Latest On Andrew Bynum
The stir that the Cavaliers created today with their announcement of an indefinite suspension for Andrew Bynum has prompted plenty of rumors, and since our original story is getting lengthy, we’ll split off the latest on the one-time All-Star center into a new post. Here’s what we know:
- The Heat would likely have interest in Bynum if they can clear a roster spot for him, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Miami and the Clippers are Bynum’s preferred destinations, and both have been keeping an eye on big men who could become available.
Earlier updates:
- Trading Bynum may be a difficult task, as Sam Amico was told (Twitter Link) by an NBA executive: “Trading for him won’t magically make the issues just go away. He doesn’t love the game.”
- A source close to the Cavaliers tells HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy that Bynum was exhibiting the same “reckless behavior” in Cleveland that he did when he was a member of the Lakers (Twitter link). The big man has shown frequent disrespect to his coaches, Kennedy’s source said.
- The Lakers don’t seem likely to bring Bynum back, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Mavs met with Bynum when he was a free agent this summer, but they’re probably not interested in him now, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- If the Cavs can’t find a trade partner, it’s not clear whether they’ll keep Bynum beyond January 7th, when the guaranteed portion of his contract jumps from $6MM to his full $12.25MM salary, according to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. The Clippers would be interested in Bynum if he were to become a free agent because they know they need to address their weakness at backup center, according to Zillgitt and Amick.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears there’s no interest from other teams in trading for Bynum and that the Cavs will indeed wind up releasing him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed (Twitter links).
- Bud Shaw of The Plain Dealer takes Bynum to task for his apparent lack of commitment and raises the idea that the Cavs could trade him closer to the deadline if they decide to keep him beyond January 7th.
- Bynum probably won’t end up with the Warriors, since the organization loves its team chemistry and already has three backup centers with guaranteed contracts (Twitter links).
- Bynum might be a disruptive presence in the Cavs locker room, but if there were such problems when he was with the Sixers, no one has said anything about it, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Pelicans Might Trade Rights To Pierre Jackson
The latest piece from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio focuses on collegians, D-Leaguers and overseas players drawing heavy attention from NBA scouts, including Chris Wright, Devin Ebanks and Dylon Cormier, but it also delivers news on a player whose rights belong to an NBA team. The Pelicans are willing to trade Pierre Jackson, the 42nd pick in the draft this past June, for “future considerations” and perhaps cash. It’s not clear exactly what those future considerations would entail.
New Orleans acquired Jackson’s NBA rights from the Sixers as part of this summer’s trade for Jrue Holiday. The Las Vegas native signed this summer with ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, a team in which Tony Parker is a part-owner, but in September he parted ways with the club. Jackson wound up entering the D-League draft, and the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Trail Blazers, picked him fourth overall. Still, neither the Blazers nor any NBA team aside from the Pelicans are allowed to sign him to an NBA contract.
Jackson, a 5’10” point guard from Baylor, is coming off a 41-point performance and averaging 29.0 points per game, and while his 4.8 turnovers per contest outnumber his 4.7 assists average, he’s perhaps the most “dynamic” player in the D-League, Amico writes. He’s nonetheless in a tough spot unless the Pelicans decide to sign him or trade his rights to a team that’s willing to give up assets in a trade for the chance to bring him aboard.
Eastern Links: Nets, West, Deng, Shumpert
Nets players are reportedly confused about their roles on the team amid an organizational lack of patience with Jason Kidd, but Deron Williams tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that he thinks the players still support their coach.
“If we were losing some close games and he was making some bad decisions, that would be one thing, but that’s not the case,” Williams said. “We got blown out [Wednesday]. He can’t make us outrebound teams, he can’t make us put the extra little bit in to get over the hump. That’s on us as players to come out and play better.”
There’s more news on the Nets amid our look at the Eastern Conference:
- Pacers power forward David West considered signing with the Nets after the lockout in 2011, but the Teaneck, N.J., native tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that the team wasn’t interested because of fears regarding his recovery from a torn ACL.
- The Bulls aren’t keen on the idea of trading Luol Deng and if they did, they’d need a piece that solidifies their future, which means they’d require someone better than Iman Shumpert of the Knicks, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- The Raptors are looking to the future and would ideally like to build with the draft, but in a strange twist of fate, they’re winning games and they may not get that choice lottery pick, writes Howard Beck of the Bleacher Report. Part of the reason for their success could be that several players — as well as coach Dwane Casey — are in their walk years.
