Hoops Links: Hawks, Grizzlies, Sanders, Carter
On this date in 1995, Suns forward A.C. Green moved past former NBA great Dolph Schayes and into third place on the all-time consecutive games played list, with 707, after playing 38 minutes and scoring 13 points in the Suns’ 122-118 overtime win over visiting Seattle. Green, also known as "Iron Man", would eventually go on to claim the No. 1 spot.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send a link to your post to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- The Basketball Post tips their cap to Josh Smith and the Hawks.
- Hoops Addict isn't sold on the Grizzlies.
- Bucksketball explains why science loves Larry Sanders.
- The Brooklyn Game has the five best trades in Nets history, starting with Vince Carter.
- The NBA Geek quantifies the value of assists.
- Hardwood Paroxysm reports from the Sloan Analytics Conference.
- Hardwood Houdini is getting ready for March Madness, Celtics style.
- 3 Shades of Blue talks Dexter Pittman.
- The Sixer Sense breaks down a historically weak draft.
- Bright Side of the Sun gives their Sloan recap.
- Rufus On Fire looks at the progression of Kemba Walker.
- A Wolf Among Wolves has noticed some distinct patterns.
- Pounding The Rock asks if the Spurs can survive sans Tony Parker.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/25/13 – 3/3/13
Here's a look back at the original analysis delivered by the Hoops Rumors team this week..
- Chuck Myron gave us a crash course on set-off rights.
- Luke Adams looked at offseason amnesty candidates.
- If you missed Luke's weekly chat, you can read the transcript here. Also be sure to join Luke for this week's chat Monday at 4 CST.
- Chuck crunched the numbers to find out who added and subtracted salary at the deadline.
- Check out our list of 2013/14 non-guaranteed deals.
- Several teams found themselve with roster vacancies after the deadline.
- Here are the teams just below the tax line, as put together by Luke.
- There are six clubs projected to be in the tax and its no surprise to see the Lakers at the top of the list.
- It's hard to keep track of all of Hoops Rumors' helpful features, but we refreshed your memory with this handy post.
- You can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Latest On Raja Bell, Jazz, Lakers
THURSDAY, 2:01pm: The Jazz and Bell will continue discussing a buyout right up until tomorrow night's deadline, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein adds that the Lakers aren't necessarily the most likely destination for Bell if a buyout occurs, since the team isn't eager to add to its significant tax bill (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 1:15pm: Utah's senior VP Kevin O'Connor appeared on team-owned radio station 1280 The Zone to address the Bell situation, as Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune details. O'Connor said that the Jazz are willing to buy out Bell's contract, but want the veteran forward to give up a portion of his guarantee, particularly if he intends to sign with the Lakers, to make it worth Utah's while.
"I think it's been from the start. We'll be willing to look at a buyout," O'Connor said. "We're not just going to let him walk away. We're paying him the money. He's going to get money. He can't get all the money from us and then go make more with the Lakers. Oh, thank you. I'd get fired for that. I'd fire me for that."
MONDAY, 6:15pm: Veteran Raja Bell, who is nearing a buyout agreement with the Jazz, has been telling players and friends around the league that he'll join the Lakers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Bell won't sign off on a buyout arrangement with Utah until he has his next job lined up.
Bell is in the final year of his deal in which he is earning $3.48MM and the two sides have been going back and forth on a buyout all season. The Lakers are among the teams with interest in the 36-year-old and an available roster spot to add him to the mix.
Bell has to be cut loose prior to Friday's buyout deadline if he hopes to appear in the postseason for another team this season. Free agents who haven't been on an NBA roster at any point this season could still sign after that date and be playoff-eligible, but anyone currently on a roster must be released by March 1st to retain postseason eligibility.
Odds & Ends: Allen, Sixers, Bynum, LeBron, Cavs
Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- Heat guard Ray Allen says that he won’t make any decision until after the season on whether he will pick up his 2013/14 contract option, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (on Sulia).
- The Sixers can’t afford to let center Andrew Bynum walk this summer, even though the trade has backfired on them, writes John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News. General Manager Tony DiLeo recently explained that re-signing Bynum is the club’s Plan A but they will look to use their increased financial flexibility to make a splash if that doesn’t happen.
