Southwest Notes: Granger, Grizzlies, Spurs
The Southwest Division, where four out of five teams could make the playoffs, is abuzz today. The Rockets and Spurs are jostling at the top of the Western standings, and have both been linked to Danny Granger, who could be the biggest buyout prize this year. The Mavs are also rumored to be in on Granger, and they’re bumping shoulders at the bottom of playoff contention with the Grizzlies, who claimed Beno Udrih off waivers today. Here’s some more from what should remain one of the more interesting divisions this year:
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles seconded earlier reports that the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavs all have a shot at Granger (Twitter link).
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger told reporters before tonight’s game, including Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, that he won’t address newly acquired Udrih until tomorrow (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies are a game and a half out of the playoffs this season after former coach Lionel Hollins took them to the Western Conference Finals last year, but CEO Jason Levien has no regrets about hiring new coach Dave Joerger. Levien made his comments in an appearance on Sports 56 WHBQ radio in Memphis, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal notes (Twitter link). “I feel better about the decision today than I did in June or July,” Levien said. “He’s been terrific.”
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jamaal Franklin D-League, the team announced. The 41st pick in the draft this past June hasn’t started in any of his three appearances with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, an affiliate Memphis shares with five other NBA teams.
- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tells Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News that the team hasn’t yet been active in the buyout market, but is ready when the opportunity arrives: “Like everyone else we’re looking at all the names. If we see there’s a body there we think can help us we’ll try to do it, but we haven’t done anything to this point.” The Spurs are reportedly one of the front-runners for Danny Granger’s services once the short-timer Sixers guard clears waivers.
- Metta World Peace is one player in the buyout market the Spurs are not interested in, according to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). The former Ron Artest was reportedly interested in San Antonio as a landing spot, but the interest apparently isn’t mutual.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Mavs Expected To Join Granger Pursuit
The Mavs are expected to have conversations with Danny Granger about joining them once he clears waivers, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Dallas is joining a long list of teams that are reportedly interested in the former All-Star with a career average of 17.6 PPG. The Clippers, Rockets, Bulls, Heat and Spurs are also in on the Granger sweepstakes, with the Clippers and Spurs believed to be the favorites.
The Mavs would presumably have more room for Granger behind Monta Ellis at the shooting guard slot than his traditional small forward role, as Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, and Jae Crowder are all productive wings taking up minutes there. The Mavs have played well of late, climbing up into the Western Conference 7th seed slot for the playoffs at 12 games over .500. However, they are still just 2.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies, who are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs with the 9th best record in the West. In the fiercely competitive West, no team is safe as we head into the stretch run.
Dallas sits at roughly $4.47MM under the luxury tax line, which could give them an edge against other teams near or already over the tax line, as the actual cost of adding Granger will be steeper than his salary for those teams. The Mavs are nonetheless limited to offering the minimum salary.
Sixers, Granger Nearing Buyout
10:12am: There isn’t quite as much interest in Granger as other reports have suggested, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who hears from one GM who says that he has no interest at all and that Granger is “done” (Twitter link). Still, I’d be surprised if Granger doesn’t receive multiple attractive offers once a buyout is done.
WEDNESDAY, 7:59am: The buyout should be done today, TNT’s David Aldridge hears, identifying the Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Rockets and Spurs as teams in the hunt for the 30-year-old (Twitter link).
10:55pm: It’s also being said that Granger is weighing all of his options right now, including staying with Philadelphia for the remainder of the season, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. However, if Granger should complete a buyout soon enough, Stein tweets that the Spurs and Clippers will be in a two-team race for his services.
TUESDAY, 4:35pm: Granger appears to be limiting his interest to realistic title contenders, rather than mere playoff teams, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
MONDAY, 6:30pm: Coach Brett Brown told reporters, including Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter), that the club might have an announcement regarding Granger in the next 24 hours. There’s no nameplate on Granger’s locker and he won’t be in action for tonight’s game against the Bucks.
SATURDAY, 12:06pm: League sources tell Charania that Granger would likely choose between the Heat, Clippers, Bulls, Spurs, and Mavs as a free agent should the buyout happen (Twitter link).
11:55am: In initial discussions regarding a buyout for recently acquired Danny Granger, the Sixers have been cooperative with the shooting guard, a league source tells RealGM.com’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
Despite reports that Granger was unhappy with being traded and immediately wanted a buyout, it appears there is no animosity between him and the Sixers organization. Earlier in the day, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Granger was undergoing a team physical, but adds that the physical does not mean that the former All-Star isn’t interested in a buyout (Twitter links).
Granger was traded to the Sixers from the Pacers at the trade deadline after spending the first eight-plus years of his career in Indiana. A knee injury has limited Granger’s athleticism and impact over the last two seasons, when he has been moved to the bench and averaged under 23 minutes and 10 points per game for the first time since his rookie season.
Knicks, Metta World Peace Agree To Buyout
MONDAY, 3:59pm: The Knicks announced that the buyout is now official.
