Cavs Still In Pursuit Of Center
Last month, it was reported that the Cavs were looking to move Dion Waiters for a “difference-making center“. They didn’t get that center in tonight’s three-team deal involving Waiters, but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up on finding a five that can make an impact. Sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that the Cavs plan on using the first-round choice from the Thunder as a part of a different trade for a big man.
No deal is imminent, Amico adds, but the Cavs are certainly looking. Cleveland remains interested in Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov and Grizzlies forward/center Kosta Koufos (link). Still, Denver remains reluctant to part with Mozgov, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
It’s not clear what it would take for the Cavs to land Koufos, though he hasn’t been a major part of the gameplan in Memphis over the last two seasons. Koufos started 81 games and averaged 22.4 minutes per contest for the Nuggets in 2012/13 and saw that playing time cut to 16.9 MPG in his first season with the Grizzlies. That figure is down to 15.4 minutes per contest this season, though there has been a slight uptick in recent weeks.
The Cavs tried over a period of months to pry Mozgov away from Denver but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reported in late December that there wasn’t much in the way of recent talks. It’s possible that the Cavs’ newly-acquired first round choice could help reignite that chatter, however.
Larry Sanders Contemplating Retirement?
7:24pm: Kidd told WTMJ’s Sports Central that he expects Sanders will return soon, possibly Tuesday, Gardner tweets.
6:27pm: Agent Happy Walters told HoopsHype that his client is not looking to retire. “I saw that tweet. It is not accurate at all. Rumor unsubstantiated,” Walters said.
4:15pm: Sanders disputes the notion that he told the Bucks that he no longer wanted to play basketball, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). According to Kyler, Sanders has been out with the flu and dealing with some personal issues, and is planning to rejoin the team sometime this week.
3:13pm: Bucks center Larry Sanders has recently told team officials that he no longer wants to play basketball, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter links). Sanders’ potential lack of passion for the game has been building for some time, as some friends of Sanders told Woelfel last summer that they were concerned that Sanders wasn’t committed to basketball and wanted to explore other options. The 26-year-old big man is currently in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.
Sanders was previously reported to have left the team due to personal reasons, and was said to be out indefinitely by coach Jason Kidd. At the time Kidd was quoted as saying, “That’s a good question so you don’t have to ask me tomorrow or Sunday or Monday, so there’s no timetable. Being sick, away from the team, guys go on as you see. Charlotte, we played without him. The other night we played without him [in Cleveland]. It’s nothing new to this ball club. Injuries happen. The train keeps moving forward. It’s just personal. There’s nothing I can give you more. That’s the way the question will be answered.”
The Bucks were reportedly interested in dealing Sanders last season, and the talk began mere months after the team signed him to the extension. This was due in part to Sanders missing extended time during the 2013/14 campaign courtesy of a broken hand that was suffered during a brawl at a nightclub. According to Woelfel (Twitter link), Milwaukee had offered Sanders and Brandon Knight to the Pacers this summer for Roy Hibbert. With Sanders’ alleged lack of desire to play any longer, finding a taker for his contract at this point would likely be a near impossibility.
If Sanders’ issue is primarily with playing for the Bucks, rather than wanting to simply walk away from the game permanently, then Milwaukee would potentially be able to threaten him with a suspension on the grounds of intentional refusal to render the services required under his contract. The team could withhold his pay, which would likely bring the NBPA into the fray. But if Sanders is simply determined not to play any longer, then he could attempt to negotiate a buyout in which he would forfeit all, or most of his salary.
Sanders has made 27 appearances for the Bucks this season, averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. His career numbers are 6.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His career slash line is .480/.000/.550.
Western Notes: Murry, Randle, Green
The Jazz waived Toure’ Murry yesterday, and his agent, Bernie Lee, doesn’t think Murry was given a fair chance in Utah, Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reports. “Utah just didn’t see value in giving [Toure’] a real opportunity to prove himself, which is their right,” Lee said. “I had a sense things were working against him early when during the Jazz’s first open scrimmage in the preseason the team-employed radio voice used the forum to crush his future NBA prospects. Just an odd situation through and through. He went to Utah as a young developing point guard who played 51 games for an extremely visible team and today leaves Utah having played his last game as an assigned player in the NBADL [D-League] having been asked to play the four. Perspective and opportunity are a funny thing in basketball.”
