Mavs Sign Derek Fisher
THURSDAY, 2:39pm: Fisher is officially a Maverick, as the team announced today in a press release that it has signed the veteran point guard.
WEDNESDAY, 9:41pm: Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said the team will sign Derek Fisher tomorrow, reports Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link). The team has a full roster, with 15 players, and will have to release someone before the signing becomes official. Troy Murphy, who is presumed to be on a non-guaranteed deal, seems the best bet to go. It's not clear what the terms of Fisher's deal will be, but the Mavs have $1,974,509 of their room exception available after using part of it to sign second-round pick Jae Crowder this summer.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reported earlier tonight that the team was looking for a veteran point guard, and the 38-year-old Fisher fits that description. Fisher had narrowed his choices to three teams, as we passed along earlier tonight. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who broke that news, noted that Fisher was seeking to sign with a contender, but the Mavs, at 7-9 following a blowout loss to the Bulls tonight, seem outside of the championship picture, even with the return of Dirk Nowitzki looming. It could be that he chose the Mavs because they could give him more than the minimum, but the difference between the amount they can pay him and the $1.352MM he would earn as a 16-year veteran is not great.
Sefko wrote 10 days ago that the Mavs weren't interested in Fisher, but Carlisle told TNT's David Aldridge that the Mavs have been eyeing Fisher for "a while" (Twitter link). Darren Collison, who was benched for last night's game against the Sixers, missed tonight's contest with a sprained middle finger, and while X-rays are negative, there's no word on when he'll return.
Now that Fisher is returning to the league, it presumably erases doubts about his ability to remain as president of the players union. Fisher has been under fire from the union's executive committee, which asked him to resign in April amid a feud between Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter.
Suns Assign Kendall Marshall To D-League
THURSDAY, 12:32pm: The Suns made Marshall's assignment official today, as Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes.
“Right now Kendall is our third point guard on the depth chart," Suns GM Lance Blanks said. "We made the judgment that it'd be better to get Kendall some live game repetitions and game-time experience in case coach [Alvin] Gentry wants to play him."
WEDNESDAY, 10:29pm: The Suns will send rookie point guard Kendall Marshall to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The 13th overall pick in this year's draft had seen limited playing time behind Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair, and the Suns want to get him some time on the court, Coro says.
Marshall's demotion, however temporary, represents the wide chasm between his sitution and the one enjoyed by Damian Lillard, the other point guard taken in the lottery, who's drawing Rookie of the Year consideration with the Blazers. Portland chose Lillard with the sixth overall pick.
Marshall's assignment is the first for the Suns this year, who didn't send anyone down last season. New D-League rules this year allow teams to assign and recall a player as many times as they want, while the previous limit on demotions per season for a single player was three. To keep tabs on all the movement between NBA teams and their affiliate this year, bookmark our list, which we'll be updating throughout the season.
Western Notes: Fisher, Collison, Kings, Harden
If the playoffs began today, a team below .500 would make it to the postseason out of the Western Conference, a rare occurance in recent years, when the bulk of the league's better teams have been in the West. Of course, one of the sub-.500 teams right now is the Lakers, who are expected to turn it around sooner or later. The Mavs are another, and there's more news about their expected signing of Derek Fisher and other notes of interest from around the West.
- Darren Collison's inconsistent play had the Mavs thinking about a move for the past week or two, and it appears Fisher will take over as the starter in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle says Fisher isn't a cure-all for the team, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes via Facebook, and Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com believes Fisher's signing is a desperate move that follows a series of mistakes.
- Virginia Beach mayor Will Sessoms hopes to have a binding term sheet with a pro team, presumably the Kings, by March, which would pave the way for the Kings to file for relocation in April, according to Nick Monacelli of WAVY-TV 10.
- James Harden shared his thoughts with reporters shortly before tipoff of his return to Oklahoma City as a member of the Rockets tonight, and John Rohde of The Oklahoman provides excerpts.
- There's a "decent" chance Nemanja Bjelica, a 2010 second-round pick whose rights are owned by the Timberwolves, winds up in Minnesota next year, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- Blazers COO Sarah Mensah told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian that losing out on the team president job was a factor in her decision to leave.
- The Nuggets promoted a pair of front-office mainstays, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
Eastern Notes: Stoudemire, Evans, Bayless
The Wizards finally broke through tonight, winning their first game in 13 tries with a victory over the Blazers. With a tough stretch ahead, however, it doesn't seem like they'll be catching anyone in the Eastern Conference standings soon. Here's the latest from around the East.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com hears Amare Stoudemire would accept a bench role when he returns from injury, and that the Knicks are indeed considering making Stoudemire, on a nearly $100MM contract, their sixth man.
- Offseason sign-and-trade acquisition Reggie Evans could earn Sixth Man of the Year consideration if he keeps up his mastery of the boards for the Nets, opines A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- The Raptors were high on the idea of re-signing Jerryd Bayless, according to coach Dwane Casey, but the point guard decided to go to the Grizzlies instead, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The pressure has been on Magic GM Rob Hennigan as soon as he took the job, and after trading Dwight Howard, he must be right about his next big move, argues Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News rates Kyle Singler among the top five rookies, identifying him as a steal for the Pistons on his three-year, $3.135MM deal (Twitter link).
