Pera, Levien On Gay, Stats, Hollins, Randolph, Tax
Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien today held their first press conference with local media since November, and after a pair of trades within the last month, there was plenty to catch up on. Marlon W. Morgan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal rounded up comments from the presser, and fellow Commercial Appeal scribe Kyle Veazey followed up with an exclusive interview with the two men in charge of the team. Both pieces are worth a read, but we'll round up the highlights of what Pera and Levien had to say from both stories here:
Pera on Rudy Gay:
"I was actually a big Rudy Gay fan. He was 6'9", over a 7-foot wing span with a 40-inch vertical, really smooth and athletic and on the highlights all the time. He was awesome. But like I said, going back to basketball and how it’s a team sport and all the pieces fit together, the offense we run is really traditional. It’s inside-outside, a grinding type of offense. Rudy’s talent, his potential really couldn’t be maximized in our system. I think it was good for him and I think it was good for the team. I think the pieces we got back were much stronger. I wouldn’t say the players we got back were necessarily better than Rudy. Rudy’s a special talent. But for our team and for our fit, I think the personnel and the team we have constructed now is probably the best Grizzlies team when you’re looking at the total team and chemistry and how it fits our style of play.”
Pera on the team's reliance on advanced metrics:
"Well, we like the movie "Moneyball." They use a lot of advanced statistics for the Oakland A's teams. But the difference between baseball and basketball, is (in) baseball, you have individual players, they each have an on-base percentage and a batting average, defensive capabilities. All these parts added together equals the strength of the team, right? But in basketball it's completely different. A player can be immensely valuable in one system and maybe not as valuable in another system. I think it's the combination of pieces in basketball. Analytics are a great tool but you also have to look at the individual player analytics in the context of the system you're running."
Pera on whether coach Lionel Hollins, in the last year of his deal, will receive a new contract:
“I think all that for now is confidential. The final decision will come down to Jason and I’ll approve whichever direction he wants to go."
Levien on Hollins:
"I don’t think it behooves us to speak publicly about any kind of contract situation. We had a great meeting with Lionel and I’ve certainly enjoyed the interaction he and I have had over the past several months. He has a proven track record that’s very impressive as a coach. We see him as a big asset to the team."
Levien on Zach Randolph:
"There was never a serious discussion or dialogue around trading Zach Randolph. I can say that categorically. We’re really proud of him for going back to the All-Star Game."
Levien on the team's luxury tax strategy:
"We don't have a hard and fast rule about being in the tax or not being in the tax, being up to the line or not. We want to field the most competitive team. Part of it is — yeah, you don't want to throw money away — but part of it is, when you're in the tax, it restricts in the kind of trades you can make, the kind of free agents you can sign, the kinds of decisions you can make to get better. That's what the rules do now. It's not just about the money. So, we've talked about not having a hard and fast line, or where we're going to be, but thinking through what's our end game? Our end game is to be consistently very competitive and try to win a championship. I think some years you're going to see us in the tax, some years you're going to see us well below it, some years you're going to see us just up against it. The money is one of the factors, but the biggest factor is how do we field the best team going forward?"
D-League Moves: Melo, Smith, Lamb
We'll round up today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with the latest movement on top of the page.
- Two days after re-assigning him to the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics have recalled Fab Melo, the team announced today in a press release. The rookie big man had six points and five rebounds in his lone game for the Red Claws this weekend.
- Rockets center Greg Smith has been sent to the D-League, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Smith will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the first time this season after spending 26 games with the Vipers last year. The 6'10" Smith is averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.9 minutes with the Rockets this season, but lost his spot in the rotation to Cole Aldrich over the past two games.
- The Bucks have recalled rookie Doron Lamb from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Milwaukee sent him down to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants a week ago, and the 6'4" shooting guard has had mixed results in four games since, going scoreless on Wednesday against Sioux Falls and hitting for 24 points last night versus Iowa. In six D-League games over two separate stints, Lamb is averaging 10.3 points in 25.5 minutes per game. He's put up 3.4 PPG in 12.2 MPG with the Bucks, but hasn't seen action in an NBA contest since January 5th, the final game before Jim Boylan took over for Scott Skiles as coach.