Lee also added that Murry will explore free agent opportunities if he clears waivers, Sierra notes. “If there isn’t a spot for him immediately, he will enter the NBA D-League and go on to continue to develop and prove himself as an NBA-caliber PG.”
Here’s more from out west:
- Lakers rookie Julius Randle is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday morning to replace the screw in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, the team announced. This injury was a source of concern from NBA teams leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, and possibly caused Randle’s stock to fall, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes. Randle was already out for the season thanks to a broken leg he suffered during his first regular season game.
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nothing but praise for Draymond Green, who is almost assuredly set to garner a huge pay raise when he hits restricted free agency this summer, Rusty Simmons of The San Franciso Chronicle writes. When asked if Green could be named Defensive Player of the Year, Kerr said, “I wouldn’t argue with that. Draymond has to be mentioned for a lot of different things because of the impact he’s had. Most Improved Player would be a possibility. I don’t know if he’s going to make the All-Star team, but he would have my vote. He’s just been brilliant, and he represents kind of who we are as a team — the versatility, the scrapping, the toughness.”
- Spurs rookie Kyle Anderson was expected to spend more time in the D-League than in the NBA this season, but injuries to key players have altered those plans, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes.
Knicks To Waive Samuel Dalembert?
4:45pm: The Knicks are actively trying to trade Dalembert prior to Wednesday to avoid facing the decision to retain or waive him on that day, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
8:48am: With the Knicks’ season in a seemingly hopeless freefall, having lost 11 games in a row, and their record currently sitting at a dismal 5-31 overall, the team is considering numerous options for altering its roster. One change that could happen by this Wednesday is the team possibly waiving center Samuel Dalembert, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports.
This coming Saturday, January 10th, is the NBA’s leaguewide contract guarantee date. All players with non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts still on team rosters on that date will have the remainder of their salaries guaranteed for the season. But in order for any franchise to clear undesirable or unwanted contracts off of its books, players will need to clear waivers in advance of this deadline. This means that any players, including Dalembert, would need to be placed on waivers by no later than 4:00pm Central time this Wednesday, January 7th. This would allow the requisite two days that players remain on waivers to pass prior to Saturday’s deadline.
The reason that Dalembert’s name has come up as a possibility to be waived is that only $1.98MM of his $4.05MM contract is guaranteed, Berman notes. So New York can save itself a cool $2.07MM by releasing the big man prior to the cutoff date. Waiving Dalembert would open up a roster spot for the Knicks to add a younger D-League player or sign a veteran who was waived by another team, Berman adds. One such player that the Knicks are possibly looking to sign to a 10-day contract is D-League point guard Langston Galloway, though New York is already painfully thin in the frontcourt, something releasing Dalembert and signing Galloway would not rectify.
New York is considering every option currently, Berman reports, which means that the Knicks could retain Dalembert and try to acquire an asset by trading him to a club looking to add a defensive big man for a playoff push, the New York Post scribe adds. There are numerous teams that are desperate to add a rim protecting big man, including Cleveland, Dallas, and Miami, though I’m merely speculating on their potential interest in Dalembert.
Dalembert certainly hasn’t been setting the league on fire with his performance for the Knicks, who were hoping that he could help replace the defensive presence of Tyson Chandler, whom the Knicks traded to Dallas prior to the season, in a deal which netted them Dalembert. In 32 appearances, including 21 as a starter, Dalembert has averaged an underwhelming 4.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.0 minutes per game. He hasn’t fit well into the triangle offense that the Knicks are attempting to implement, though judging by the team’s record, he’s hardly the only one.
For his part, Dalembert is currently in the dark about what the Knicks’ plans for him are, Berman notes. “Maybe you know more than me,’’ Dalembert said. “I love it here. I love the team we have. Unfortunately we’re going through what we’re going through right now. It’s a great organization. I would love for my career to finish here, but it’s business. A lot of times it’s beyond your control. I’ll still see how it goes and enjoy the time.’’
