Western Notes: Grizzlies, Nuggets, Smith, Cooley
Sunday’s signing of JaMychal Green to a 10-day contract shows the Grizzlies aren’t afraid to gamble on inexpensive talent, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports in a subscription-only article. “You’re basically playing the odds that you find one that hits,” Memphis GM Chris Wallace said. “If none of them hits, it’s not skin off your back. It’s a free shot.” The 24-year-old Green hit the open market after the Spurs declined to sign him to a second 10-day contract last week. He received interest from the Knicks, Bulls, Bucks and Blazers before signing with Memphis. The Grizzlies cleared a roster spot when they decided not to offer Tyrus Thomas a second 10-day contract. Thomas will join the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate in Iowa, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. (Twitter link).
There’s much more from the Western Conference:
- The Nuggets are showing fortitude by trying to make a deal for Nets center Brook Lopez, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. While there are roadblocks to getting a deal done, Dempsey feels that it’ll come down to how motivated the Nuggets are to acquire Lopez and not how desperate the Nets are to unload him.
- “Fed up” is how Ty Lawson described Nuggets coach Brian Shaw after Saturday’s 18-point loss to the Hornets, according to Nick Groke of The Denver Post. Groke believes Shaw’s job may be in jeopardy after a bad week that included a 69-point performance in Thursday’s loss to the Grizzlies. “You can tell his spirit is getting lower and lower,” Lawson said of his coach. “Just game in and game out, I guess we’re not executing the way we want to or according to the game plan.”
- Josh Smith admits he was shocked when the Pistons waived him in December, but he’s already grown comfortable with the Rockets and is high on the idea of re-signing with Houston this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports details.
- Former Jazz camp invitee Jack Cooley is again drawing NBA interest, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). The 23-year-old center, who was with the Jazz this past fall, pulled down 19 points in a recent game for Utah’s D-League affiliate, Pilato notes. It’s unclear if the Jazz are among those thinking of him for a spot on their NBA roster.
Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Barbosa, Hawes, Bryant
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using the 1990s Bulls as his blueprint for building a winner with Golden State, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Kerr, who won three NBA titles as a player in Chicago, learned about being demanding from teammate Michael Jordan. “I think that’s a standard that championship teams understand — that there’s a bar that’s set and you’re trying to reach that bar each night,” Kerr said. “You’re not so much playing against all these different opponents; you’re almost playing against your own standards.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Despite not playing much, Leandro Barbosa has become a team leader for the Warriors, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 32-year-old guard leads the other reserves in regular competitions after practice and is being credited for helping them improve. “He understands the value and the importance of the work ethic for the guys who don’t see a lot of playing time,” Kerr said. “He started that routine. It’s a shooting contest, competitive and fun. I think it’s a big reason why we’ve had good bench play this year.” Barbosa has a one-year, minimum-salary contract and will be a free agent in July.
- When the Clippers signed Spencer Hawes over the summer, the plan was for the eight-year veteran to play close to starter’s minutes while spacing the floor with his three-pointers. However, Hawes finds himself playing fewer minutes than in any season since he was a rookie. The big man acknowledges that he’s struggling with the transition to being a bench player, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes.
- Kobe Bryant may have had his third straight season cut short by injury, but Carmelo Anthony has no doubt the Lakers star will be back next year, reports Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. Bryant had surgery this week to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and is expected to be out of action for about nine months. He will turn 37 in August and has a contract worth $25MM next season. “Oh, he’ll be back,” Anthony said. “He’s going to prove to everybody that he’s coming back. He’ll be back for sure.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Hoops Links: Lillard, Raptors, Thunder
On this date in 1967, the legendary American Basketball Association was born. The league, which fielded 11 teams in its first season, lasted until the 1975/76 season, when it was forced to disband after facing financial difficulties. Of course, four former ABA clubs joined the NBA in the summer of 1976: the Nuggets, Pacers, Nets, and Spurs. The ABA’s existence was brief, but it forever altered the game of basketball and the NBA as we know it.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Slam Dunk Zone comes to the defense of Damian Lillard.
- Posterized Basketball broke down the Raptors.