- The Heat are off to a strong start and so is their D-League affiliate, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Williams, Brown
Knicks owner James Dolan told his team Thursday that no drastic moves are in the offing, but management apparently didn’t get the message, since the front office is reportedly still involved in trade talks and planning for a potential coaching change. Regardless of whether the Knicks pull off any moves, they seem destined to continue to make headlines all season long. There’s more news on another team that could be active at the trade deadline as we check the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- None of the Raptors appear to be off-limits for a trade, and Kyle Lowry might be the most likely to go. Still, he says he and his teammates aren’t letting the talk get to them, notes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Lowry tells Wolstat that he was flattered to hear Knicks fans in New York chanting his name on Christmas Day, but he remains committed to the Raptors.
- Terrence Williams is headed to the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Williams left his Turkish team last month to deal with a family matter. Williams has bounced around since the Nets made him the 11th overall pick in 2009 and spent part of last season with the Celtics.
- Williams also has experience playing in China, where Bobby Brown scored 74 points in his last outing for the Dongguan Leopards. Brown, who saw summer league action with the Raptors this year, seems destined to return to the NBA later this season when his Chinese deal is up, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Earlier tonight, we passed along a report that suggested head coach Jason Kidd may be losing support from the Nets.
Several Teams Interested In Luol Deng
6:06pm: Sam clarifies in a pair of tweets that the teams mentioned in his story are more interested in Deng as a free agent than a trade target, since they wouldn’t want to give up assets to rent him for a half-season.
4:59pm: The Cavaliers, Mavericks, Lakers, Raptors, Spurs, Grizzlies and Nets are among the teams interested in Luol Deng, sources tell Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. It’s not clear whether those teams are looking to trade for Deng this season or sign him in the summer, when he’ll be a free agent. The Bulls, while reportedly determined not to trade Deng, would apparently do so if they receive the right offer, and according to Sam, such an offer would involve a productive young player and a first-round pick.
Deng and the Bulls had extension talks this summer, but agent Ron Shade, who represents Deng along with Herb Rudoy, tells Sam that the Bulls never even made an extension offer to his client and says that many were “shocked” that Chicago wouldn’t do so.
“Honestly, I wanted something to be done,” Deng said. “I wanted to be here. I really felt we were going to. I don’t know how the money works. I don’t know what needed to be done. I really don’t know any of that stuff. But after the spinal tap, I went away and everything, I think I was waiting to hear from the Bulls. I was waiting to hear from [GM] Gar [Forman], and I really thought there would be weeks, maybe months of going back and forth, and trying to get it done. I felt like I’ve been here since I was 18. I’ve worked hard. They’ve seen me come in and do everything. But for whatever reason, Gar felt like it wasn’t the time yet.”
Still, Deng insists Forman “didn’t do anything wrong,” and remains open to staying with the team. The Bulls could have plenty of competition if they don’t deal him, Sam writes, believing that Deng could become the most sought-after free agent of the summer if marquee stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony decide not to opt out of their deals.
Westbrook Injury Could Prompt Roster Move
Thunder GM Sam Presti told Hoops Rumors and other reporters on a conference call today that he and his staff haven’t had an opportunity to discuss potential roster moves in the wake of an injury that will keep Russell Westbrook out until after the All-Star break. Still, Presti left the door open to the notion that he’ll fill the Thunder’s vacant roster spot now that the team has announced that Westbrook has undergone arthroscopic injury on the same knee that knocked him out of the playoffs last year.
“We never rule anything out,” he said. “We always look for ways to improve.”
Oklahoma City has 27 games left before the All-Star break, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, meaning Westbrook will miss a significant chunk of the season. Westbrook won’t necessarily return for the first game after the All-Star break, as Presti noted, and the GM adds that the injury is one that will require management for an indefinite time even after Westbrook makes it back to game action.
The Thunder are less than $1.5MM shy of the luxury tax line, but they can create additional flexibility if they let go of Ryan Gomes or Hasheem Thabeet, neither of whom have fully guaranteed contracts. The leaguewide guarantee date is January 10th, so Oklahoma City would have to make its decisions on Gomes and Thabeet by January 7th in order for them to clear waivers in time. Teams will be able to sign players to 10-day contracts starting January 6th, so perhaps Presti will go that route.
No move is imminent, and Presti said the team has a lot of confidence in Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb, both of whom have taken on significantly larger roles already this season. Still, Lamb doesn’t play point guard, and it’s unclear if the team expects him to take on more ball-handling duties in Westbrook’s absence. Derek Fisher, at age 39, is the only true point guard the team has aside from Jackson and Westbrook.