- The Pistons had no idea Brandon Knight would fall to them at pick No. 8 in the 2011 draft, and had been targeting Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris instead, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reveals via Twitter.
- Nets newcomer Mirza Teletovic said he isn't concerned by his lack of playing time as he spoke about his adjustment to the NBA with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link).
- Omri Casspi, in the last year of his rookie deal with the Cavs, is among the league leaders in three-point shooting after working on his shot in the offseason, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
Mavs Seeking Veteran Point Guard
The Mavericks, who've been linked to Derek Fisher, are looking for a veteran point guard, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, who mentions Fisher and Earl Boykins as possibilities. He also identifies Gilbert Arenas as a long shot, though it's unclear whether Arenas can get out of his one-year deal in China. Dallas is without Darren Collison, who has a sprained middle finger, for tonight's game against the Bulls, and there's no word on how long he'll be sidelined.
The Mavs would have to let someone go to make a signing, though Troy Murphy, whom the team added at the beginning of the month, is presumed to be on a non-guaranteed deal. They have $1,974,509 of their room exception available if they want to dole out more than the minimum salary.
Fisher will reportedly decide on a team by Thursday, having narrowed his choices to three finalists, which have yet to be revealed. There hasn't been much buzz surrounding the 36-year-old Boykins since he finished up last season with the Rockets, but he did rack up a 17.6 PER in 15.1 minutes per game for the Bucks in 2010/11. For a complete look at all the available point guards, check out the Hoops Rumors list of free agents.
Warriors Rumors: Bogut, Tyler, Bazemore, Lee
Andrew Bogut said today that he doesn't think he'll miss the season, but indicated that it could be awhile before he returns, as Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group reports. "The season's five to six months before the playoffs, which we have a great chance of making," Bogut said. "I don't think it's going to be five to six months. I hope it won't be. It would be a massive setback if it was. I'm not going to say a month or two months or three months, but I definitely think I'll be back." His comments came in a joint press conference held by Bogut and the Warriors to confirm that the two sides are on the same page as he recovers from left ankle surgery. There's more from that press conference and other Warriors news this evening, and we'll round it up here.
- Bogut explained that he's exhausting all options as he attempts to return, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I’ve almost resorted to Voodoo doctors," Bogut said. "I’ve seen everyone under the hat to try and get this ankle right."
- We heard earlier this morning that the microfracture aspect of Bogut's surgery in April wasn't a major part of the procedure, but Steward notes that Bogut said today that the entire procedure significantly lengthened the recovery time for the fractured ankle, which he first hurt in January. Without the surgery, Bogut said he might have been ready in July.
- Even if rookie Festus Ezeli emerges as a force inside, the Warriors aren't going to trade Bogut, tweets fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Marcus Thompson II.
- Coach Mark Jackson mentioned Jeremy Tyler and Kent Bazemore by name when he spoke about the team's desire to shuttle young players back and forth between the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, as Steward also noted.
- David Lee applauds the Warriors front office for acquiring Bogut last season as well as the others the team picked up during the summer, and thinks Golden State's turnover problems this season will improve as everyone on the team becomes more familiar with each other, as he tells HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram.
Raptors Seeking SF, Considering Mickael Pietrus
8:16pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that if the Raptors sign Pietrus, the team would let go of either Dominic McGuire or Alan Anderson. Wolstat also notes the Raptors nearly signed Pietrus last year, but were turned off by the results of a physical, since he was recovering from an injury at the time (Twitter link).
5:55pm: The Raptors are "strongly considering" free agent swingman Mickael Pietrus as they look to fill holes created by injury, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team is in the market for a small forward, with Landry Fields and Alan Anderson out up to a month, according to Stein (Twitter link). Any deal would have to be for the minimum salary, since the team used its room exception to sign Aaron Gray over the summer.
Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, said in July that his client wouldn't sign for the minimum, and it seems he's stuck to that assertion. It's unclear whether there's mutual interest between Pietrus and the Raptors. The team was reportedly considering him earlier this month as well, but nothing came to fruition. Pietrus also reportedly turned down an offer this month from the Spurs, though there was confusion about whether any offer was made. The Lakers have recently expressed interest in him, too.
Toronto has a full roster, with 15 players all on fully guaranteed deals, as Stein points out, so someone would have to go, with the team still on the hook for his salary. The team's three smallest salary commitments are to wing players Dominic McGuire, Quincy Acy and Anderson, so letting one of them go wouldn't do much to address their depth. The team is only paying Anderson the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389 on a one-year deal, so he'd seemingly be the most likely of that group to go, since he's on the shelf. John Lucas III has the next lowest salary, making $1.5MM this year with a team option for next season.
If the Raptors don't sign Pietrus, the alternative free agent small forwards aren't quiet as enticing, with Damion James and Terrence Williams probably the most appealing options. Check out our complete list of remaining free agents here.