- Hoops In the Holland House wants to see change in OKC.
- Bullets Forever says the Wizards are doing great on D despite losing Trevor Ariza.
- The Dream Shake penned an open letter to Steve Kerr.
- Denver Stiffs is buckled in for a bumpy ride.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
And-Ones: Silver, China, Crawford, Draft, Owners
Commissioner Adam Silver said the year ahead is the time for decisions on changes to the playoff format and the draft lottery, and he expressed his support for expanded All-Star rosters as he spoke today on ESPN Radio’s NBA Lockdown show, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Silver acknowledged that larger All-Star rosters could mean more money for players who have incentives in their contracts, Stein notes. The commissioner also spoke of the labor negotiations on the horizon for 2017, as Stein relays.
“I’d like to think that calmer heads will prevail and we’ll all realize that we have a great system here and that we shouldn’t screw it up,” Silver said in part.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Andray Blatche, Toney Douglas and Earl Clark are among the NBA veterans who are once more free agents after having signed to play in China this season, as Sportando’s Enea Trapani points out with a list of players finished with their Chinese obligations. The Chinese regular season ended today, putting a number of intriguing names on the market, though many others, like Will Bynum, who’s reportedly drawing interest from the Cavs and Wizards, are on playoff teams and might not be available until late March.
- Jordan Crawford is drawing strong interest from NBA teams in the wake of his experience in China, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. Crawford isn’t on Trapani’s list, since he suffered an eye injury and hasn’t played since November, but he would have returned to Xinjiang had the club made the playoffs, according to Charania.
- French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will enter the 2015 NBA draft, sources tell Charania, who writes in a separate piece. The 19-year-old wouldn’t be automatically eligible until the 2017 draft, and unlike collegians, who are bound by the NCAA’s stricter timeline, he’ll have a chance to withdraw his name from this year’s event shortly before it takes place. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress lists him as No. 34 in his mock draft for 2016.
- The NBA will limit new ownership groups to no more than 25 members, none of whom will be able to hold less than 1% of the team, several sources told Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Existing ownership groups, including Milwaukee’s 37-person contingent, are allowed to remain as structured.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis written by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- In a special feature for Hoops Rumors, Marc Porcaro gave us a complete list of the players around the globe who still have their draft rights held by an NBA team.
- Chris Crouse looked at Michael Carter-Williams as a trade candidate.
- If the Nuggets can move Arron Afflalo for someone younger who could someday approach Evan Fournier‘s level, they would be wise to bite, Chuck Myron writes.
- Eddie Scarito answered your questions in this week’s mailbag.
- Here’s a look at foreign-born NBA player salaries by country, courtesy of Eddie.
- Chuck looked at midseason D-league assignment trends.
- There’s a market for Norris Cole, even as his shot has deserted him, Chuck writes.
- if you missed this week’s chat, you can check out the transcript.
- Follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS.
- Want to follow specific players on Hoops Rumors? Then what are you waiting for?
- Download the Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android!
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Garnett, Carmelo
The struggling Nets could use a return by Deron Williams, contends Reid Wallach of NetsDaily.com. Only the Knicks had a worse January offensively than Brooklyn, and Wallach argues that the point guard play of Jarrett Jack and Darius Morris is a big reason why. Williams, whose maximum contract runs through 2016/17, may not be the player he once was, but he could lead another late-season Nets run to the playoffs. Williams went through a full practice Sunday, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. (Twitter link). More from the Atlantic Division..
- Amid speculation that the Nets could buy him out, Kevin Garnett says that he’s not thinking much about that possibility. “When that road comes, I’ll cross it and I’ll deal with it,“Garnett said, according to Stefan Bondy of the Daily News. “A lot of things with family, situation and things, it’s not just convenient to get up and move, to change things. It’s not as convenient as it once was when I was younger. I have a lot more responsibilities and things to take into account.” In December it was reported that Garnett has been telling people that this will be his last season in the NBA. Meanwhile, one has to imagine that KG could get a call from Doc Rivers and the Clippers if he’s freed from his current deal.
