Eastern Notes: Bogans, Hawks, Gordon, Cavs
Keith Bogans isn’t necessarily cited as one of the NBA’s most overpaid players as often as some bigger names, but you could make the case that Bogans should top any such list. After all, the only reason he received his $5MM+ salary for 2013/14 was that it was needed to make the summer’s Celtics/Nets blockbuster work. Despite the payday though, Bogans, who hasn’t played in over a month, is frustrated with his role in Boston, writes Jessica Camerato of HoopsWorld.
“Money is good, but if you’re not happy doing what you love to do… I want to play basketball,” Bogans said of his lack of minutes. “Anybody can say yeah I’m happy, I’m getting money, but come on now.”
As Bogans waits for an opportunity to prove he can still contribute to an NBA club, let’s round up a few more items from around the East….
- The Hawks are facing some tough roster decisions since Al Horford went down with a season-ending pectoral injury, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta is currently carrying 15 players, but three of those contracts are non-guaranteed. GM Danny Ferry is considering whether or not to add a big man to replace Horford, and Ferry also likes having some roster flexibility at the trade deadline, so the team’s non-guaranteed players (Shelvin Mack, Mike Scott, Cartier Martin) aren’t necessarily guaranteed roster spots beyond next Tuesday.
- Ben Gordon is in the final year of his contract, but remains focused on helping the Bobcats earn a playoff spot this season, as he tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. When Gordon does reach free agency, expect him to prioritize contenders — the veteran guard tells Greene that the opportunity to win a title “means everything” for him as he inches closer to retirement.
- The Cavaliers have reportedly balked at including any assets of value along with Andrew Bynum in an offer for Pau Gasol, but Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld thinks that a swap would make a lot of sense for both sides.
D-League Notes: McCollum, Cunningham, Brooks
At this point, 18 of the 30 NBA teams have sent players on D-League assignments this season and we have three more today. Below are the details. Don’t forget to reference our D-League assignment tracker to keep tabs of all of the moves this year.
- The Blazers have assigned C.J. McCollum to the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced today via press release. Portland selected McCollum with the No. 10 pick in June’s NBA Draft and the rookie fractured his left foot in training camp in October. He was just cleared to resume practice, and will play for the Stampede on Friday and Saturday, according to the team.
- The Hawks have assigned guard Jared Cunningham back to the Bakersfield Jam, the team announced today via news release. Cunningham, who has appeared in three games for Atlanta this season, was recalled from Bakersfield on December 29. This is the third time the team has assigned him to the Jam this season.
- We heard earlier today that the Celtics assigned MarShon Brooks to the Maine Red Claws. While many will assume the move represents a demotion, Brad Stevens and the Celtics don’t see it that way, writes Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com. Brooks hasn’t been playing much in Boston, and with a busy game schedule in the near future, the assignment will allow Brooks to get on the court somewhere.
Horford Injury May Prod Hawks To Make Move
The Hawks are planning their next move in the wake of Al Horford‘s surgery today on a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for the season. The front office is evaluating its options to upgrade its depth and talent with the big man out, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That suggests the club could be looking at a roster move.
The Hawks are under the cap, so they couldn’t apply for a disabled player exception that would help them acquire a player via free agency or trade. They can only clear about $2MM worth of cap room, and while they have the $2.652MM room exception at their disposal if they want to sign a player, it probably wouldn’t take more than the minimum salary to bring in a free agent at this point. They’re at the 15-man roster limit, but they have three players on non-guaranteed deals (Mike Scott, Cartier Martin, and Shelvin Mack) whom they could waive to clear a spot.
GM Danny Ferry‘s roster is “built to trade,” as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote earlier in the season, so it’s reasonable to expect the team to explore a swap of some kind. Lowe wrote in the same piece that Ferry had been turning down offers for Horford, and even though the big man is injured, I’d be surprised if Ferry changed his stance, since Horford is under contract for the relative bargain price of $12MM a season through 2015/16.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Horford, Bennett, Dolan
While they’re only a few months removed from an appearance in the Western Finals, the Grizzlies aren’t currently in position to make the playoffs this season, and may have to start looking toward the future, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com writes in a piece for SBNation.com. Tonight’s look around the Association…
- An NBA exec says that even though he hasn’t spoken with the Cavs, “they’re clearly aggressive” in trying to trade Andrew Bynum and are active in other talks, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Al Horford will undergo surgery for his torn pectoral muscle on Tuesday, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Last week, we learned that the Hawks big man is done for the season thanks to the injury.
