University of Houston job, sources tell Pat Forde and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The gig opened up earlier today when James Dickey stepped down after four years as coach. Dickey was 64-62 in his career at Houston
- Rodrigue Beaubois turned down an offer from Italian team Olimpia Milano, according to catch-and-shoot.com (on Twitter). With Beaubois still available, Paris-Levallois is set to bring him in for a tryout.
Spurs Rumors: Ginobili, Duncan, Spurs
A look at the Spurs as they face the Sixers on their home floor tonight..
- Manu Ginobili wasn’t sure he’d play both seasons of his two-year deal when he re-signed with the Spurs this summer, but now he’s “pretty sure” he’s going to return for 2014/15, as he tells Sam Amick of USA Today.
- When asked if he’d honor his contract through next season, Spurs star Tim Duncan said he’s taking it “game by game,” notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Duncan, who turns 38 next month, is averaging 15 PPG and 10 RPG with a career-low PER of 21.1. Even if they’re not his best numbers, it’s clear that the big man still has lots of quality basketball left.
- While with the Spurs, Sixers coach Brett Brown watched Gary Neal and Danny Green, among others, thrive in the NBA after leaving Europe. Now, Brown is looking to do the same in Philly, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. This morning, the Sixers welcomed guard Casper Ware, who just finished up his second consecutive season in Italy.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Kris Humphries
So far in our Free Agent Stock Watch series, we’ve profiled Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James. Today, we look at Celtics forward Kris Humphries. While it’s true that one of these things is not like the other, the 29-year-old big man could get some serious attention when he hits the open market this summer.
Humphries, a late lottery pick of the Jazz in 2004, had a rather unremarkable career until January of 2010 when he was traded by the Mavericks along with Shawne Williams to the Nets for Eduardo Najera. The Nets quickly discarded Williams, but Humphries was given an opportunity to shine in New Jersey and made the most of it, posting 10 PPG and 10.4 RPG in a then career-high ~28 minutes per contest. Over the next two years, he proved that his stint with the Nets was no fluke as he proved to be a reliable low post scoring option and brought the tenacity on the glass that center Brook Lopez seemed to lack.
The move across the Hudson River over to Brooklyn may have been a step forward for the organization, but it was quickly apparent in the 2012/13 season that Hump left his best basketball in the Garden State. While he was supposed to be a fixture in the Nets rotation after inking a two-year, $24MM deal in July, he was bounced from Avery Johnson‘s rotation and couldn’t reclaim his spot under his replacement, P.J. Carlesimo. After a season to forget, Humphries found himself on the less-glamorous end of one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
Once again, Humphries was able to make the most of his situation as he was (eventually) able to get significant playing time with the rebuilding Celtics. In 20.2 minutes per contest, Humphries has averaged 8.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG and put up a PER of 18.5, an even stronger mark than his best years in New Jersey. The veteran has said that he would like to stay in Boston, but he could see lucrative offers come in from multiple suitors. It’s tough to say where Humphries will wind up, but in a league where size and toughness are valued, the big man should be in line for a nice payday.
JaKarr Sampson To Enter Draft
St. John’s University has announced that sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson will declare himself eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft. Sampson hasn’t had a ton of draft buzz this year, so it’s a rather surprising decision on his part.
Currently, DraftExpress does not have Sampson in their mock draft and Chad Ford of ESPN (Insider sub. req’d) ranks him all the way at No. 137 for this year’s class. Maurice Harkless left the Red Storm as a freshman in 2012 and was selected No. 15 overall, but unless Sampson knows something we don’t, he shouldn’t expect anything similar. “He is not close to the talent of a Moe Harkless when he came out,” one NBA scout told SNY’s Adam Zagoria (on Twitter).
In 29 minutes per contest this season, the 6’8″ forward averaged 12.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG.
Draft Rumors: Wiggins, Parker, Smart
Earlier today, we learned Ohio State small forward LaQuinton Ross is on the fence about entering the draft. While he’s not one of the top talents available this June, Ross was ranked No. 32 by ESPN’s Chad Ford and that’s no small feat given the depth of this year’s class. Here’s the latest draft news..
- Projected lottery picks Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Doug McDermott some of their worst during NCAA tournament action the past few days. Still, their performances haven’t discouraged NBA team executives, who tell Chris Mannix of SI.com that this weekend’s results will do little to alter their draft stocks (Twitter link).
- In today’s column, David Aldridge of NBA.com looks at the shallow pool of point guards in the 2014 draft. While there’s a significant drop-off after Australian prospect Dante Exum, Oklahoma State sophomore Marcus Smart, and Syracuse freshman Tyler Ennis, Aldridge rightfully notes that it’s not a huge problem for most NBA teams. The classic, pass-first floor general is nearly extinct thanks to rule changes over the years.
