Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Wizards, Hairston

December 29th, 2014 at 3:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks and Wizards are making it tough on more ballyhooed Eastern Conference teams like the Cavs and Bulls to play catch-up. Both Atlanta and Washington have won eight of their last 10 and are within two games of the Raptors for the top spot in the conference. Here’s the latest from around the Southeast:

Kent Bazemore praised the job embattled GM Danny Ferry did constructing the team, as the Hawks shooting guard tells Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Ferry remains on indefinite leave of absence after making racially charged remarks this summer. “We don’t really know what was going on there,” Bazemore said. “He’s still watching over us from a distance. He still gets the bulk of the credit for turning around the Hawks organization. We kind of miss him. Coach [Mike] Budenholzer has done a great job filling in, and also [Hawks CEO] Mr. Steve Koonin. The sun is shining bright even on rainy days in the Hawks organization.”
Trevor Ariza spurned the Wizards‘ efforts to re-sign him this past summer, but thanks to the addition of Paul Pierce, the surprising play of camp invitee Rasual Butler and improvement from Otto Porter, the Wizards need not have worried, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
P.J. Hairston‘s play in the D-League last season gives him an edge that other rookies lack, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes amid a look at the team’s decision to send Noah Vonleh, this year’s No. 9 overall pick, on D-League assignment. Hairston, the No. 26 pick, spent much of last season in the D-League after the University of North Carolina cut him loose.
The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the D-League, the team announced. The big man posted 15 points and seven rebounds Sunday while on his one-day sojourn to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, which was his third D-League assignment of the season.

D-League Notes: Vonleh, Young, Ledo

December 28th, 2014 at 5:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hornets have assigned first round pick Noah Vonleh to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. The ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft will become one of the higher-profile players to play in the D-League. “We believe Noah would benefit greatly from additional game experience,” GM Rich Cho said in a press release. “He will be able to get that playing time through this D-League assignment.” Vonleh has only seen 8.0 minutes per game this season for Charlotte.

Here’s more from the D-League:

The Hornets are assigning Jeffery Taylor to the Austin Spurs for a D-League stint, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The team has since confirmed the move in a press release. “As with [Vonleh’s] situation, we think that Jeffery will benefit greatly by getting additional game action,” Cho said in the release. “Our depth at the wing position has limited his minutes and this D-League assignment will allow him to get some valuable playing time.”
The Celtics have assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. Young has battled a shoulder injury recently and the playing time for the Red Claws should help determine whether his body is ready for significant minutes. Young has only seen action in five games this season for Boston but has been efficient during his time, shooting 62.5% from the field.
The Mavs have recalled Ricky Ledo and Dwight Powell from the Texas Legends, the team announced via press release. Both players saw court time for the Legends during their one game D-League assignment. Ledo nearly recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes of action. Powell was impressive as well, recording 26 points in 38 minutes.
The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, the team announced via press release. This will be Muscala’s third assignment to the D-League this season. The second-year center has seen 9.4 minutes per game this season for Atlanta.

Josh Smith Rumors: Tuesday

December 23rd, 2014 at 2:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The sudden popularity of Josh Smith around the league in the wake of the shocking decision the Pistons made Monday to waive their highest-paid player is indicative of just how much a player’s contract defines his value. His next team will almost certainly have him at a fraction of the cost the Pistons will continue to shell out through 2019/20. Certainly, there are better fits for him than the crowded frontcourt in Detroit, too. Smith won’t come off waivers until Wednesday, but there should be no shortage of updates today about where he’ll be playing soon. We’ll track the latest in this thread, much like we did on Monday, with any additional news added to the top:

Howard went on record with reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, about his recruiting pitch to Smith (Twitter links). “Have I been in his ear? Yeah, I’ve been in his ear,” the Rockets center said. “The only thing I told him was that if you want to win this would be a great place for you. We’ve won together in AAU. Let’s try to get us one in the big leagues.”

11:37pm update:

The Clippers have reached out to Smith’s representatives, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Clippers officials are still “gauging interest,” Woike writes, though it’s unclear if they’re trying to assess Smith’s level of interest or still debating their own willingness to sign him. There were multiple reports going back and forth Monday about whether the Clippers truly wanted Smith.

10:55am update:

Just about every playoff-bound team has reached out to Smith’s representatives, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who cautions that in some cases it’s largely a matter of the team performing its due diligence (Twitter link). One exception, according to Broussard, is the Hawks, Smith’s original NBA team.