- Cavs rookie Anthony Bennett is trying to cope with the widespread criticism he has received so far this season, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 27.7% from the field and 15.4% from the three-point arc.
- Knicks owner James Dolan’s poor basketball sense has put the club in a terrible position, opines Phil Mushnick of the New York Post.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Williams, Cunningham
It’s been a fascinating year for the Celtics following their blockbuster deal with the Nets. The C’s hit the reset button by shipping Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn and while they’re anxiously awaiting Rajon Rondo‘s return, there’s plenty of reason to believe that the future in Boston is bright. GM Danny Ainge reflected on 2013 with the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “It was tough because we had so many injuries during the course of the year,” said Ainge. “I thought that our team was actually better than it ended up showing in the playoffs — without Rondo, without Sullinger, without (Leandro) Barbosa, who was playing really well for us (before be tore his left ACL in February). That was tough to overcome. I think our guys did as good as could be expected with what we had.” More from the East..
- Terrence Williams has no plan to return to the Nets‘ D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. The guard, who signed with Turk Telekom in October before parting ways after just two games, is talking to other teams. Williams finished the 2012/13 season with the Celtics.
- The Hawks announced that they recalled guard Jared Cunningham from the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. Cunningham, who was re-assigned to Bakersfield on December 16, has averaged 18.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 33.1 minutes in eight games (all starts) in two stints with the Jam this season.
- Arron Afflalo‘s NBA journey has taken him from the Pistons to the Nuggets to the Magic but he says that all of the movement hasn’t affected his development, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Al Horford Suffers Torn Pectoral Muscle
10:14pm: In a text message to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link), Horford said he will “probably not” return for the postseason.
5:33pm: Al Horford has suffered a complete tear of his right pectoral muscle, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com first reported that the Hawks were concerned that Horford had torn his pectoral muscle.
While it’s not clear yet how long the veteran big man will be sidelined, Horford tore his left pectoral muscle early in January of 2012, and didn’t return to the court until the playoffs, nearly four months later. If we assume a similar recovery period this time around, it seems likely that the 27-year-old will miss most, if not all, of the regular season. For now, the Hawks have announced in a press release that Horford is out indefinitely.
In addition to being terrible news for Horford and the Hawks, the injury further diminishes the level of talent in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is currently the only team besides the Pacers and Heat above .500 in the East, and looked like the top contender for the No. 3 seed. The Hawks should still have enough talent to earn a playoff spot, but Horford’s injury could affect the club’s plans as February’s trade deadline approaches.
The Hawks have 15 players under contract, but three (Mike Scott, Cartier Martin, and Shelvin Mack) are on non-guaranteed deals, and could be waived if the team wants to add another frontcourt player.
Eastern Notes: Carmelo, LeBron, Korver, Butler
Here’s the latest from the NBA’s Eastern Conference:
- Carmelo Anthony is a free agent at the end of the season, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports the Knicks are quite confident they’ll re-sign the All-Star forward. Said one executive: “They’re one confident bunch… To listen to them, they expect to have Carmelo re-signed and have another star with him in another year. They’re so sure about it you’d think they already know what will happen.“
- The Heat’s LeBron James is another potential free agent, but Kennedy reports in the same post that James isn’t giving next summer much thought: “I’m so zoned in on what my task is here this year that it’s hard to think about anything else.” James can exercise the early termination clause in his contract and become a free agent at the end of the year, but he certainly sounds content in Miami: “What is there not to like about Miami?” James said. “It is a home. My family is very happy; I’m very comfortable.”
