Eddie House Seeking Return To NBA
Veteran guard Eddie House is working out and waiting for a call from an NBA team, he tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The 34-year-old House, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, was in training camp with the Heat last year, but the team let him go in favor of rookie Terrel Harris. House said he had a tryout with another NBA club last season, and though he believes it went well, no offer was made.
House was a second-round draft pick by the Heat in 2000, and averaged 7.5 points per game and 39% shooting from beyond the arc over a lengthy career that included stops with eight different NBA teams. He appeared in 56 games for Miami in 2010/11, and his numbers of 6.5 PPG and 38.9% three-point shooting weren't far removed from his career marks.
House believes teams may prefer to go with first- and second-year players instead of veterans like him, since they can be had for cheaper minimum salaries. Even though the league compensates teams for the cost beyond the third-year veteran's minimum of $854,389 for players on one-year minimum deals, the rookie minimum of $473,604 is only a little more than half as much. Players with one year of experience get a minimum of $762,195, also a savings over a guy like House.
"Obviously, if you're calling me now, you're not calling me to be a huge part of the offense," House said. "I'm going to be a practice player, a filler. But if you can save $400K, on the business side of it, it makes plenty of sense."
Kevin McHale To Return To Rockets
Coach Kevin McHale is expected to rejoin the Rockets soon, and could be back from his lengthy leave of absence by tonight, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. McHale left the team on November 10th, and though no reason was officially announced, it became clear he was tending to his ailing daughter, Sasha, who passed away November 24th. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson has been running the team in his stead.
The Rockets were 2-3 to start the season under McHale, and now sit at 9-9 after last night's loss to the Spurs. They take on the Mavs tonight in Houston. McHale went 34-32 in his first season with the Rockets last year, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth. He was 39-55 in two previous coaching stints in Minnesota, when he came down to the bench from the team's front office.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says via Twitter that McHale will be with the Rockets tonight, but Feigen is unsure if that means he'll be coaching the team this evening.
Raptors, Wolves Interested In Pau Gasol
10:51pm: The report connecting Gasol and the Timberwolves is news to the T-Wolves, tweets Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
8:07am: The Raptors and Timberwolves recently attempted to initiate trade discussions with the Lakers about Pau Gasol, but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has convinced the club to continue to take a pass on offers until Steve Nash returns, as Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne report for ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza are among those the Raptors are talking about including in a Gasol deal, according to Stein and Shelburne. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who's told by rival executives that the Raptors are the most likely destination for Gasol, hears that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is currently unwilling to include Bargnani in a deal. That could change, however, if Colangelo starts to feel pressure to win now.
It's an "open secret" that Wolves GM David Kahn has been after Gasol since last season in attempts to put together a core of Kevin Love and Spaniards Gasol and Ricky Rubio, Stein and Shelburne write. Kahn's trade offers have been built around Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic, packages that continually meet with rejection from the Lakers.
Hornets power forward Ryan Anderson, reportedly L.A.'s No. 1 target in a Gasol deal, is a "virtual untouchable" as far as New Orleans is concerned, according to the ESPNLosAngeles.com story. The Hawks, Rockets and Nuggets have no interest in obtaining Gasol, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
The 32-year-old Gasol is making $19MM this year and is due $19.286MM next season in the final year of his deal. He's averaging 12.6 points per game on 42% shooting, both career lows, and has missed the last two games because of tendinitis in both knees.
International Moves: Johnson, Tskitishvili, Jones
While the majority of NBA executives are holding off on movement until December 15th, when most of the free agents signed this summer can be traded, there's plenty going on overseas. We'll round up the latest here.
- Armon Johnson has signed with Kazakhstan's BC Astana, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Johnson, 23, has NBA experience with the Trail Blazers and Nets, and was in camp with Orlando this fall before being waived by the Magic.
Earlier updates:
- Nikoloz Tskitishvili, whom the Nuggets selected with the fifth overall pick in 2002, has signed to play for Champville in Lebanon, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. He'll replace Dwayne Jones, who played parts of five NBA seasons (Twitter link). Tskitishvili, who hasn't appeared in the NBA since 2005/06, began the season with an Iranian team.