Eastern Notes: Josh Smith, Turner, Richardson
Rumors have been swirling around Josh Smith the past couple of days, yet HoopsWorld's Lang Greene says that the Hawks aren't actively shopping Smith for now, and are simply listening to offers to gauge the power forward's value. Greene also passes along the comments Smith made about the speculation in a video report by Atlanta journalist Nubyjas Wilborn. Smith is far from the only player who's had to respond to trade chatter as the February 21st deadline approaches, as we hear from another who could be on the move in our roundup from the Eastern Conference:
- Evan Turner's name has also emerged on the trading block, and the former No. 2 overall pick acknowledges the decision is out of his hands, as John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes.
- Mitchell wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers and Jason Richardson wind up pursuing a buyout. Richardson, who could be out as long as 12 months with a cartilage tear on his kneecap, is due $5.8MM this year and $6.2MM next season, with a $6.6MM player option for 2014/15.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Knicks will assess the health of Rasheed Wallace, who's dealing with a left foot injury, after the All-Star break, and if the results aren't favorable, they'll pursue another big man.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $20MM in October, but Thibodeau has yet to sign the contract, reports Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
Rockets GM Focused On Offseason, Not Deadline
Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer and other prominent names have surfaced in trade rumors the past few days, but as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details, Rockets GM Daryl Morey isn't willing to make a deal before the deadline if it precludes the team from seeking marquee talent in free agency.
"Except if something unexpected comes along, someone signed that is very good and wants to be moved, we plan to keep our flexibility as an available destination for whatever free agent is available in July," the GM said.
Morey didn't rule out a minor move like last year's deadline deal that brought in Marcus Camby, as long as it doesn't compromise the team's summer plans. The Rockets have about $40MM in commitments for next season, which should be enough room to sign a maximum-salary free agent. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported this week that the Rockets are interested in Dwight Howard and, if they miss out on him, Andrew Bynum, both of whom will be free agents this summer. Reports have also linked Houston to Smith, who could be had either at the deadline or in the offseason.
As Feigen notes, James Harden continues to make a recruiting pitches to other stars around the league, but declines to name just whom he's been talking to. Harden would probably run afoul of the league's tampering rules if he did divulge any names, but, having signed a five-year extension that will keep him in Houston through the 2017/18 season, it's clear he wants the team to bring in more talent around him. The Rockets, tied with the Jazz for seventh place in the Western Conference, have a two-game lead on the Blazers for the last playoff spot, and Harden believes making the postseason would be a key in attracting free agents as well.
Pacific Rumors: Dwight, Magic, Hill, Kings
Dwight Howard's father made news yesterday, weighing in on his son's upcoming free agency and the way he gets along with Mike D'Antoni and Kobe Bryant, among other topics. The younger Howard declined to address Dwight Sr.'s remarks, and Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game is not surprised. Bucher says the relationship between Howard and son is a rocky one, and that Dwight Sr. has given several inaccurate off-the-record stories about his son to reporters over the years (Sulia link). It hasn't been easy to separate fact and fiction with the seemingly mercurial Howard over the past two years of his NBA career, but we're sure to hear plenty more about him between now and the day he inks his next contract this summer.
In the meantime, there's more about D12 and other Pacific Division figures right here:
- Howard never wanted to go to L.A., according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, who hears the Magic were threatening to trade him to the Lakers if he didn't decline the early-termination option on his contract at last year's trade deadline.
- Though Grant Hill is not ruling out a return to the Clippers, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel is convinced this is the final season for the 40-year-old, based on Hill's comments to him this week.
- If Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson can work with Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle to mount a credible bid for the Kings, the league will be facing an unprecedented showdown between two cities seeking the franchise, observes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- Fellow Bee scribe Mark Glover examines some of the 20 local investors who've committed $1MM apiece to become minority owners if the Kings stay in Sacramento.
Kyler On Gordon, Lakers, Redick, Expirings
HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler took to Twitter for his latest round of trade deadline updates, and we'll round up the highlights here:
- We heard Friday that the Hornets are willing to discuss offers for Eric Gordon, but the team says its interest in trading him is overstated, according to Kyler, who adds that New Orleans is looking for "tremendous value" in return for the 24-year-old shooting guard.