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry has been pleased with Kyle Korver‘s production this year, revealed Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. Korver re-signed with Atlanta this offseason. In her piece, Boyer passes along a few fond words that Ferry had about Korver: “I respect him. As we build our culture, our environment here in Atlanta, having Kyle back as a part of that was exciting.”
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Rasual Butler hasn’t always had a reputation as an asset in the locker room, but Frank Vogel insists that hasn’t been the case during the veteran’s time with the Pacers, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star observes. Butler didn’t make the team out of camp solely because Danny Granger had been slow to recover from injury, Vogel adds.
- The Pistons announced today via press release that they have assigned rookies Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva to the D-League. The duo will get to see minutes playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Draft Notes: Hawks, Bennett, Craft, Ross
Is your favorite team looking to deal future draft choices to make things brighter today? Not so fast. There are rules and regulations to follow. You can get yourself all caught up on the rules for dealing future picks thanks to Luke Adams’ handy guide, published last week. Here’s today’s draft links..
- It may be bad times in Brooklyn but the Nets’ troubles are giving the Hawks reason to smile, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Everyone feared that the 2013 Draft would be historically bad and the early returns support that, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. “It’s very early,” ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford said of No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, “but right now, he’s looking like the worst in the past 20 years. That includes Greg Oden. Oden was injured all the time, but when he played, he at least looked like a No. 1 pick.“
- Dan Kelly of SNY.tv asks if Ohio State’s Aaron Craft and LaQuinton Ross have NBA futures. Craft figures to be the best perimeter defender in this year’s class and is currently slated to go in the second round. Ross, who stands at 6’7″ and boasts a 7’1″ wingspan, has a good build for the two-guard position and can shoot well, but his effort isn’t consistent from game to game. He’s also projected to go in the second round.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Nogueira, Crawford, Karl
With the announcement earlier today that Brook Lopez will be out for the season, there have been many speculations as to how the Nets will react. The disabled player exception is one option that has been mentioned and now trade speculations are beginning to surface. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com speculates that the Nets could pursue a trade for Omer Asik. It would be surprising if the Rockets bit on Berger’s proposal of Paul Pierce and a first-rounder that couldn’t go Houston’s way until 2020.
Some other notes around the Eastern Conference:
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the Hawks first-round draft pick, Lucas Nogueira will be working with the Hawks team doctors now that he has returned to the United States to focus solely on his rehab. Nogueira will split his rehab time between Atlanta and LA but will be giving the team a better chance to monitor his progress.
- Former NBA guard Coby Karl has signed with the German team MHP Ludwigsburg Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. The son of NBA coach George Karl began the season in Italy.
- Today Celtics guard Jordan Crawford reunited against his former team, the Washington Wizards. Prior to the meeting, Crawford discussed his departure from the Wizards with Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy. In the discussion, Crawford expressed his desire that he would have handled his departure with the Wizards differently. Crawford also shared that he plans to handle the return of Rondo differently than the ascension of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Carroll, Kobe
It’s a lighter-than-usual Friday night slate in the NBA, with only nine games this evening, but it’s been plenty eventful off the court the past couple of weeks. Hoops Rumors readers have pegged Kyle Lowry as the most likely centerpiece of the next major deal, and as we wait to see whether that will be the case, here’s more from the Association:
- Richard Jefferson wouldn’t retract Thursday’s comment that he’ll have “no loyalty” as he seeks to play for a contender, but he told reporters Friday that he’d be “more than ecstatic” to remain with the Jazz, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Jefferson will be a free agent at season’s end.
- Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll was surprised that he and the Jazz couldn’t work out a way for him to return to Utah this summer, but he’s still fond of the organization, Falk observes in a separate piece.
- Kobe Bryant‘s latest injury has turned his extension into a disaster of a deal for the Lakers, who seem unlikely to have what it takes to lure LeBron James this summer, as Mark Heisler opines for Forbes.com.
- Stephen Graham has signed with the Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara, the club announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Francisco Vega of El Impulso first reported the story (on Twitter). The six-year NBA veteran was in camp this fall with the Bucks.
- The Warriors have sent Nemanja Nedovic to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the third assignment to Santa Cruz this season for the 30th overall pick this past June.