8:57am updates:

The Rockets have strengthened their position as the favorites to land Smith, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Dwight Howard wants Smith, his close friend, on the team and is serving as Houston’s lead recruiter, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com details.
Rajon Rondo, another friend of Smith’s, said they talk almost every day, and the new Mavs point guard publicly made his pitch for the ex-Pistons forward, as Stein relays in the same piece. “I think we can use an athletic big,” Rondo said late Monday. “They traded me for Brandan Wright. Besides Tyson [Chandler], our other bigs are perimeter shooters. Josh brings a lot to the game — his intangibles, he can make plays, rebound, defend. He’d be a good fit anywhere, but especially here I think he’d be a good fit.”
Mavs owner Mark Cuban confirmed the team is going after Smith, as Stein also notes. “Josh is super talented and he fits the profile of the guy we love to bring in here,” Cuban said. “He’s one of those guys that gets a bad rap … and we have a great track record of bringing the truth out about guys like that: Monta [Ellis], Stack [Jerry Stackhouse], Jet [Jason Terry].”
Smith, a client of Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather, is set to meet with his representatives this afternoon, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

And-Ones: Mavs, Payne, Heat, Bargnani

December 22nd, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Alex Lee

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to keep his newfound starting five together for the foreseeable future, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. To do so, Cuban will have to strike new deals with free agents to be Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler this summer. Add Monta Ellis to that list should he opt out of the third year of his team-friendly deal. “I’ll at least do my best to keep them together,” said Cuban. “I want to keep them together. It’s cheaper to keep them. It’s not where we were before. Do I want to go deep into the luxury tax? No, and I think it’s more because I want us to have some options in a couple of years. But, yeah, there’s no reason for us not to keep everybody together, not that I know now.”

It should be a busy summer for the Mavs owner. Now let’s take a look at what else is going on around the league on Monday night:

The Hawks have recalled Adreian Payne from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Payne had been with the affiliate of the Spurs, and his assignment represented the first use of the new rules for NBA teams without one-to-one D-League affiliates.
While the Heat were without Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on Sunday, facing the Rondo-less Celtics provided the latest reminder of team president Pat Riley‘s staunch advocacy of the star system, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Winderman implies that Riley, unlike Boston executive Danny Ainge, probably would’ve opted to lock up a player of Rondo’s caliber rather than risk sliding further into mediocrity.
Andrea Bargnani, who has yet to suit up for the Knicks this season, was adamant on Sunday that he intends to play this season and will return to the NBA next year despite his impending free agency, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who adds that it’s unlikely the Knicks will bring the Italian forward back.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Rondo, Muscala, Cavs, Nelson

December 20th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that lingering uncertainty about Rajon Rondo‘s future in Boston, along with the team’s inability to immediately surround him with impact players, contributed to his decision to trade him to the Mavs, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. “There was definitely uncertainty into what might happen [with Rondo as a free agent] this summer,” Ainge said. “That was a big factor. We liked the players that we got in the trade. But, listen, with his impending free agency, and the uncertainty of what might happen this summer, I think that gave us the impetus of wanting to do a deal.”

Here’s more out of the East:

Ainge also discussed how difficult it was to trade away a player like Rondo, Forsberg adds. “It was hard. Yeah, it was very difficult to move Rajon,” Ainge said. “I know it’s a business in professional sports, but you really develop a lot of close relationships and I loved watching Rajon, I loved visiting with him, our one-on-one conversations were fun, entertaining, frustrating sometimes. And always a surprise. The guy was a very unique person. But watching him grow and watching him develop as a man and as a person and as a basketball player, I just enjoyed my interactions with him. It was an emotional time as we met last night. It was not an easy thing to do. But I believe it was the right thing to do.“
The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link). This was Muscala’s second jaunt of the season to Fort Wayne, and in three D-League games, he has averaged 15 points and 9.7 rebounds.
Cavs GM David Griffin considered trading for Corey Brewer, but decided that he wanted to hang on to Cleveland’s $5.3MM trade exception, Terry Pluto of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. Griffin has decided to wait instead, with his primary goal being to add a big man who can protect the rim and rebound, Pluto notes.
The Celtics and Jameer Nelson have had preliminary discussions on his future role with the team and “what if” possibilities before the February trade deadline, but buyout negotiations have not taken place yet, Shams Charania of RealGM reports.