- Jermareo Davidson has inked with the Turkish club Antalya, according to Carchia. Davidson, a second-round pick of the Warriors in 2007, last played in the NBA in 2008/09.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com chronicles the struggles of Tracy McGrady in China, who's straining under the pressure of having to carry the winless Qingdao Double Star Eagles. Pastuszek notes the team is trying to unload fellow American import D.J. Mbenga, according to SinaSports (Chinese link). Mbenga signed with the team after the Mavericks cut him right before training camp.
Western Rumors: Cousins, Brown, Iguodala, Fisher
A matchup of fourth-place teams, as the Mavs travel to take on the Suns, is the only Western Conference tilt on a two-game night in the NBA, but the action off the court is much juicier. We delivered the latest on the Pau Gasol saga earlier this morning, and now here's more from the West.
- Slumping as he begins his third season, DeMarcus Cousins is nonetheless coveted by several teams around the league, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that the Kings remain uninterested in trading the 22-year-old center.
- Mike Brown, still owed $10MM from the Lakers after the team let him go just five games into the season, tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times that he'll eventually get back into coaching, but is in no rush.
- Andre Iguodala, who can exercise an early-termination option this summer, is a safer bet to remain with the Nuggets than Carmelo Anthony was as his deal neared an end, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
- Joe Kaiser of ESPN.com, after examining all the other options, believes the Mavs' signing of Derek Fisher was sound (Insider only).
- The Blazers have already declined their 2013/14 option on Luke Babbitt, but they might have to give him another look as an unrestricted free agent next summer now that he's jumped into the rotation, observes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- Rockets interim coach Kelvin Sampson reached out to Carlos Delfino during the summer and touted the ability for the Argentinian swingman to play a significant role with Houston, helping convince him to sign with the team. Jason Friedman of Rockets.com has the details.
Most Execs Would Trade 2013 Top Pick, Poll Says
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com surveyed 35 NBA executives, most of whom said they'd rather trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft than select from a thoroughly disappointing crop of prospects that lacks a franchise-changer like last year's No. 1, Anthony Davis (Twitter link). One GM called the field, "The worst I've ever seen."
"I'd trade the pick for sure," another GM said. "No one wants to pick first this year — and no one can live up to the No. 1 billing."
Goodman compares the draft class to 2006, when Andrea Bargnani was taken first overall and Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams and Tyrus Thomas were also top-five picks. No prospect among this year's bunch was favored by a majority of the executives Goodman polled, though Indiana center Cody Zeller garnered 31% of the vote. Kentucky's Nerlens Noel was second, with 23%.
Zeller's defensive shortcomings worry the executives, while Noel's offense and skinny frame similarly concern them. UCLA two-guard Shabazz Muhammad, the DraftExpress.com No. 1 prospect, tied for third in Goodman's poll amid doubts about his shooting and athleticism. Maryland center Alex Len, who tallied 11% of the vote just like Muhammad, has shot up draft boards thanks to the weight he added this summer, Goodman writes.
Others garnering votes as the No. 1 pick include Alex Poythress, Rudy Gobert, Tony Mitchell, Archie Goodwin and Anthony Bennett, though many of the executives say they wouldn't be surprised if someone emerges "out of nowhere," much like Andrew Bogut did in 2005.
Odds & Ends: Odom, Allen, Carroll, Mavs, Moultrie
Lamar Odom, preparing to face the Mavericks on Wednesday for the first time since they traded him to the Clippers, called his season in Dallas "a blur," as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times documents. "Sometimes we make pit stops in some places," Odom said. "I remember the people and the city. Basketball just wasn't there for me at that time." Odom added that he has no hard feelings for owner Mark Cuban, and spoke highly of the Mavs to former teammate Derek Fisher after the point guard signed with Dallas last week. If the reunion of Odom and the Mavs along with the rest of tomorrow's slate can live up to the drama of tonight's six-game schedule, we're in for a treat. Here's more from around the Association.
- The Heat have gotten plenty of return on their investment in Ray Allen, as he's fit in seamlessly as a complement at shooting guard to Dwyane Wade, who tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that he was always on board with the signing and never concerned that Allen would take his minutes.
- Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune chronicles the arduous journey DeMarre Carroll took to becoming a valuable part of the Jazz rotation on a minimum-salary deal.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News chatted with readers to discuss the ripple effect of the Fisher signing and the possibility of trades involving the Mavericks.