- The Lakers, winners of seven out of nine games, have an open roster spot, and are without big men Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill because of injury. Still, they're unlikely to make an addition unless they start losing again.
- The Bucks, Bulls, Pacers and Knicks have all emerged as suitors for J.J. Redick, but the Magic's price is "very high" because they'd like to retain the sharpshooter.
- Answering a question about Cole Aldrich's $2.445MM expiring contract with the Rockets, Kyler says expiring deals aren't as sought-after this season as usual, because most teams that want to clear cap space for the summer have already done so, and teams looking to unload players to avoid the tax wouldn't be able to get under the tax line by dumping anyone in the last year of his deal. It's a trend he expects to continue under the new CBA, with shorter contracts and fewer teams likely to become taxpayers.
Thunder ‘Open-Minded’ About Eric Maynor Swap
Coming into the season, there figured to be a competition for the Thunder's backup point guard spot between second-year man Reggie Jackson and Eric Maynor, who returned from missing most of last year with a torn ACL. Jackson has gained the upper hand, and with Maynor's rookie deal set to expire at the end of the season, several other teams have asked the Thunder about Maynor's availability, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Still, Spears says GM Sam Presti and company are inclined to keep Maynor, even as they keep open minds about the possibility of trading him.
A report about a month ago indicated the Sixers had explored the possibility of acquiring Maynor, who hasn't seen as many as 10 minutes in a game since December 17th. He's putting up career-worst numbers almost across the board, and wasn't particularly efficient even before his injury. The VCU product's best per-36-minute averages for points (10.8) and assists (7.5) were set during his rookie season, when the Jazz traded him to Oklahoma City. His career PER is a below-average 11.1.
The Thunder passed on an extension for Maynor before the season. If they don't trade him, they'll have to decide whether to tender him a $3.351MM qualifying offer before July 1st that would allow the team to retain the right to match offers for him when he hits free agency in the offseason. Maynor, the 20th pick in the 2009 draft, makes $2.339MM this year.
Warriors Rebuffing Offers For Harrison Barnes
Last night the Warriors fell, in blowout fashion, to the Mavs for their fourth straight loss, and have dropped to sixth place in the Western Conference. Still, Golden State isn't about to move its lottery pick from this past June. Small forward Harrison Barnes is drawing plenty of interest around the league, but it would take a "major offer" for the Warriors to even consider trading him, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link).
Barnes, 20, slid right into the small forward spot that the Warriors had prioritized upgrading during the offseason. His numbers don't jump off the page, as he's averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game, but he's scored in double figures in five of his last seven contests, including a career-high-tying 21 points against the Suns the last time Golden State won.
The Warriors have little flexibility, and are about $3MM under their hard cap for the season. That would make it difficult for them to acquire much help in return for Barnes' rookie-scale contract, which pays him just $2.798MM this year.
Underachieving Players Making $10MM+
Yesterday, we heard about a Bobcats proposal that would send Ben Gordon to the Nets for Kris Humphries. That came on the heels of news that the Bulls and Raptors have talked about a potential trade involving Carlos Boozer and Andrea Bargnani. In both scenarios, the teams would be swapping players who make eight-figure salaries. By and large, none of the four have proven a worthwhile investment.
Such is often the case as teams have to figure out the best way to deal with the strain on their salary caps. Sometimes, those clubs find a trade partner, whether it's someone who wants to swap one overpaid guy for another, or a team that's willing to absorb a large expiring deal to create flexibility in the future. On occasion, a player whose salary is too hefty for one team fits just fine on another, as with Toronto's acquisition of Rudy Gay from the Grizzlies.
With the trade deadline approaching, here's a rundown of other players making $10MM or more this season who aren't delivering commensurate production. The list doesn't include Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and Andrew Bynum, who haven't played this year because of injury. Each player's 2012/13 averages in points, rebounds and assists per game, along with his salary for this season, are in parentheses.
- JaVale McGee, Nuggets (10.1 PPG/4.8 RPG/0.4 APG; $10MM): McGee makes the most of his limited time on the floor, posting a 21.7 PER in 18.6 minutes per game. Still, four years and $44MM is a lot for a part-time player, and the Nuggets aren't averse to trading someone they just signed long-term, as they did last year when they acquired McGee for Nene.