Team president Phil Jackson could soon decide the best thing for the Knicks’ long-term future is playing their younger players, which could also affect Amar’e Stoudemire ’s status, Berman also notes. Stoudemire missed his fifth straight game on Sunday night, and he could also eventually be waived to open up a roster spot, Berman opines. There is no immediate deadline to do so for Stoudemire, since the remainder of his $23,410,968 salary for this season is fully-guaranteed, though March 1st is the final date that players can be waived and be eligible to play in the postseason for another team.
Eastern Notes: Whiteside, Celtics, Young
The development of Hassan Whiteside this season has given the Heat hope for the future, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “He’s learning the game,” Dwyane Wade said. “Every time he steps out there, you can see him getting more comfortable. I think as teammates we are a lot more confident, especially on the defensive end when he’s in. He’s big for us.” Coach Erik Spoelstra credits Whiteside’s growth as a player to the his tireless work ethic, Winderman adds.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics have once again recalled James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This was Young’s eighth stint in the D-League this season, and in eight games with Maine he is averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 32.6 minutes per contest.
- With the trade of Rajon Rondo, the Celtics are now in full rebuilding mode, and one issue that has cropped up is that the team now has 15 players with a legitimate reason to believe they should be playing more, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “I think everybody can make a case for having even a bigger role than they have,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “I guess that’s just part of it. I think they all have responded well, and they’re all playing hard and trying to make a case for themselves.”
- It’s possible that the rotation picture will clear up once the February trade deadline passes and the players will feel a better sense of stability, notes Bulpett, but Gerald Wallace has a different take. “But I don’t think so even then because you’ve got a lot of players that are on the last year of their deal,” Wallace said. “So I think once the trade deadline passes, that’s going to probably amp things up more because guys’ lives are at stake, guys’ careers are at stake. They’re on the last year of their deal, and obviously those guys want to be able to play and want to go into the summer in a good position for contract talks. We’ll see.”
Southwest Notes: O’Neal, Howard, Gordon
Veteran center Jermaine O’Neal may be one step closer to making a comeback and playing this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. O’Neal posted pictures on Instagram of himself getting treatment on his knees in Germany, which is a strong indication that he’s planning to return to the NBA this season, MacMahon opines. The Mavs are reportedly the front-runners to ink O’Neal after their acquisition of Rajon Rondo, but O’Neal is also a potential target for the Warriors and Cavaliers as well.
Here’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Rockets big man Dwight Howard doesn’t look like the same player this season, according to Pau Gasol, his former teammate with the Lakers, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. Gasol opined that Howard seems to have a reduced role in Houston’s offense this season, and doesn’t have the aggressiveness he displayed while the two were both playing for Los Angeles. “I haven’t really kept an eye on him,” Gasol said. “I think the team has more weapons now. We’ll see. I watched a couple games of him. He doesn’t seem to be as aggressive in the post or get as many touches as he used to be maybe, but he’s always a big factor in the games. He’s capable of having huge nights.”
- Pelicans guard Eric Gordon practiced for the first time since tearing his labrum back in November, and he is expected to play in tonight’s contest against the Wizards, RealGM.com reports. Gordon has missed New Orleans’ last 21 games due to his injury.
- Tyson Chandler marvels at the job that Mark Cuban has done in turning the Mavs from a laughingstock into one of the best organizations in the NBA during the 15 years that he’s owned the team, Dwain Price of The Star-Telegram writes. “To take this business where he’s taken it in 15 years, I think if you start any business and you look up and 15 years you’ve grown and had as much success as this business has, any businessman would be happy with the success,’’ Chandler said. “I think he’s one of the best, if not the best, owner in the league as far as his innovation and what he’s brought to the game. The excitement, the in-arena things that he brings, always keeping the fans engaged. He puts on a helluva show.’’
Central Notes: Cavs, Parker, Inglis
The Cavs are more than willing to be active in the trade market, but that doesn’t mean other teams will willingly come to their aid, and timing for both sides will be a factor in making any deals, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes. “We’re very actively working the phones and doing everything we can to improve the team,” GM David Griffin said. “At the same time, unfortunately our timing doesn’t always match the timing of everybody else. Until the trade deadline, people typically don’t have a lot of reason to do anything in a specific time. So we’re doing what we can and certainly working every angle we can.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Griffin also added that teams, including his own, tend to overvalue their assets when attempting to make trades, Kyler notes. “At times like these, everybody is hoping their assets are worth more than they really are,” Griffin said. “I’m probably no different. I’m hoping that our DP [Disabled Player Exception] and TP [Traded Player Exception] are attractive but we won’t really know until we get to the point where somebody is willing to act.”