Upcoming Contract Guarantee Decisions
Less than two weeks remain before teams have to make decisions about whether to pick up the full-season salaries for players on non-guaranteed contracts. The leaguewide guarantee date is January 10th, but those players would have to be released no later than January 7th to clear waivers in time. That leaves four dozen players in jeopardy of losing their jobs, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com points out.
Of course, not every player on a non-guaranteed deal is at risk. Stein identifies a few as slam-dunks to keep their roster spots, and a handful of others he didn’t mention seem unlikely to hit the waiver wire. The Lakers aren’t letting go of rotation pieces like Xavier Henry and Shawne Williams, and the Bobcats, without Jeff Taylor for the season, probably intend to keep newly signed Chris Douglas-Roberts. By contrast, the Magic are almost certain to part ways with Hedo Turkoglu, who hasn’t played a minute this season after the team told him before training camp to stay home. He could have his full $12MM salary guaranteed if the Magic find a trade partner, but that possibility is looking slimmer by the day.
There are some players, like Kendall Marshall and James Johnson, who’ve been signed too recently to accurately gauge whether their teams intend to keep them for long. We won’t include those guys here, but everyone else on a non-guaranteed contract who hasn’t been seeing much playing time and doesn’t fill an obvious need is below. I’ve ranked them in descending order of minutes per game, with a comment assessing their chances of staying in their jobs.
- Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers (20.0 MPG): Stein figures there’s no chance the Cavs will let him go, and the only reason he’s on my list is because the Cavs would have to lay out an extra $6.25MM for the big man if he stays on the roster past the guarantee date. He’s shown glimpses of his former All-Star form, but as his 0-for-11 performance against the Pistons this week demonstrates, he hasn’t necessarily played like someone worth his full $12.25MM salary.
- Cartier Martin, Hawks (18.2 MPG): The 29-year-old started and played 31 minutes on the last night of November, but he’s only seen 46 minutes of action spread over five appearances since then, in part because of a sprained ankle he suffered in practice.
- Matthew Dellavedova, Cavaliers (15.6 MPG): His playing time has bounced up and down since three starts last month when the team was shorthanded, but his 44.1% three-point shooting is one reason he’s probably safe.
- Diante Garrett, Jazz (14.2 MPG): His minutes have been inconsistent, but the Jazz may be inclined to give the 25-year-old an extended look in a player development year.
- Mike Scott, Hawks (13.4 MPG): He’s had more appearances of less than 10 minutes than he has games in which he’s played more than 20. Still, he put up a 16.3 PER last year and he isn’t far off with a 16.0 PER this time around, so he’s been efficient when on the floor.
- Jeff Adrien, Bobcats (12.6 MPG): The power forward’s minutes have fluctuated all season, and he hasn’t played in two weeks. Still, he’s been efficient in his limited time, posting a better-than-average 16.2 PER.
- Robbie Hummel, Timberwolves (12.2 MPG): Shorthanded Minnesota gave him his first career start on December 16th, but Hummel followed it up with a pair of DNPs. His minutes have been up and down all season, so it’s hard to gauge how the team feels about him.
- Brandon Davies, 76ers (12.0 MPG) His minutes have been inconsistent, and a 35.9% field goal percentage and his 5.9 PER don’t bode well for his chances of sticking around.
- Mike Harris, Jazz (11.3 MPG): The 30-year-old journeyman saw regular playing time at the start of the season, but that’s dropped off since, and there doesn’t appear to be a compelling reason for him to stick.
- Roger Mason Jr., Heat (11.9 MPG): His appearances have ranged from a season-high of 23 on December 8th to a season-low two in his next outing. There was talk over the summer of the Heat carrying only 13 players in the regular season, and while that hasn’t come true so far, there’s no strong indication that Mason will remain the team’s 15th man.
- Lorenzo Brown, 76ers (10.9 MPG): Like teammate Elliot Williams, he saw his longest periods of action in a pair of mid-month blowouts, but he hasn’t played since, and the Sixers assigned him to the D-League on Thursday.
- Daniel Orton, 76ers (10.9 MPG): He started four games in late November, but he hasn’t seen as many as 10 minutes in a single contest since.
- Elliot Williams, 76ers (10.8 MPG): It’s been three weeks since he played more than 10 minutes in a game decided by a margin of fewer than 10 points. Still, the Sixers have to keep at least 13 guys, so unless they want to bring in free agents or 10-day signees, they’ll have to keep at least two of Williams, Orton, Brown and Davies.