Southeast Notes: Stephenson, Hawks, Wizards

December 19th, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat are slumping, and they’re without Chris Bosh for the time being, but they’re still holding down a would-be playoff spot as they sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They’ll play host to the division-leading Wizards tonight, and while we wait for that, here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Hornets believe that a groin injury is behind Lance Stephenson‘s decreased production this season, and that’s has helped motivate the team to back off trade talk regarding him, report Ramona Shelburne and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. That’s even though Stephenson has had a negative effect on team chemistry, as sources tell the ESPN scribes.
The Hawks have sent Mike Muscala on D-League assignment, the team announced. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution originally reported the news (Twitter link). Muscala spent a two-day stint in the D-League earlier this season, and he’s averaged 4.9 points in 10.0 minutes per game across eight appearances with the big club so far this year.
The frequent D-League assignments for Jordan Clarkson help prove the Wizards were wise on draft night when they acquired $1.8MM in cash in a trade that sent out the pick that the Lakers used on him, argues J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Rasual Butler‘s play since taking the roster spot that otherwise ostensibly would have gone to Clarkson is further evidence, Michael believes.
Versatility has been a key asset for Evan Fournier, who’s helping the Magic reap much greater benefit than expected from this summer’s Arron Afflalo trade, which brought Fournier from the Nuggets, as Andrew Perna of RealGM examines.

Pistons Rumors: Monroe, Hawks, Smith, Kings

December 17th, 2014 at 2:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons are 5-20 with three frontcourt pieces that don’t appear to fit, making them a ripe contender to pull a trade this season. There’s been plenty of chatter in recent days, and we’ll round up the latest here:

Falk made it clear to Zillgitt, who writes in a full story, that Monroe doesn’t want a trade in part because he wants to honor a commitment he made to Pistons coach/president of basketball ops Stan Van Gundy. Teams have been calling the Pistons about Monroe, but the fifth-year big man continues to stonewall the idea of leaving Detroit. “He made a commitment to Stan (Van Gundy) when he took the qualifying offer that he would work as hard as he could and help the team as best that he could and he would keep his mind open and at the end of the season, he would evaluate all of his options,” Falk said. “That was his plan in July, and that’s his plan in December and that will probably be his plan in February and will be his plan when the season ends.”
Monroe will be seeking the best fit and not necessarily the highest payday in free agency this coming summer, as he and Falk have said, Zillgitt writes.

Earlier updates:

The Pistons are “shopping” Josh Smith and willing to trade him for the right return, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The Kings remain interested in Smith, a source tells Goodwill, and Kings owner Vivek Ranadive was behind Sacramento’s pursuit from the start, Goodwill adds. Yet while the Kings are still thinking about trying to trade for Smith, they’ve been gradually moving past that idea, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (video link).
Greg Monroe says the Pistons would have to initiate discussions about a trade, since he wouldn’t ask for one, as Goodwill notes in the same piece, writing that it’s likely that Pistons GM Jeff Bower asked agent David Falk about his willingness to approve one. Monroe has a de facto no-trade clause this year because he signed his qualifying offer in the summer, and he’d lose his Bird rights if he gave the OK to a trade. Monroe prefers to play out the season as a Piston, agent David Falk told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, who passes along his report in the same video with Amick.
Detroit asked the Hawks for Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver in exchange for Monroe this summer, but Atlanta wasn’t willing to go along with the sign-and-trade idea, Goodwill writes. The Hawks are reportedly set to pursue Monroe in unrestricted free agency this coming summer.
The Pistons never believed that Monroe would ultimately sign the qualifying offer, according to Goodwill.

Southeast Notes: Stephenson, Wall, Butler

December 13th, 2014 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Hornets decide to move Lance Stephenson before February’s trade deadline, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders sees a handful of teams that could be interested. Stephenson left the Pacers for Charlotte in the offseason, signing a deal that pays him $9MM each of the first two seasons, with a $9.4MM team option for 2016/17. However, the Hornets have stumbled to a 6-16 start, fueliing speculation that Stephenson might be moved. Koutroupis speculated that the Nets, Mavericks, Hawks, Nuggets and perhaps the Spurs would be
potential fits for the shooting guard.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