- Knicks star Carmelo Anthony can only be so patient with the team’s rebuilding process. “The time is now ….I don’t think we can wait. Not just for my sake, just in general,” Anthony said, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- On Saturday, Jared Sullinger said that Celtics coach Brad Stevens has asked him to take more shots and to take shots off of different actions since Boston’s stretch of trades, according to the team’s official Twitter.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Week In Review: 1/26/15 – 2/1/15
A look back at the week that was..
- The Magic are on the verge of firing coach Jacque Vaughn. Mark Jackson is said to be among the “names to watch” if Vaughn is ousted.
- It appears that the tension is continuing to build between Bulls management and coach Tom Thibodeau.
- Kevin Durant can see himself in a Knicks jersey. However, one NBA GM cautioned to Adam Zagoria of SNY that other contenders around the league have the same chance as New York at this stage.
- Dwight Howard is expected to miss at least a month due to ongoing trouble with his right knee.
- The Nets are reportedly taking a close look at the performance of coach Lionel Hollins, but a conflicting report indicated that the Nets aren’t looking to fire him.
- The Nuggets have been offering the Nets a package of JaVale McGee and J.J. Hickson for Brook Lopez. The Thunder are willing to go deep into the luxury tax this season to acquire Lopez.
- The Wolves are open to moving Mo Williams.
- There’s a perception around the NBA that GM Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams are on “thin ice” in New Orleans.
- The Nets and Hornets discussed Joe Johnson but it sounds like things have cooled off.
- The Thunder nearly dealt Reggie Jackson to the Nuggets, according to one report, but there’s also word that OKC is on the fence about moving him.
- Pau Gasol hinted that the Lakers won’t be among Marc Gasol‘s preferred destinations in free agency this summer.
- The Lakers announced that Kobe Bryant underwent successful surgery to repair the damage to his rotator cuff. He’s expected to be out nine months, which is a longer recovery time than was initially expected.
- People around the league increasingly believe that Ray Allen already knows the team he would like to play for this season and that he’s simply deciding whether he wants to play at all.
- The idea of waiving Andrea Bargnani looks like it’s off the table for the Knicks until the trade deadline.
- The Knicks will keep Lance Thomas for the rest of the season.
- Chase Budinger‘s representatives have let the Timberwolves know that he’d like to play elsewhere and the team is trying to accommodate him.
- The Hornets have Ramon Sessions and Norris Cole on their radar as they pursue trade possibilities to replace injured point guard Kemba Walker. Hornets coach Steve Clifford acknowledged the possibility that the team would sign a player to help offset the loss of Walker, who will be out for a minimum of six weeks.
- The Wizards have joined the Cavs among the teams interested in point guard Will Bynum.
- James McAdoo, whose 10-day contract with the Warriors expired Wednesday night, is headed back to Golden State’s D-League affiliate.
- Thabo Sefolosha is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a calf strain.
- Teams are calling the Magic to inquire about the availability of Maurice Harkless.
- The Clippers maintain their interest in Nate Robinson, but they’re looking into other deals first.
- The Kings are shopping former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams.
- The Mavericks feel that they’re closing in on Jermaine O’Neal.
- The Pistons are eyeing Norris Cole.
- The Rockets are dangling Jason Terry.
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr seemed to indicate that the Warriors will match offers for soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green.
- A number of teams are looking at JaMychal Green.
- Tayshaun Prince hinted that he wants out of Boston.
- The Bucks, Hornets, and Sixers are exploring the idea of signing D-League point guard Gary Talton.
- Tony Wroten will have surgery on his torn ACL.
- Lorenzo Brown drew interest from the Pistons and Wolves.
- The Wolves cut Miroslav Raduljica to make room for Lorenzo Brown.
- The Knicks agreed to re-sign Lou Amundson to a deal that covers the rest of the season.
- The Heat signed Tyler Johnson to a second 10-day contract.
- The Knicks re-signed Langston Galloway.
- The Spurs signed Reggie Williams to a 10-day deal.
- The Bucks signed Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day deal.
- Andre Dawkins agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics.
- The Pistons plan to sign John Lucas III to a 10-day deal.
- The Grizzlies will sign forward JaMychal Green to a 10-day contract.