- Lou Amundson, Pelicans (10.5 MPG): Three of his four longest outings came in the 10 days leading up to the return of Anthony Davis, but Amundson has only played five minutes since.
- Josh Harrellson, Pistons (9.2 MPG): “Jorts” helped the Pistons last week with his two longest stretches of playing time all season, but he’s disappeared from the rotation again this week.
- Ian Clark, Jazz (8.8 MPG): The summer league star has yet to reproduce the magic with Utah, appearing for just 70 minutes so far this season, and he’s put up pedestrian numbers in three D-League games.
- Greg Smith, Rockets (8.4 MPG): A sprained knee has limited him to just eight games so far this season, though with uncertainty surrounding the power forward position in Houston and the future of Omer Asik, there doesn’t seem to be much motivation to drop Smith.
- Solomon Jones, Magic (8.2 MPG): The 29-year-old hasn’t played since December 6th and is seemingly only around in case too many big men go down. The Magic, with little to play for this season, probably don’t need to spend a full season’s salary on such a player.
- Hasheem Thabeet, Thunder (8.0 MPG): His $500K partial guarantee covers his salary right up until the day Oklahoma City would have to waive him to avoid paying him his full $1.2MM salary. With rookie Steven Adams having beaten him out for the backup center job, Thabeet may not be long for OKC.
- Julyan Stone, Raptors (7.3 MPG): If GM Masai Ujiri was going to let go of Stone, who’s played for Ujiri in Denver as well as Toronto, he’d probably have done so earlier this month when he waived D.J. Augustin instead.
- Ryan Gomes, Thunder (7.0 MPG): The veteran swingman has only appeared in four games this season, making him tantamount to an insurance policy Oklahoma City hasn’t needed to exercise. The Thunder are less than $1.5MM away from luxury tax territory, so not having to pay Gomes for the entire season could give the team more breathing room.
- Ryan Kelly, Lakers (7.0 MPG): Mike D’Antoni hadn’t found much use for this year’s 48th overall pick all season until Christmas Day, when his 17 minutes nearly doubled his previous high. He appears to have played his way into the rotation for now, and given the Lakers’ investment of a draft pick, it seems he’ll stick around.
- Dionte Christmas, Suns (6.9 MPG): The 27-year-old rookie is a favorite of GM Ryan McDonough, but he hasn’t played as many as 10 minutes in a game in more than a month.
- Rasual Butler, Pacers (6.5 MPG): The 34-year-old entered the rotation this week for the first time all season, but Friday he saw just six minutes in Danny Granger’s return from injury. If Granger can prove himself fully healthy in the next couple of weeks, the cost-conscious Pacers might unload Butler.
- Kent Bazemore, Warriors (6.3 MPG): The second-year shooting guard hasn’t grabbed a rotation spot even with other Golden State wings missing time with injury, though I’d be surprised if the Warriors gave up on the 24-year-old so soon, especially if they feel he’d be attractive to other teams in a trade.
- Peyton Siva, Pistons (5.8 MPG): His $150K partial guarantee became irrelevant a week ago, and if Detroit opts to keep this year’s 56th overall pick, it will represent an investment in the future rather than the present, given his almost non-existent playing time. The Pistons sent him to the D-League on Thursday.
- Toure’ Murry, Knicks (5.7 MPG): The Knicks wanted to keep some younger players coming out of camp, but they haven’t given Murry much chance to show what he can do in the regular season.
- Hamady N’Diaye, Kings (5.3 MPG): Apart from a 25-minute appearance in November, he hasn’t recorded double-digit minutes in any game. The 26-year-old probably doesn’t have much upside, and with DeMarcus Cousins locked up long-term, there’s little call for journeyman centers in Sacramento.
- Henry Sims, Cavaliers (5.3 MPG): The 6’10” center has played more minutes in the D-League than he has in the NBA this year, even though he’s only appeared in three D-League games.
- Ronnie Brewer, Rockets (4.8 MPG): The seven-year NBA veteran was a part of a vaunted Bulls bench that helped the club to back-to-back top playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference in recent years, and he started 34 games for the Knicks last season. He’s curiously become an afterthought following a midseason trade to the Thunder a year ago, and he’s seen the fewest minutes of his career this season with the Rockets.
- Cole Aldrich, Knicks (3.5 MPG): He, like Murry, is part of the team’s commitment to young players, but the Knicks didn’t find much use for him with Tyson Chandler out, and he may be the one to go if the team signs Jeremy Tyler.