2:01pm: The buyout is expected to become official today, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
SATURDAY, 5:29pm: World Peace and the Knicks have come to a buyout agreement, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link). It’s unclear when the buyout will become official and World Peace will hit waivers.
10:28am: The Knicks are working with Metta World Peace‘s agent on a buyout of his contract, the veteran announced today via Twitter. The small forward signed a two-year deal with the Knicks after the Lakers amnestied him last summer. He was being paid approximately $1.6MM this year, and had a player option for next year at nearly $1.7MM that will also be accounted for in the buyout negotiations. He will likely seek out a contending team to finish out this year, although none have been reported as interested this early in the process.
He had hoped that his time in New York could be a fairytale ending for his career, playing professionally for the first time in his home state. However, he hasn’t been a major part of coach Mike Woodson‘s rotation, playing by far the least minutes of his career at 13.4 a game. His reported disappointment in his reduced role led to some trade speculation on his end, although the Knicks never appeared to have any serious takers for the 34-year-old. Metta World Peace shares an agent with Beno Udrih, who is also working out a buyout agreement with the Knicks. Both are represented by Marc Cornstein of Pinnacle Management Corp. as you can see in our Agency Database.
After a nine-year prime stretch of his career when he averaged 18.7 points per game with the Pacers, Kings, and Rockets, the former Ron Artest was relied on more for his defensive prowess in four years with the Lakers from the 2009/10 season through last year, never scoring more than 12.4 PPG in a season. This year, he’s scored just 4.8 PPG in limited minutes.
Knicks, Beno Udrih Agree To Buyout
MONDAY, 3:59pm: The Knicks announced that the buyout is now official.
2:03pm: Udrih and the Knicks are expected to make the buyout official today, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 5:22pm: Al Iannazzone of Newsday hears that the buyout has been agreed upon. (Twitter link). It is not yet known when the buyouts will be officially announced.
10:50am: A league source confirms with Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that the Knicks are working on a buyout of Udrih’s contract (Twitter link).
10:31am: In addition to the news that New York will buy out Metta World Peace‘s contract, a league source tells Ian Begley of ESPN New York that the team is in discussions to cut ties with Beno Udrih as well (Twitter link).
The veteran backup point guard was signed this offseason to a one-year deal worth roughly $884K. After dissatisfaction with his playing time, and finding himself the source of blame for the Knicks troubles from coach Mike Woodson, Udrih made and then revoked a trade request earlier this season. The Knicks were involved with a lot of talks that included the 31-year-old leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, but ultimately couldn’t find a trading partner.
Udrih will likely look to catch on with a winning team in need of a backup point guard after clearing waivers. Udrih shares an agent with World Peace. Both are represented by Marc Cornstein of Pinnacle Management Corp., as you can see in our Agency Database.
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Knicks, Granger, Gordon
The Cavs have quietly reached out to at least one alternative candidate for their GM opening outside of interim David Griffin, reports Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. However, Lloyd says ownership is giving Griffin a fair shot at the job based on how he performs the rest of the season, and won’t be generating rumors that could distract him from the task at hand. Here’s more from around the league:
- Knicks Coach Mike Woodson confirmed to reporters, including Newsday’s Al Iannazzone, that the Knicks have agreed with both Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih on buyouts, but wouldn’t expound on the causes for either: “I can’t say anything went wrong,” Woodson said. “They weren’t in the rotations. I’m not going to linger on it. We’re buying them out.”
- In a separate piece, Iannazzone says that the Knicks offseason can’t be as quiet as their trade deadline was, since the team will be trying to upgrade their roster around Carmelo Anthony, whom they hope to re-sign over the summer. Iannazzone thinks that the expiring contracts for Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani could become movable assets along with Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert, who have already been involved in a lot of trade speculation.
- While Danny Granger‘s buyout is still a “distinct possibility,” nothing is imminent, as the initial trade between the Sixers and Pacers is not yet official, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.
- On a related note, Shelburne tweets that Ben Gordon‘s buyout talks with the Bobcats are progressing slowly as well.
- A group post at Basketball Insiders looks at players that they think should have been, but weren’t traded before Thursday’s deadline. Iman Shumpert, Rajon Rondo, and Pau Gasol, made the list.
- J.J. Barea told The Star Tribune that he didn’t want any of the trade rumors surrounding him leaving the Timberwolves before the recent trade deadline to come to fruition: “You never really want to get traded. I think I’m in a good situation here, and I think we have a good group of guys with a good staff.”
Western Notes: Clippers, Bazemore, Jackson
Kent Bazemore is hoping he becomes more known for his play than for his sideline celebrations as a new member of the Lakers. While many fans are excited for “Bazemoring” to combine with Lakers center Robert Sacre‘s antics on the bench, coach Mike D’Antoni tells Bill Oram of The Orange County Register he wants to see what Bazemore can add on the floor. “I’ll ask him if he wants to play,” D’Antoni joked, “or sit on the bench and be that guy. We’ll ask him. See what his response will be.” Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details how the Clippers spent money to save money in the deadline deals in which they sent Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens to the Hawks and Sixers, respectively. These kind of maneuvers are often a sign of a team eyeing the bottom line, but the Clippers are also shaving salary in preparation for adding more talent through the buyout market.