- Bucks rookie Jabari Parker is set to undergo surgery today to repair his torn left ACL, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Parker injured his knee in December and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Parker said he will benefit from the rest after playing non-stop through high school and his freshman year at Duke, Gardner adds. “This will give me time to work on myself because I haven’t really had a chance,” Parker said. “AAU basketball took a lot out of my schedule. Even in college and high school, I took two years to really prepare for the NBA. I didn’t take any time off. I can take this time and really work on it. Even if I miss 20 games [next season], I’ll still get a good ratio out of the rest of the games. So there’s no rush.“
- Also going under the knife today for the Bucks will be Damien Inglis, Gardner notes. Inglis will have surgery on his right ankle , which he injured during a pre-draft workout in Oklahoma City. Inglis, a second round selection in this year’s draft, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game yet, and is also expected to miss the remainder of the 2014/15 season.
Jazz Sign Elijah Millsap To 10-Day Deal
MONDAY, 11:45am: The signing of Millsap is official, the team announced.
SUNDAY, 4:48pm: The Jazz will sign Elijah Millsap to a 10-day deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Millsap is represented by Hazan Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Millsap has been averaging 20.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.2 APG for the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. The 27-year-old has been a familiar face in preseason and most recently had a training camp stint with the Bucks. Finally, it appears that Millsap has achieved his NBA dream. Utah had the league-maximum 15 players on its roster but the team created a space earlier today by waiving Toure’ Murry.
Hoops Rumors spoke with Millsap back in September as he was fighting to make the Bucks’ roster. Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune first reported that Millsap was on the verge of signing with the Jazz.
Knicks Notes: Stoudemire, Draft, Kidd
The Knicks have lost 11 straight games, which is one shy of the franchise’s worst streak ever, and things don’t appear likely to improve. Amar’e Stoudemire certainly didn’t envision things turning out this way back in 2010, which is when he inked a five-year, $100MM deal with the team, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “When I first signed with New York, that wasn’t the game plan,” Stoudemire said. “But the past is not here. And neither is the future, so we’ve got to deal with the now, and I think we’ve just got to continue to try to get better as a team and as players, try to keep improving.”
Here’s the latest out of the Big Apple:
- The Knicks’ multitude of injuries are forcing the team to field a D-League caliber squad, Filip Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “Six of the guys who played tonight [Sunday night] barely played in the NBA before,” coach Derek Fisher said. “Losing isn’t enjoyable. From an emotional standpoint, you have to manage what you can manage and what you can control.” Bondy also believes that New York should shut down Carmelo Anthony for the remainder of the season due to his knee issues, but believes that the franchise is holding off until after the All-Star game, which is in New York, to do so, as not to hurt the game’s festivities and the team’s television ratings in the interim.
- With a record of 5-31, the smart money is on the Knicks missing the playoffs this season, but those looking for hope can look to the Nets’ turnaround last season under former coach Jason Kidd, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I think obviously, different teams, different circumstances, different rosters,” Fisher said. “But I think a better example is what the Detroit Pistons have done … the team starts feeling better about who they are. Whether the Pistons make the playoffs or not, it doesn’t take forever to start to feel better about who your team is and what you’re trying to do. I think there are those types of examples that we can look to our team compared to Brooklyn’s team last year.”
- The only thing left for the Knicks to do this season is to try and lose as many games as possible in order to garner a higher draft pick, Kevin Kernan of The New York Post opines. Kernan also adds that re-signing Anthony was a huge mistake, and the team would have been better off in the long run if it had let ‘Melo leave in free agency.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: 10-Day Contracts
Monday marks the renewal of the annual tradition of the ultimate on-the-job tryout in professional sports. The 10-day contract has been the foot in the door for several players who’ve gone on to lengthy, successful NBA careers, like Anthony Mason, Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Kurt Rambis, Howard Eisley and several others. More recently, C.J. Watson saw his first NBA action on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Warriors in 2008, and he’s since blossomed into one of the league’s most reliable backup point guards. He’s putting up career highs in points (11.0) and assists (4.2) per game this season, the last on a two-year, $4.093MM contract he signed with the Pacers.
