Warriors Waive Cameron Jones
The Warriors announced that they have waived guard Cameron Jones. Golden State’s roster is now down to 17.
Jones, 24, appeared in all three of Golden State’s 2013 preseason games, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest. The guard had a chance of making the cut, but strong play from center Dewayne Dedmon and further competition from Seth Curry spelled the end of his time with the Warriors.
Jones has played in the D-League the last two seasons, and was a member of Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz in 2012/13. Referred to as the “best-kept secret in the D-League” by Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob, Jones averaged 12.6 PPG in 50 D-League contests last season. The Northern Arizona product helped lead Santa Cruz to the D-League Finals, and played for the Warriors’ squad that won the Summer League championship in Las Vegas in July.
Odds & Ends: Beasley, Pelicans, Lawal
There are tons of intriguing minimum-contract players around the league this year, writes HoopsWorld’s Mark Deeks. Omri Casspi of the Rockets had 20 points off of 9-10 shooting in his preseason debut while the Lakers‘ Xavier Henry had 29 points of his own. DeJuan Blair, Anthony Morrow, Chris Andersen, Aaron Brooks, and Antawn Jamison are just some of the other notable vets playing on bargain basement deals in 2013/14. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- Heat forward Michael Beasley is changing agents, according to Guido Guida of La Gazzetta (via Twitter). The former No. 2 overall pick left Jeff Schwartz to join up with Jared Karnes of A3 Allegiant Athletic Agency. You can keep up with everyone’s representation using the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
- Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune looks at Arinze Onuaku‘s quest to make the Pelicans roster and his journey getting there.
- Sixers newcomer Gani Lawal plans on sticking around in the NBA for a while, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The forward believes that if he hadn’t torn his ACL as a rookie with the Suns in 2010, he’d be an NBA starter.
- Charles O’Bannon says he’s officially retired from playing after searching for another NBA gig and playing in Japan, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. O’Bannon, the brother of former UCLA star Ed O’Bannon, spent two years in the NBA with the Pistons.
Texas Notes: Mavs, Spurs, Mekel, Joseph
Last week, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander made it clear that Chandler Parsons is very much in the club’s plans for years to come. “He’ll be here. We’ll sign Chandler. We always do. Nobody’s ever left. He’s an integral part of the team. We don’t want to let a terrific player go,” the owner said. Here’s a look at tonight’s news on the Lone Star State’s other teams..
- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was without Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, and Shane Larkin for tonight’s preseason game and had to turn to Israeli import Gal Mekel at point guard. Carlisle says that he’ll be looking to see if Mekel will sink or swim, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- Mekel also got some good-natured ribbing from owner Mark Cuban, tweets Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. “Is (Gal Mekel) starting tonight? Oh good. Good for him. I guess we don’t have anybody else left,’’ said the owner.
- It’s not quite a make-or-break season for Spurs reserve guard Cory Joseph, but it is a critical one for his future in San Antonio, writes Dan McCarney of the Express News. There’s a strong possibility that the Spurs will exercise his fourth season option in the coming weeks, but the club would like to see him take a serious step forward this year.
- New Mavericks guard Monta Ellis can score, pass, and rebound, but the real question is whether he can win, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Northwest Notes: Gobert, Jazz, Blazers, Lopez
Lester Hudson was the last man to enter Jazz training camp, but it sounds like he’s got a pretty solid chance of sticking with the team. Utah would like a third point guard to help shore up their depth chart and right now it appears to be a two-horse race between Hudson and fellow one-guard Scott Machado. Here’s more out of the Northwest Division..
- Rookie Rudy Gobert is impressing coaches in practice and he could be a contributor for them sooner rather than later, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It depends on where his development is,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “If he can help us in games, we’ll have him in games.”If he continues to grow like he has this first week, man, he’s been pretty good. Now we’ve got to get him against other competition — in game situations — and see how it transfers.” When Utah tabbed Gobert with the 27th pick, they viewed him as a long-term project, but he could be ready to make a difference this season.
- If the Blazers can get some tough play out of offseason acquisition Robin Lopez and others, they’ll have a chance at making the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, writes Sam Amico of FOXSports.com. Earlier today, Amico reported that Portland will consider Daniel Gibson after losing C.J. McCollum to injury.
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke is looking to be a vocal leader for the team this year, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune.
New York Rumors: Tyler, Aldrich, Bogdanovic
The latest news out of NYC..
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson reminded reporters, including Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter), that injured forward Jeremy Tyler isn’t guaranteed a roster spot just because he has a partial contract guarantee. “Ain’t nothing guaranteed on our team,” the coach explained.
- Tyler’s injury could be good news for former lottery pick Cole Aldrich, who is fighting for a roster spot, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Aldrich, who was the final acquisition of Glen Grunwald before he was replaced as GM, has a fan in Woodson, though the coach noted that he is “awkward” offensively.