- Erik Murphy, Bulls (2.4 MPG): He’s seen just 36 total minutes all season, and the Bulls might want to reduce their luxury tax bill now that they don’t have realistic title hopes. Still, I’d be surprised if they gave up so soon on this year’s second-round pick, especially since more than half of his rookie minimum salary is guaranteed.
- Malcolm Thomas, Spurs (0.0 MPG): The power forward has yet to make his debut in San Antonio after the Spurs signed him December 3rd, but he’s already been on a pair of D-League assignments. Thomas seems like a long shot to remain on the roster unless the Spurs value him as a long-term asset.
Grizzlies Seeking Wing Upgrade Via Trade
The Grizzlies are actively seeking trades that would add athleticism on the wing and improve the team in the short term, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger also hears from sources who expect Zach Randolph to turn down his more than $16.9MM player option for next season in search of a long-term deal this summer.
Memphis, just 12-15, has lost starting wings Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince to injuries for stretches this season, while backup wing Quincy Pondexter is out for the year with a broken foot. A report earlier this week indicated the team is looking to shake up its roster and offered Jerryd Bayless to the Lakers for a package that would have included Jodie Meeks.
Berger indicates that Memphis wants to see how far its core of Allen, Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley can take it for now and build around Gasol and Conley for the future. The Grizzlies would be in the mix to retain Randolph if he opts out, according to Berger. The team doesn’t want to lose Randolph without compensation, but unless he tells Grizzlies management that he intends to leave, it doesn’t appear there’s a pressing need to trade him this season, Berger writes.
The Grizzlies have several trade exceptions at their disposal, the largest of which is worth a little more than $2MM. Memphis is about $3.5MM clear of luxury tax territory, so there should be enough flexibility for the team to strengthen its bench, if nothing else.
Draft Notes: LaVine, Parker, Eligibility
Christmas was yesterday for most, but for NBA draft enthusiasts, it’s six months and one day away. June 27th is the date for this year’s selection meeting, and with so much attention focused on the 2014 draft class, we’ll be hearing plenty about it between now and then. Here’s the latest:
- Athleticism, size, scoring touch and an ability to play both guard spots have made Zach LaVine the fastest riser among this year’s draft class, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv examines. The UCLA freshman is No. 39 among the DraftExpress top 100 prospects, but he’s No. 10 on the ESPN Insider draft board and No. 6 at NBADraft.net. Still, LaVine’s production has slipped in his latest performances, as ESPN’s Joe Kaiser points out in an Insider piece.
- HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler unveils his latest mock, with Jabari Parker at the top. LaVine checks in at No. 28.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe joins those calling for a rules change that would bar college freshmen like Parker and LaVine from entering the draft. Washburn points to the career of Lakers forward Shawne Williams, the first true freshman taken under the “one-and-done” rule, as an example of what can go wrong.
Atlantic Rumors: Zarren, Udrih, Woodson
The Atlantic Division is dreadful this year, and while that may be a matter of happenstance, it could lead to an unbalanced playoff bracket, as SB Nation’s Tom Ziller examines. The Atlantic-leading Raptors have a record that’s worse than the Pistons, but Toronto would draw the Bobcats in the first round while Detroit would have to face the Heat if the postseason began today. Of course, there’s plenty of season left, so while we wait to see if such disorder comes to fruition, here’s the latest from the NBA’s worst division:
- The “wheel” proposal for assigning NBA draft picks is the brainchild of Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald points out. GM Danny Ainge supports the idea as well, though Hoops Rumors readers aren’t quite as receptive.
- Beno Udrih has been the subject of public criticism from Mike Woodson of late, and while the point guard isn’t calling his coach out by name, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com thinks it’s clear that Udrih is frustrated with Woodson. “I’ve always been pretty good with not turning over the ball and this year it’s totally different. I don’t know what happened [last] summer. I don’t think I forgot [how] to play basketball. So there’s a lot of factors,” Udrih said. “You can point fingers at me as much as you can but if things don’t work it’s not one person’s fault … It’s a team sport.”
- Former Nets, Knicks and Celtics guard Stephon Marbury recently signed a long-term deal to remain in China with the Beijing Ducks, and tells Marc Berman of the New York Post that there’s no chance he’ll play in the NBA again. The 36-year-old Marbury, who hasn’t appeared in the Association since the 2008/09 season, made similar comments about his future this past June.
- We passed along news on the Knicks‘ interest in Rajon Rondo earlier this morning.