- A GM tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that he understands Pierre Jackson‘s decision to play overseas, but thinks Jackson is close to making it in the NBA and wishes the rookie would have stayed in the D-League. The same GM says that his team would have given Jackson a shot, but that their hands were tied (Twitter links). Jackson opted to sign in Turkey after he and the Pelicans couldn’t reach a deal this late into the season.
- The Rockets‘ newly acquired Jordan Hamilton tells Jason Friedman of Rockets.com that he’s excited to join Houston and try for a championship. “I’ve been watching the Rockets a lot this year,” Hamilton said after his first workout with his new team. “They’re a great team. Yes, we do have a chance to go far in the playoffs and possibly get a championship so I’m just happy to be a part of it.” The 23-year-old small forward came to the Rockets from the Nuggets in exchange for point guard Aaron Brooks in a trade earlier this week.
International Notes: Papanikolaou, Brown, Odom
The international scope of the NBA continues to grow, as teams become more and more invested in finding talent from all over the globe. Jusuf Nurkic is ranked as just the 33rd best prospect for the 2014 draft by Chad Ford of ESPN, but that’s enough potential to get eight NBA scouts in the stands at a Serbian basketball game, according to a tweet from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Here are some more things we have our eye on from overseas today:
- Kostas Papanikolaou is very likely to sign with the Rockets this summer, reports Givony (Twitter link). Houston owns the rights to the power forward, who is playing for FC Barcelona on the first year of a four-year deal he signed this offseason. It is likely the Rockets would have to work out a buyout with the Spanish team to bring him stateside, although the details of his contract are unclear.
- Bobby Brown could be an addition at point guard for an NBA team once his season in China ends two weeks from now, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles. The Clippers were the last team rumored as a potential destination for Brown, although that came at a time when Chris Paul was still out with a shoulder injury.
- The contract Lamar Odom recently signed with a Spanish team can be terminated in the first week by the team, and it also includes an option for a second year, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter links). It’s unclear if that’s a team or player option. The early termination window is there in case Odom isn’t in shape, but that does not appear to be an issue.
Cavs Notes: Irving, Deng, Jack, Zeller
Interim Cavs GM David Griffin tells Bob Finnan of The News-Herald that no player in Cleveland is “untouchable,” including Kyrie Irving. “As a franchise, it is my philosophy that absolutely no one is untouchable in any area. Why would you ever do that? It doesn’t make any sense to me.” says Griffin. “That doesn’t mean anybody’s ever going to go away, either, because untouchable and tradable are different things. I don’t want to get into semantics, but untouchable is a ridiculous word.” Here are some more Cavs notes from Finnan’s article:
- Griffin also told Finnan that it was “exhilarating” to be at the front of negotiations through the trade deadline for the first time. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “Running it and being the name of record are different. I’ve run the trade deadline and I’ve been the one to have to make sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. But I was never the one in the paper tomorrow that’s going to be a moron. That part for me was unique. That experience was different.”
- Sources tell Finnan that the Cavs worked unsuccessfully to move Luol Deng, Jarrett Jack, and Tyler Zeller before the trade deadline. Griffin says that the Cavs didn’t come close to moving Deng.
- Finnan says there were some talks of the Cavs trying to trade for Pierre Jackson, the unsigned Pelicans rookie who is headed to Turkey.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Hawes, Turner
New arrivals Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour are excited to play for the playoff-hopeful Bobcats, they tell Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “It’s fun to be in a playoff hunt,” said Ridnour. “You definitely sense a hunger on this team and in the town that we can make the playoffs.” Here are some more notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York takes a look at the Knicks‘ cap space in coming years. Assuming New York can re-sign Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are currently looking at their first bit of breathing room in the 2015/16 season, when five players from the current roster could remain under contract. With just around $21MM in cap room estimated at that time, it would be difficult for New York to add much around another max-contract free agent if they were able to land one of their targets like Kevin Love or Rajon Rondo.
- Spencer Hawes is another player moving from the bottom of the East to a team in playoff contention, and the new Cavs center told reporters including of Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, “Now I feel like it’s a chance to hit ‘reset’ and get acclimated for this stretch run.” Hawes says he expected to be traded, but hadn’t thought of Cleveland as his likely destination.
- Evan Turner took to Twitter to express his appreciation for his time with the Sixers fans and organization, as transcribed by James Park of Sheridan Hoops. Turner’s had spent his entire career with the team that took him second-overall in the 2010 NBA draft prior to this week’s trade to the Pacers.
- Turner’s agent tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Turner is “ecstatic” to be playing for the Pacers. Beck’s full article looks at how a change of team will also include changed expectations for Turner, who never lived up to his lofty draft status in Philadelphia.