- Bojan Bogdanovic denied media reports that he turned down a contract extension offer from Fenerbahce to join the Nets this season, according to TrendBasket (via Sportando). “Fenerbahce did not offer me a new contract. It is not correct what the media reported about me refusing a new deal. Now I am focused on the current season. At the end of the year I will decide my future,” said the Croatian star.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Draft, Karl, Ledo, Weems
If the Jazz are going to roll with a third point guard this season, it’ll be either Scott Machado or Lester Hudson, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks could conceivably bring the ball up the floor, but it sounds like Utah would prefer to have another cushion at the one-guard position. “It’s always better to have a third point guard,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “A guy gets hurt, a guy gets sick … If it’s for an extended period of time, having that third point guard gives you a luxury.” Here’s more from around the Association..
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv spoke with an NBA GM about the 2014 Draft. The GM feels that even though it’ll be a two-player race between Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle, no one will have the fortitude to pick Randle over Wiggins, even if he outperforms him.
- George Karl says the 2012/13 was the most fun he’s ever had in coaching, so he’d like to return to the bench, even though the former Nuggets boss acknowledges to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he may not get another chance. “If that doesn’t happen, I think I can be OK with it,” Karl said. “I’ve had a great career and I think I’m healthy enough and energized enough to go another four or five years, and hopefully someone else out there will think the same thing.”
- Rick Carlisle is high on second-round pick Ricky Ledo, but the Mavs coach hinted that Ledo will probably spend time on assignment to the D-League this year, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram passes along.
- Sonny Weems, who will play in Russia this season, still has his eye on an NBA deal, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Hoops Links: Green, Aldridge, Westbrook
On this date in 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA at a news conference in Deerfield, Illinois. Jordan’s retirement after nine seasons came less than four months after he helped lead the Bulls to their third consecutive NBA Championship with a six-game victory over Phoenix in the 1993 NBA Finals. H is nine-year totals included 21,541 career points, seven straight league scoring titles (1987-93), an NBA record-high career scoring average (32.3 ppg), and three regular season and three NBA Finals MVP awards. Sometime afterwards, Jordan was kidnapped by the Looney Toons and joined forces with them to help defeat the alien versions of Muggsy Bogues, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, and Larry Johnson.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Bleed Green talks about the expectation level for Jeff Green this year.
- Blazers Edge is hoping for LaMarcus Aldridge 3.0.
- Daily Thunder says that Russell Westbrook is OKC's side animal.
- Celtics Hub tries to clear up some of the confusion over Boston's lineup.
- Grizzly Bear Blues profiles Tayshaun Prince.
- Raptors HQ caught up with Amir Johnson.
- The Brooklyn Game looks at Gary Forbes' attempt to hook on with his hometown team.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Amico On Heat, Cole, Bulls, Howard, Casspi
Sam Amico of FOX Sports has tons of info in today's column, let's dive in and check out some of the highlights..
- The Heat certainly aren't desperate to shake up the roster, but word is they’ve explored what backup point guard Norris Cole may bring in a trade. While Cole is rather inconsistent on offense, he's a very strong on-ball defender.
- Amico cautions against reading too much into the reported friction between Bulls GM Gar Forman and coach Tom Thibodeau. Phil Jackson and exec Jerry West didn’t get along in L.A. but they co-existed well enough to see the club win three straight titles. Jackson and GM Jerry Krause got along even worse than that in Chicago, so it shouldn't affect the on-court product at all.
- Ron Howard, currently in camp with the Pacers, is someone to keep an eye on. He might not be a fit in Indiana, but execs from around the league feel that he'd be a nice locker room addition to a young squad.
- It's early, but Amico came away impressed by Omri Casspi in the Rockets-Pelicans preseason opener. Casspi has languished on the Cavs' bench for the last two years but will look to start anew in Houston.
Grizzlies Waive Josh Akognon, Derrick Byars
The Grizzlies announced that they have waived guard Josh Akognon and forward Derrick Byars. Memphis' roster now stands at 16.
Akognon spent three games with the Mavericks last season and also played for the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters in China, where he averaged 29 points per game. The 27-year-old Cal State Fullerton product was claimed off waivers by Memphis on July 23rd after his minimum-salary contract was waived by Dallas on July 21st.
Byars, a Vanderbilt product, played competed for ALBA Berlin in Germany and Caciques de Humacao in Puerto Rico last season. Memphis signed the 29-year-old as a free agent on Sept. 29th but his stay didn't last too long.
Shelden Williams To Sign In China
Free agent Shelden Williams has agreed with Tianjin in China on a deal, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Williams, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 Draft, has played for seven NBA teams over the course of his career. We heard back in August that the big man was likely going to sign somewhere overseas. Williams turned down offers from Euroleague teams and it would appear that he found a more lucrative deal waiting for him in China.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old spent last season with France's Elan Chalon. Before that, he averaged 4.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG over the course of his career with the Hawks, Kings, Wolves, Celtics, Nuggets, Knicks, and Nets.
Williams didn't pan out the way that the Hawks hoped when they tabbed him with the fifth pick, but he's far from the only bust to come from the 2006 class. Fellow top picks Andrea Bargnani, Adam Morrison, and Tyrus Thomas also failed to live up to expectations while LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo, and Brandon Roy were the only All-Stars out of that draft.