- Corey Maggette, Pistons (5.3/1.4/1.1; $10.924MM): He and Jose Calderon represent close to $22MM worth of expiring contracts Detroit could package in a deal. The Pistons would reportedly rather use their upcoming cap space to improve via trades than to pursue free agents.
- Richard Jefferson, Warriors (4.0/1.6/0.7; $10.164MM): He was deadline fodder last year, and with an $11MM player option for next season, Golden State probably wouldn't mind sending him packing two years in a row. Still, the Warriors seem content to sit back and see what they've got now that Andrew Bogut is back.
- DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (9.2/7.3/0.4; $10.533MM): He's scoring at a career-best rate, but the Clippers are paying more than $1MM for each point per game he averages, which could make L.A. anxious to part ways.
- Pau Gasol, Lakers (13.4/8.0/3.6; $19MM): His struggles have been well-documented, but the Lakers would probably have a hard time finding takers for a $19MM-a-year guy who could be on the shelf for the rest of the regular season.
- Eric Gordon, Hornets (17.0/1.5/2.8; $13.669MM): Friday was just the 26th game Gordon has played in his two seasons as a Hornet, and he's yet to display the 22.3 PPG form he displayed in his final year with the Clippers. Both Gordon and New Orleans appear open to a trade.
- Amare Stoudemire, Knicks (14.1/4.6/0.4; $19.949MM): He's a bench player who's due more than $65MM between this year and 2015, when his contract is up. The Knicks would surely love to find a taker, but they'd be lucky to do so.
- Hedo Turkoglu, Magic (2.9/2.4/2.1; $11.816MM): Orlando has been trying to dump Turkoglu since before the Dwight Howard trade, but may have more luck this year, with only half of next season's $12MM guaranteed.
- Stephen Jackson, Spurs (6.7/3.0/1.4; $10.06MM): His numbers are approaching career-worst levels across the board. The Spurs may be content to let his contract expire at the end of the year, but if another team can take him off their hands in exchange for a guy who can better aid San Antonio's title chances this season, the Spurs might just do it.
- Emeka Okafor, Wizards (8.8/8.6/1.2; $13.49MM): He's averaging career lows in points and minutes, but his per-36-minute rebounding rate this season is his all-time best, and he has an above-average 16.3 PER. That probably still isn't enough to get another team to take him on for the nearly $28MM he's owed this year and next.
- Nene, Wizards (12.7/6.7/2.8; $13MM): He was traded in the first season of a five-year, $65MM last year, so anything can happen. But he's only just now back to regularly seeing more than 30 minutes a game after dealing with plantar fasciitis, and the timing doesn't seem right for a deal.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Josh Smith, Suns, Mavs, Tony Allen
It's a light five-game schedule in the NBA tonight, with no clashes of two teams that appear to be headed for the playoffs. So, it may be time for a few executives around the league to take their eyes off the court and delve into trade talks, with the deadline just a dozen days away. We'll be keeping tabs on all the latest, with a few afternoon items right here:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News expects the Suns and Mavs to be players for Josh Smith before the deadline (Twitter link). Yesterday we heard there's a 60% chance the Hawks deal Smith away, and that they're seeking a "quality young center" in return — the sort of asset neither Phoenix nor Dallas appears to possess, which could necessitate a three-way swap.
- Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth praises Tony Allen's defense, and passes along comments from the Grizzlies swingman about hitting free agency this summer. "I'd like to stay but whatever happens I'm cool with it," Allen said. "I'll get what's coming to me. At least I hope. They say defense wins games, right? They say it's all about how you play defense, right?"
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game is surprised that Brandon Jennings has changed agents, arguing that Excel's Jeff Schwartz is likely to use the same leverage BDA's Bill Duffy would have when Jennings becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason (Sulia link).
- Brad Rock of the Deseret News believes the Jazz should stand pat at the trade deadline and preserve their flexibility for the summer.
- Chris Dortch of NBA.com looks at how potential No. 1 overall pick Nerlens Noel sizes up against Anthony Davis and other shot-blocking savants.
- Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com examines the top power forwards available in the 2013 draft.