- NBA scouts told Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post that they regarded 6’6″ Colorado point guard Spencer Dinwiddie a late first-round pick, at least, before he tore his ACL in January. Concerns about his recovery and the absence of a chance to take part in predraft workouts will make it easy for Dinwiddie to decide against entering this year’s draft, Dempsey believes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Rumors: Oden, Exum, Hawks, Neal
Heat center Greg Oden will play against the Blazers tonight for the first time in his career, which began when Portland made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. Still, there are few emotions involved, as Oden tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
“I think it’s been two years since I was there. Guys move on,” Oden said. “It’s a business like that. I’m happy those guys are still there and doing their thing. [I’m] especially happy for LaMarcus [Aldridge] who is an All-Star and you know, you got to move on.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division, which is in line to send four teams to the playoffs:
- The Magic are probably locked into the third-worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings show. Even if they don’t have any lottery luck and fail to move up, they’re in fine shape, since they’re most interested in Dante Exum, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who writes in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” column.
- The Hawks have received NBA approval for their sale of minority shares of the team to five investors, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The additions bring the number of stakeholders to 12, including primary owner Bruce Levenson.
- Since being traded to the Bobcats, guard Gary Neal has had a significant impact over the course of the last 12 games, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte was in desperate need of scoring and Neal has brought it. The former Buck is averaging 12.5 points per contest, which would be a career high for a full season.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Prospect Profile Series
There’s been an inordinate amount of attention paid to the 2014 draft class dating back to last June, and the focus will only sharpen as the time for teams to make their choices draws near. Hoops Rumors will continue to be on top of it all, and one of the ways we’ll cover the potentially franchise-altering event will be to take a closer look at many of the prospects in line to hear their names called on June 26th.
Our list of Prospect Profiles will continue to be updated in the weeks ahead as we build a comprehensive inventory of reports. They can be found anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar. The players we’ve profiled so far can be found below, sorted by their ranking on the DraftExpress list of top 100 prospects for 2014.
- Andrew Wiggins, Kansas (SF)
- Joel Embiid, Kansas (C)
- Jabari Parker, Duke (SF)
- Julius Randle, Kentucky (PF)
- Dante Exum, Australia (PG)
- Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (PG)
- Noah Vonleh, Indiana (PF)
- Aaron Gordon, Arizona (PF)
- Doug McDermott, Creighton (SF/PF)
- Tyler Ennis, Syracuse (PG)
- Gary Harris, Michigan State (SG)
- Nik Stauskas, Michigan (SG)
- James Young, Kentucky (SG)
- T.J. Warren, North Carolina State (SF/PF)
- Kyle Anderson, UCLA (PG)
- Jerami Grant, Syracuse (SF/PF)
- Rodney Hood, Duke (SF)
- Cleanthony Early, Wichita State (SF/PF)
- Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (PG)
- Mitch McGary, Michigan (C)
- Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee (PF)*
- Josh Huestis, Stanford (SF)*
- Justin Jackson, Cincinnati (F)*
*Includes player interview
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Stevens, Thornton, Sims
Sixers coach Brett Brown is a former Spurs assistant, and he has the support of Gregg Popovich and members of the San Antonio roster as Philly endures a 24-game losing streak, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
“It’s not easy for Brett,” Tony Parker said. “They’re trading everybody and their first-round pick [Nerlens Noel] didn’t even play, so it’s not a fair situation.”
Brown’s connection to the Spurs coaching tree, a popular source of sideline bosses among league executives lately, is at least one reason why the Sixers seem highly unlikely to cut ties with him after just one season, as the Bobcats did with Mike Dunlap last year. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Brad Stevens believes that for players, specialization is more valuable than a broad repertoire, as he tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, who looks at the coach’s plan for his first full offseason with the Celtics.
- Nets trade deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton is experiencing a renaissance in Brooklyn, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com examines.
- Henry Sims has benefited similarly from a trade last month, transforming from afterthought in Cleveland to a starter for the Sixers. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at what the big man has shown in his expanded playing time.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson has endured his share of criticism this season, but he deserves more credit than he’s receiving for New York’s recent eight-game winning streak, opines Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Sixers Sign Casper Ware To 10-Day Contract
10:15am: The deal is official, according to Sixers spokesperson Michael Preston (Twitter link).
8:29am: The Sixers will sign the defensive-minded Casper Ware to a 10-day contract today, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Philadelphia’s 10-day deal with Darius Johnson-Odom expired Sunday night, leaving an open roster spot. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported Philly’s interest in the point guard, who most recently played for Virtus Bologna of Italy.
The 5’10” Ware has racked up honors at mediocre levels of basketball. He won back-to-back Big West Player of the Year honors in his final two seasons at Long Beach State, and he was the Big West Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. He went undrafted in 2012 and wound up in Italy’s second division, where he won MVP honors last year. He hasn’t been able to duplicate his success at Italy’s highest level this season, averaging 11.7 points, 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game.
He’ll now have a chance to see how he fares against another jump up in competition. His only glimpse of NBA action so far has been in summer league with the Pistons in 2012 and the Rockets this past offseason.