John Wall wasn’t convinced that he had earned a maximum extension before the 2013/14 season, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Luckily for him, the Wizards had no doubt. “I was still in shock,” he said. “I thought I was still the player that hadn’t developed, hadn’t proved anything.” The Wizards’ belief in Wall paid off as he became an All-Star last season and led Washington to the playoffs. The first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Wall is making nearly $15MM this year and is under contract through the 2018/19 season.
Wizards teammate Rasual Butler is making the most of his second chance in the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Unable to find an NBA job in 2012/13, Butler spent the season in the D-League, then played limited minutes last year in Indiana. But at age 35, he has become a valuable part of Washington’s rotation, ranking third in the league in three-point shooting percentage. “I was able to learn a lot about myself during that time,” Butler said. “I knew I had something more to give to this game. . . . I kept going to work out, wanting to have another opportunity, but also telling myself that when the opportunity would come, I would be prepared for it.”
New Hawks diversity and inclusion officer Nzinga Shaw told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that she hopes to establish a diversity and inclusion counsel made up of team employees and community members. Shaw, who had been with the Edelman PR agency, was formally hired by Atlanta this week. The Hawks were embarrassed this summer when a racially insensitive e-mail from co-owner Bruce Levenson and racially tinged comments by general manager Danny Ferry about free agent Luol Deng were made public.

Eastern Notes: Aldemir, Young, McDermott

December 12th, 2014 at 10:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers‘ potential signing of Furkan Aldemir to a four-year deal was first reported back on November 24th. But since then, there have been numerous issues with getting the agreement finalized. Aldemir’s Turkish club was initially reluctant to let him out of his contract, and once that hurdle was taken care of, Aldemir was then said to be awaiting his FIBA letter of clearance which would allow him to sign with an NBA team. It’s been almost two weeks since there has been any movement on bringing Aldemir to Philly, and Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News tweets that it still doesn’t look like the signing will be completed anytime soon, if at all.

Here’s more from the East:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens gave an update on James Young, who injured his shoulder during a D-League game earlier this week, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports (Twitter link). Stevens said that Young has a “little bit of muscular damage” in his right shoulder, and will rehab the injury in an attempt to avoid surgery. Young is currently listed as being out indefinitely.
The Bulls have announced in a press release that rookie forward Doug McDermott will have arthroscopic surgery on Saturday to repair damage to his right knee and will be out indefinitely. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com was the first to report this news (Twitter link). In 17 appearances this season McDermott is averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game.
The sale of the Hawks is moving more swiftly than before, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt notes. There has been little chatter regarding the sale since late October, when it was still unclear just what percentage of the team would be on the market.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Davies, Weems, Rondo

December 11th, 2014 at 10:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers coach Brett Brown isn’t happy that Brandon Davies was traded to the Nets, Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports. Brown will miss Davies because of the player-coach relationship the two had, which helped ease the sting of enduring the Sixers’ escalating loss totals, Lynam adds. “When you start losing people that you are very fond of and have tremendous respect for … there is a human side of it that bothers me because you are trying to grow chemistry, you are trying to grow a culture,” Brown said. “That takes a hit when teammates lose teammates. There is a respect, effort-wise, of how they go about their business. There is a reality to our job that is just business in the NBA, but it doesn’t mean it has to feel right.”

Here’s more from the East:

Sonny Weems turned down multiple offers from NBA teams this past offseason, including a fully guaranteed deal from the Hawks, as he tells David Pick, writing for Basketball Insiders. Weems instead remains overseas on a long-term deal with CSKA Moscow that will pay him $10MM over the course of the contract, according to Pick. Money, contract length and timing were some of the stumbling blocks that kept Weems out of the NBA, Pick writes, adding that Weems is widely accepted as the best small forward not in the NBA.
Rajon Rondo has been receiving his fair share of criticism for the Celtics‘ struggles this season, and he’s been benched late in games recently, but it is something he has downplayed, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I’ve been playing here for nine years, I’m one of the best at what I do, and I’m human,” Rondo said. “I make mistakes. I own up to my mistakes and that’s just part of the game. It’s not weighing on me at all. It’s a team effort. I am the captain, but there are 15 guys on this team and we’re all in this together.”
Prior to leaving Washington, current Clippers assistant Sam Cassell played a major role in helping the Wizards land Paul Pierce this past summer, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. “I talked to him [Pierce], told him how well he’ll do with them two guys John Wall and Bradley Beal] and he viewed it and made his decision,” Cassell said. “He took it seriously. He looked at the roster that we had and he realized it was a pretty good roster. He saw where he could fit in and do well at. Why wouldn’t he come and be a part of the Wizards?”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.