Derek Fisher Expected To Sign Soon
7:58pm: A report 10 days ago by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News said the Mavs weren't interested in Fisher, but Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders if they might be, since the team is exploring "tweaks" to its roster and coach Rick Carlisle has expressed admiration of Fisher in the past.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe believes the Celtics may have a pressing need for a point guard if Rajon Rondo is given a lengthy suspension for his involvement in a fight during tonight's game against the Nets (Twitter link).
6:48pm: Derek Fisher is expected to sign with a team in the next several days, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who says the point guard is considering three teams and will likely make a decision by Thursday. Fisher hasn't been seriously linked to any teams since training camps began, though he's been working out with the Lakers. While it was initially thought Fisher couldn't sign with the Lakers, since they traded him away last year, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month that they can ink him to a deal, since he didn't exercise the 2012/13 player option on his contract before the Rockets bought him out in March.
The Lakers have been playing with third-stringer Darius Morris as the starting point guard with Steve Nash and Steve Blake sidelined, though Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game hears Nash could be back in seven to 10 days (Sulia link). Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets news that Blake will miss two more weeks, with Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times believing that he won't be back for nearly another month.
Fisher could only get a minimum-salary deal from the Lakers, who would have to waive someone else to fit him on the roster. This year's second-round picks, Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom, both of whom are currently assigned to the D-League, are on non-guaranteed deals.
There's no word that the Lakers are on Fisher's list of three teams, though they'd fit the profile of a contender, and Windhorst writes that the veteran is looking to sign with a team in the title hunt. Speculation linked him to the Celtics back in September, and while Boston seemingly filled its need for a backup point guard with Leandro Barbosa, the C's do have an open roster spot, as do the Thunder, for whom Fisher played last season. The Clippers and Grizzlies are also underneath the 15-man roster limit, according to our list of NBA roster counts.
Odds & Ends: Gasol, World Cup, Wizards, Freeland
With the NBA season four weeks old tonight, it's no surprise the Heat sit on top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Grizzlies, Spurs and Thunder aren't shockers atop the West, but two teams coming off their first meeting, not to mention eventful offseasons, share the fifth-best record in the league: the Knicks and the Nets. As we wait to see how the rest of the season plays out, here's the latest from around the league.
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni brushed off Pau Gasol trade talk, saying, "That definitely doesn’t come from us," notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Sulia link).
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun believes both Gasol and the Lakers could benefit from a trade.
- In no surprise, an NBA spokesperson said the league has no plans to take in-season breaks to accomodate the new qualifying schedule for the basketball World Cup, tweets ESPN's Alvaro Martin.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy wonders if it's time for the Wizards to let go of coach Randy Wittman, and wouldn't be surprised to see the team make a deal at the trade deadline.
- Joel Freeland has gone from contending for the starting center job to out of the rotation, and while the British big man is frustrated, Blazers coach Terry Stotts remains optimistic, as The Oregonian's Joe Freeman chronicles.
- The Bulls' bench is a poor match for Tom Thibodeau, and demonstrates a disconnect between the coach and the front office, writes David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. Still, Thibodeau isn't calling for any changes, as fellow Tribune scribe K.C. Johnson observes.
- Just as Tyreke Evans regressed following his Rookie of the Year campaign, Isaiah Thomas finds himself the odd man out of the Kings rotation a year after his impressive rookie season, notes Jim Cavan of The New York Times.
Texas Rumors: Harden, White, Duncan, Spurs
There are only five games on the NBA schedule tonight, but two of them involve Texas teams. The Mavericks fell on the road to the Sixers, while the Rockets hope to close out a win against the Raptors. The Lonestar State's other team, the Spurs, have the most wins in the NBA, but find themselves in an odd situation atop the Southwest Division standings — San Antonio, at 12-3, is a half game up on the 10-2 Grizzlies, but Memphis is technically in first place, thanks to a higher winning percentage. That math will eventually sort itself out once the teams have played an even number of games, but until then, here's the latest on all three Texas clubs.
- Kevin Martin, who traded places with James Harden before the start of the season, talked about what Harden's going through as he takes over as the No. 1 option for the Rockets, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman chronicles.
- With Harden set to return to Oklahoma City wearing a Rockets uniform tomorrow, writers from The Oklahoman weigh in on four Harden-related questions.
- Psychologist and former NBA team consultant Travis Heath, writing for HoopsWorld, shares his insight on the Royce White saga, calling for all teams to take a more proactive approach to mental health.
- Armed with a new three-year, $30MM contract, Tim Duncan is turning back the clock with his play for the Spurs, as USA Today's Scott Gleeson examines.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the wide-reaching influence of the Spurs front office.
- Sixers coach Doug Collins had kind words for his former pupil Elton Brand, whom the Mavs claimed off amnesty waivers from the Sixers this summer, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com tweets. "I wish I could've coached Elton one year in his prime," Collins said. "We miss him. EB is all about winning."