- Sixers coach Doug Collins and GM Tony DiLeo will meet to determine the best time to send this year's 27th overall pick, Arnett Moultrie, to the D-League, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com notes.
- Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of SI.com delve into several reasons why the Cavs shouldn't trade Anderson Varejao, and offer up some trade ideas that would offer fair value to Cleveland if the team were to pull the trigger.
Offseason In Review: Charlotte Bobcats
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Ramon Sessions: Two years, $10MM. Signed via cap room.
- Cory Higgins: Two years, $1.65MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. Non-guaranteed.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired Ben Gordon and a protected 2013 first-round pick from the Pistons in exchange for Corey Maggette.
- Claimed Brendan Haywood off amnesty waivers from the Mavericks. Bid $6.15MM over three years.
Draft Picks
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Round 1, 2nd overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Jeffery Taylor (Round 2, 31st overall). Signed via cap room.
Camp Invitees
- Jeff Adrien
- Paris Horne
- Josh Owens
- DaJuan Summers
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Bismack Biyombo, $3.05MM: Exercised
- Kemba Walker, $2.57MM: Exercised
The only glimmer of optimism for the Bobcats, as they finished off a season with the worst winning percentage in NBA history, was that it couldn't conceivably get any worse. Though the team failed to parlay a one-in-four chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to select Anthony Davis in this year's draft, the Cats still wound up with the No. 2 pick, which they used on defensive ace Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. President of basketball operations Rod Higgins said around the trade deadline last year that he and GM Rich Cho weren't looking for any quick fixes, and it seems like, with expectations as low as they can be, owner Michael Jordan is content to let his front office build at a deliberate pace. That seems logical, given the daunting task of rebuilding ahead of them.
Charlotte's philosophy was reflected in its coaching search, which Higgins once referred to as moving at a "nice, slow pace." Cho said the team wanted a coach who saw the job as an opportunity rather than a burden, which may have been tough to find if many agreed with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who called the opening "one of the least appealing coaching jobs in modern NBA history." The Bobcats made a surprising hire, going with Mike Dunlap, a relatively obscure college coach, over Nate McMillan, Brian Shaw and others. Dunlap has answered doubts as the team has shown competency early in the season, but even if the Bobcats had fallen flat, he'll be measured more by the development of the players than by wins and losses. The hiring came with risk, like any unconventional move, but he was an inexpensive choice, and the gamble could pay off if he's able to connect with the team's young talent.
Furthering their commitment to a slow-paced rebuild, the Bobcats traded Corey Maggette, who had one year at $10.9MM on his deal, for Ben Gordon, who'll get $12.4MM this season and will almost certainly exercise his $13.2MM player option for 2013/14. The payoff for taking on more money and more years is a protected first-round pick. The Pistons will keep the pick next June as long as they're in the lottery, which seems likely, but the selection is only top-eight protected in 2014 and top-one protected in 2015. If the Bobcats still haven't received the pick by then, it becomes unprotected for 2016. In any case, Charlotte seems destined for an extra lottery pick sooner or later, which seems to justify the use of cap space on Gordon that they probably wouldn't otherwise be using for a player who might put them over the top.
Other teams tried to convince the Bobcats to pull off one more trade, as the No. 2 pick in June's draft drew plenty of interest. They turned down an offer from the Wolves for 2011 second overall selection Derrick Williams, choosing to hold on to the pick and turn it into Kidd-Gilchrist, a lockdown perimeter defender who helps a Charlotte team that gave up 100.9 points last season, the fourth most in the NBA. Kidd-Gilchrist put up only 10.9 points per game in his only college season, but that's largely because he only averaged only 8.9 shots per contest for a loaded Kentucky team. The Cats also got Vanderbilt sharpshooter Jeff Taylor with the first pick in the second round, locking up a player who seemed targeted as a late first-rounder to a three-year deal at only slightly more than the minimum.
