Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/16/12 – 7/22/12
Here's a rundown of all the original content produced by our team of writers over the past week.
- In a poll, Daniel Seco asked which team you think is most likely to land Dwight Howard in a trade.
- Zach Links gave us his weekly Hoops Links feature.
- A transcript of our weekly Hoops Rumors chat.
- Luke Adams analyzed the value of 2012/13 cap exceptions.
- A list of the top remaining free agents, by PER.
- A list of NBA D-League affiliations for the upcoming season.
Terry Stotts Interviews With Trail Blazers
Mavericks assistant coach Terry Stotts has become a candidate for Portland's head coach position, writes ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon. Stotts interviewed with Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey on Tuesday, and is expected to get a second interview.
The 54-year-old Stotts joined Dallas' coaching staff in 2008, and has previous head coaching experience with the Hawks and Bucks, sporting a 114-168 record with both organizations. Several assistant coaches have reportedly been interviewed by the Trail Blazers over the last few weeks, including Michael Malone, Adrian Griffin, Elston Turner, Lester Connor, Brian Shaw, David Joerger, Mike Budenholzer, Phil Weber, Patrick Ewing, and Steve Clifford.
Mavericks Sign O.J. Mayo
THURSDAY, 3:59pm: Mayo has officially signed his contract with the Mavs, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
TUESDAY, 11:40pm: The deal is for two years, with a second-year player option, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter).
10:14pm: Free agent guard O.J. Mayo has announced via Twitter that he's decided to sign with the Mavericks. ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan reports that it's a multiyear deal, and that the Mavs had roughly $4MM left in cap space; they either signed him to a deal that fits under that figure, or are planning to participate in a larger sign-and-trade move.
At this stage in the summer, Mayo was considered to be one of the most sought-after players left on the market. He recently met with the Suns, but reportedly walked away from the meeting with no offer from the team. Mayo was asking for $8MM per season.
Last season the 24-year-old guard's role in Memphis changed, as he saw himself take a permanent role off the bench for the first time in his playing career. In his fourth year, Mayo averaged 12.6 PPG and 2.6 APG, and was nearly dealt to the Celtics for Ray Allen at the trade deadline.
We don't yet know how much money the deal amounts to, which is obviously important, but on the surface this move is a positive one for an active Mavericks team that suffered a huge blow two weeks ago after Deron Williams announced he'd be signing with Brooklyn. Mayo could either slide back into a starting role, or fill in for the recently departed Jason Terry as the team's main scoring presence off the bench.
Trail Blazers Waive Dan Gadzuric
THURSDAY, 12:27pm: The Trail Blazers have officially requested waivers on Gadzuric, the team announced today (Twitter link). The big man will become an unrestricted free agent, assuming he goes unclaimed.
MONDAY, 5:33pm: Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey has announced that the team will waive center Dan Gadzuric, tweets CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes. Gadzuric was involved in the sign-and-trade deal that officially went through today sending Raymond Felton back to the Knicks.
Standing 6'11" and 33 years old, Gadzuric has played in just 33 games over the last two seasons. Should he clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent, it's unclear whether the 10-year veteran will catch on with another NBA team this offseason.
Odds & Ends: T-Wolves, Griffin, Nuggets, Hollins
- After tearing his left meniscus during a Team USA practise last Wednesday, Blake Griffin was forced to remove himself from the Olympic games. The Clippers forward had successful surgery today, and is still expected to be ready in time for training camp, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
- The Nuggets are considering using their amnesty provision on forward Chris Andersen, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Andersen has two years and $9MM left on his deal.
Earlier updates:
Trail Blazers To Interview Patrick Ewing
9:02pm: A tweet from The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that Patrick Ewing's interview with the Trail Blazers is believed to be a courtesy. Also, Brian Shaw will interview with Portland.
6:41pm: The Trail Blazers are scheduled to interview Patrick Ewing, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling.The former assistant coach for the Magic has long been looking to become the lead man with a team, and over the past couple of months has had his name associated with both the Knicks and Bobcats.
Phil Jackson Interested In Role With Trail Blazers
Phil Jackson is interested in joining the Trail Blazers, but not as a head coach, according to the Oregonian's Jason Quick. A source close to the 13-time NBA champion says that while he isn't interested in being a coach, there are other ways he might be able to help the team, including advising trade scenarios and managing the coaching staff, which is currently in flux.
Earlier this week it was reported that the Trail Blazers had been in contact with Jackson for several months, ultimately offering him their head coaching position, which was turned down. Jackson retired from coaching after the 2010/11 season, but his return to the league has been the topic of rumors ever since. In June he was reported to be interested in the Magic's open head coaching position, but that report quickly fell apart.
Suns Amnesty Josh Childress
The busy Suns have amnestied Josh Childress, according to a tweet from SI.com's Sam Amick. Posting the worst scoring and rebounding averages of his career over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old will end a disappointing campaign with Phoenix with $13.68MM guaranteed over the next two years, and a $7.31MM player option for the 2014/15 season.
Shaw Withdraws From Magic Coaching Search
Brian Shaw has withdrawn his name from the Magic's ongoing search for a head coach, tweets SI.com reporter Sam Amick. The news comes on the heels of a report from The Chicago Tribune that the Pacers had granted Shaw permission to speak with the Trail Blazers this weekend.
Shaw spent last season as an assistant coach in Indiana, and the previous few seasons on the Lakers bench beside Phil Jackson. He's widely regarded as one of the league's most promising assistants—he also interviewed for the Bobcats open position earlier this summer, but that job went to Mike Dunlap.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Drummond, Joseph, Cavaliers
With ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jeremy Lin's tenure with the Knicks, ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling took the liberty of comparing the former Harvard point guard's skill set with the incoming Raymond Felton, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Portland last night. According to a few advanced statistics it's evident that Lin would be the better basketball option for New York, but the decision to let him go would be more of a financial one.
As we dig into this Sunday afternoon, here are a few more tidbits from around the league.