Ten-day deals also help veterans make comebacks. Chris Andersen languished in free agency for sixth months after the Nuggets used the amnesty clause to get rid of him, but a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat in 2013 kick-started a revival for the Birdman. He wound up signing for the rest of the season that year and played a key role on Miami’s championship team. Andersen reprised that role on a guaranteed minimum-salary contract last season, and that led the Heat to re-sign him this past summer to a two-year, $10.375MM deal.
Similarly, former first-round pick Gerald Green had been out of the league for three years when he made a splash during his pair of 10-day deals with the Nets in 2011/12. That earned him a contract for the rest of the season, and he parlayed 12.9 points and 48.1% shooting in 25.2 minutes per game for the Nets into a three-year, $10.5MM contract with the Pacers the following summer. Indiana traded him to Phoenix a year later, and he’s making a strong case to see even more on his next deal as he serves as a vital part of the Suns’ attack.
Still, the 10-day is usually a fleeting glimpse at NBA life for players on pro basketball’s fringe. Only a small fraction of last year’s 10-day signees remain in the league, as I noted earlier this season. Hunter Atkins of The New York Times followed the player whom Green replaced on the Nets roster, chronicling what turned out to be only a brief passage through the league for 10-day signee Andre Emmett. Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated took a similarly revealing look at the life of Zabian Dowdell as he tried to make the most of a 10-day with the Suns four years ago. Dowdell has been out of the NBA since that season.
Teams can sign a player to as many as two 10-day contracts before committing to him for the rest of the season, or, as in many cases, turning him away. Ten-day deals are almost always for a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary, though they can be for more. A minimum-salary 10-day contract for a rookie this season is worth $29,843. A one-year veteran would make $48,028. A minimum-salary 10-day deal with any veteran of two or more seasons would represent a cost of $53,838 to the team. Veterans of greater than two seasons would see more than that, but the league would pay the extra freight. However, teams gain no financial advantage if they eschew 10-day contracts with more experienced players to sign rookies or one-year veterans to 10-day deals in an effort to avoid the tax, as those deals count the same as the ones for two-year veterans when the league calculates a team’s salary for tax purposes.
Teams have to pay slightly more if they sign a player to a 10-day contract and they have fewer than three games on their schedule during that 10-day period. In those cases, the length of the 10-day contract is extended so that it covers three games for the team. It’s rare that any team would have such a light schedule, since most play at least three games a week, but the rule could come into play with this year’s new weeklong All-Star break. So, if a team plays only three games in a 12 day stretch, the player must receive at least 12/170ths of the minimum salary, rather than 10/170ths. Regardless of the length of a 10-day contract, the salary is guaranteed, even though the 10-day signee’s place on the roster isn’t assured. Teams may terminate 10-day contracts before they come to term, and that happened on several occasions last season, such as when the Cavs ended their 10-day contract with Shane Edwards a day early so they could sign Seth Curry to a 10-day deal instead. Players who see their 10-day contracts end early don’t go on waivers, so they become free agents immediately.
A team like the Raptors, who are perilously close to the tax threshold, may be wary of bringing anybody aboard via 10-day contract. Other teams may make liberal use of 10-day deals. The Bulls, who played a game of limbo to duck the tax line last season, signed three players to 10-day contracts, as many as any team other than the Sixers, who employed an NBA-high five 10-day signees in 2013/14.
Usually, teams only have one player on a 10-day contract at a time, though they’re allowed to carry as many 10-day contracts as they have players on the inactive list. If a team has 13 players on the active list, it can carry one more 10-day contract than the number of inactive players it has, meaning that if a team has a full 15-man roster, as many as three of those players may be on 10-day deals.
Veterans whom NBA teams have recently released, like Gal Mekel, Jorge Gutierrez and Shannon Brown, figure to draw consideration for 10-day contracts, as should notable players who’ve gone unsigned this season, like Kenyon Martin, Rashard Lewis and Ronnie Brewer. D-League standouts like Curry, Brady Heslip and Quincy Miller could all find paths to the NBA via 10-day contracts, and hopefuls from the D-League will make their cases to scouts at the five-day D-League showcase, which runs from January 15th-19th.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Versions of this post were initially published on January 5th, 2013 and January 4th, 2014.