Higgins and Cho could have opened up more cap space by putting Tyrus Thomas on amnesty waivers, but there was no pressing need to do so. The team is looking to get rid of the final three years and $26.083MM of his contract via trades, though his left leg injury this season complicates that effort. The team used most of its available cap room to snatch up Ramon Sessions at an annual cost of $5MM for two years. Sessions declined his $4.55MM option with the Lakers for 2012/13 even though he said in May that he wanted to stay with the team, and when Steve Nash unexpectedly took his spot as the starting point guard in L.A., it short-circuited any plan Sessions might have had to re-sign with the Lakers. Sessions said last month that he opted out because he was looking for long-term stability, but he probably didn't envision going from a perennial contender to the worst team in the league on a two-year deal worth only slightly more money per season. He surely didn't imagine coming off the bench for the Bobcats, either, but he's served the team well in that capacity, as he's their second-leading scorer this season at 15.6 points per game. That's much more scoring than they got from D.J. Augustin, whom the team allowed to sign with the Pacers once Sessions was on board.
Charlotte used its cap space one more time to claim Brendan Haywood off amnesty waivers from the Mavs, winning his services with a bid worth slightly more than $2MM a year for three seasons. That's probably still too high a price for the 33-year-old big man, but for the Bobcats, the addition makes sense, since he's a legitimate center and 11-year vet who was a mainstay on a string of playoff teams with the Wizards. He's also a former teammate of Jordan's, which surely didn't hurt his chances of getting claimed by the Bobcats, even if the move does nothing to dispel Jordan's reputation for surrounding himself with cronies.
The Bobcats decided against an extension for Gerald Henderson, their 12th overall pick from 2009, an unsurprising decision that may signal the end of the swingman's time in Charlotte, particularly since the team drafted fellow wing players Kidd-Gilchrist and Taylor this year. Byron Mullens, who's exceeded expectations this season, will also hit restricted free agency next summer. Charlotte faces plenty of decisions on which of its young players to keep in the coming seasons, but offseasons like this past summer, in which the team isn't scrambling for a quick fix, will allow the Bobcats the flexibility to stay focused on youth and retain homegrown talent as they see fit.
Stern On Hornets, League Ownership, CP3 Trade
David Stern told John Reid of The Times Picayune that he would support the Hornets' decision to change their name to the Pelicans, a move that's expected but not yet finalized, as we passed along earlier today. The commissioner spoke at length with Reid and touched on more issues related to the New Orleans franchise, which the league owned before Tom Benson bought it earlier this year. We've rounded up the highlights of his talk here.
- Stern said he hopes the NBA doesn't have to take over another franchise. "That’s not a situation that is good for the league," he said. "But in the right circumstance I would do it again because when you make the commitment to the community, you’ve got to do what you got to do."
- Stern gave his thoughts on how the trade he approved for the team last year, sending Chris Paul to the Clippers, is working out for the Hornets. "I wish Eric (Gordon) was a little healthier," he said. "But I would say is that you got a good draft pick, we got a couple of few good, good players and I think Al-Farouq Aminu is playing well. I think Anthony Davis is going to be what everyone predicts for him. I’m hoping Eric Gordon comes back healthy. The team is in good shape and they have an enormous amount of cap room."
- The commissioner isn't concerned about lagging attendance in New Orleans, believing it will pick up once the team starts to put together some wins.
Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Odom, Clippers, Green
Two days after Kobe Bryant told Pau Gasol to put on his "big boy pants," Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com calls Bryant's latest comments his strongest message of support to date for Gasol, who's struggling amid trade rumors and tendinitis in both knees. "I want him to dig in and be determined, not discouraged," Bryant said. "We should go to him more on the post because he can dominate from there as he has to the tune of two rings. I'm sure we will adjust and figure out a balance when he comes back healthy." Bryant also said he loves Pau "like a brother," but Lakers fans aren't feeling the love from their team so far. While we wait to see if and when the Lakers get it going, here's what the Pacific Division teams on top of them in standings are up to.
- Lamar Odom has become a locker room leader for the Clippers, handing out books to other players a la Phil Jackson, but his most significant impact must come on the court, where he's showing signs of returning to form, argues Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Mavs center Chris Kaman, who spent eight seasons with the Clippers before they sent him to the Hornets in the Chris Paul deal, believes Clips owner Donald Sterling is growing more serious about winning as he gets older, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com documents. "You’ve seen since they picked (Paul) up all the guys wanting to be there," Kaman said. "Before he was there no one wanted to be there. It was like people hated themselves for being there."
- Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group details how Draymond Green's toughness, intelligence and obsession with winning have contributed to the Warriors' strong 10-7 start.