- The Jazz signed Chris Johnson to a 10-day pact.
- The Sixers signed Larry Drew II to his second 10-day contract with the team.
- Former Sixers power forward Ronald Roberts is signing with the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippines.
D-League Notes: Young, Dawkins, Goodwin
The latest D-League moves..
- The Celtics recalled James Young and Andre Dawkins from their D-League affiliate in Maine on Sunday, the team announced in a press release. Young has played nine games for the Red Claws with a slash line of 23.6/5.3/2.2. Dawkins, who averaged 20 points per game in four contests with Maine, agreed to another 10-day deal with the Celtics today.
- The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The trip concludes Goodwin’s third D-League trip of the season and the first of Bullock’s career. Bullock averaged 25.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG in the D-League while Goodwin put up 26.0 and 11.0 RPG in his two games.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Rockets Notes: McHale, Smith, Johnson
Rockets coach Kevin McHale didn’t talk to anyone about Josh Smith before the forward arrived in Houston, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Smith came to Houston with a questionable reputation after being waived by the Pistons December 22nd, but the coach said that didn’t influence any of his decisions. “The minute I start talking to him, I form my own opinion,” McHale said. “I don’t listen to anybody else. I never have. I’m friends with a lot of people that people don’t like. I deal with people how they deal with me. If he had a problem with anybody else, it didn’t bother me. He’s been great here.”
There’s other news from Houston:
- Smith returned to Detroit Saturday night, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports that the crowd loudly expressed its displeasure. Pistons fans booed Smith the first time he stood up to come into the game and every time he touched the ball. Smith, who spent less than a season and a half in Detroit, said he wasn’t bothered by the hostile reception. “It wasn’t emotional to me because I haven’t been here long enough to feel any kind of weight,” he said. “The booing didn’t affect me.”
- Smith has settled into a reserve role in Houston, but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy tells Feigen for a separate piece that he never considered using Smith off the bench before making the decision to waive him. “He’s in a totally different situation, with a totally different team, in a totally different role,” Van Gundy said. “People around him are not even similar. Possibly, we could have done that. I just don’t know. How he would have played here probably would not have changed a lot. He just would have been coming off the bench.”
- The Rockets have recalled guard Nick Johnson from their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team announced. Johnson, the 42nd pick in last year’s NBA draft, appeared in three games for the Vipers, averaging 21.7 points, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. He has seen limited playing time in Houston, averaging 3.2 points in 17 games.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Fisher, Early, Jackson
When the Lakers visit the Knicks this afternoon, Carmelo Anthony will be facing one of the teams that tried hardest to lure him last summer, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. An unrestricted free agent, Anthony met with several teams before accepting a five-year $124MM deal to stay in New York. The Lakers’ presentation included a four-minute movie produced by Joel Silver and narrated by actor Tobey Maguire. “The film, I wish I could get my hands on that,” said Anthony. “It was a great pitch. I might take what they did and start recruiting on my own over here.”
There’s more news from the Big Apple:
- The same qualities that made Derek Fisher an effective role player have helped him weather the storm as a first-year coach, Medina writes in a separate story. With four wins in their past five games, the Knicks are enjoying their first taste of success in a season that included a 16-game losing streak, and Fisher’s calm demeanor has been helped right the ship. “When our record is flipped the other way, you’re not going to see me smiling and doing cartwheels on the sideline, either,” the coach said. “I’ll still be carrying myself the same way because I’m always thinking about what else we can do to get better.”
- The Knicks have recalled Cleanthony Early from the D-League, the team announced Sunday (Twitter link). Early played two games with Westchester during his D-League assignment. A second-round draft pick in 2014, Early has appeared in 15 games for New York, averaging 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson has “kind of just divorced myself” from the Lakers, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Jackson, who won five NBA titles as a coach in Los Angeles, insisted there won’t be any extra emotion involved in facing the team today. Those sentiments were echoed by Fisher, who also has strong Laker ties. He dodged questions about whether he would have been interested in coaching in Los Angeles. “Had we talked about it, I guess I would’ve decided then,” Fisher said. “But we never had any conversation about it, so I can’t say it would’ve interested me or not.”