- NBA.com’s Sekou Smith rounded up a handful of articles speculating about LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers in free agency in 2014, and shares his own thoughts on the subject. In the eyes of Smith, the only thing that will silence the chatter is LeBron returning to Cleveland in the summer of 2014.
- After returning from a NCAA suspension, Myck Kabongo of Texas needs to reestablish his value if he hopes to declare for June’s draft, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops offered up a glimpse of what the upcoming free agent market could have to offer. For a complete list of 2013/14 free agents, you can check out Hoops Rumors’ list right here.
Western Notes: Fisher, Mavericks, Conley, Nash
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has kept mum about Derek Fisher signing with the Thunder, but one league source told Jeff Caplan of NBA.com that the best way to describe the mood of the Dallas front office is “agitated." The source said that the veteran and his representatives never contacted the Mavs during his decision-making process to discuss a possible return to Dallas, the team that, in good faith, initially signed him. Fisher asked for and received his release from the Mavs on December 22 so he could spend more time with his family. Here's more out of the Western Conference..
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News doesn't see Dwight Howard as the answer for the Mavericks as they look to once again build themselves into contenders. Cowlishaw argues that despite his immense talent, his poor foul shooting and subsequent inability to be counted upon in crunch time cancels out much of it.
- Mike Conley is averaging 2.3 steals per contest and if he keeps up his thieving ways, he'll be in line for a contract bonus at the end of the year, notes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. To cash in, the Grizzlies guard has to finish top five in steals. He currently ranks second behind Chris Paul of the Clippers.
- Salary cap guru Larry Coon (via Twitter) believes that it's possible that the Lakers will trade Steve Nash this offseason, but he doesn't see them actively pursuing a deal.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Telfair, Kings, Johnson
After downing the Mavericks on Sunday, the Lakers are in Denver tonight to try and get back to the .500 mark against the Nuggets. It'll be a tall order for Los Angeles as the Nuggets are an eye-popping 23-3 at the Pepsi Center this season, but things seem to be clicking for Kobe Bryant & Co. as of late. Here's more out of the Pacific..
- Guard Sebastian Telfair sounds happy be leaving the Suns behind, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. “You’ve got a goal to win and if you’re not winning you at least want to be out there competing at the highest level. We weren’t doing that over there in Phoenix this year," said the newest member of the Raptors. "I’m happy to be a part of a team that got a goal for themselves and night in and night out they’ve got something to achieve.”
- A source close to the situation says that Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will have a major announcement relating to the city's bid to keep the Kings by this Friday or sooner, tweets Aaron Bruski of NBC Universal. Johnson is reportedly readying his group of prospective buyers and presenting a final bid to the NBA's board of governors.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee argues that if a small market like San Antonio can successfully support an NBA franchise that the city of Sacramento can do the same. The Spurs are actually saddled with a smaller television market than the Kings – San Antonio ranks 36th in the country while Sacramento is 30th.
D-League Moves: Jordan, Dupree, Greene
We had a pair of trades go down in the D-League today with several notable players changing teams. Let's take a look..
- The D-Fenders have acquired center Jerome Jordan from the Reno Bighorns in exchange for forward Ronald Dupree and guard Orien Greene, according to Trevor Wong of the Lakers (on Twitter). Jordan appeared in 21 games for the Knicks last season.
- The Idaho Stampede, the D-League affiliate of the Trail Blazers, announced that they have acquired JaJuan Johnson via trade with the Canton Charge. Johnson, 24, has been widely regarded as one of the D-League's top talents in 2012/13 but is considered to be a project. The 6'10" forward was taken by the Nets with the 27th overall pick in the 2011 draft before being shipped to the Celtics for the rights to MarShon Brooks.
Rockets Sign Tim Ohlbrecht
The Rockets announced that they have signed center Tim Ohlbrecht to a multi-year deal. Ohlbrecht's deal is for three years with team options for the final two, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Our own Luke Adams predicted earlier today that the center would get that type of deal, similar to the structure of Greg Smith's contract.
Houston is one of 14 NBA teams with at least one open roster spot, so they will not have to waive a player to make space for the big man. Ohlbrecht has spent the season playing for the Rockets' D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
In 32 games for the Vipers this season, the 6'11" German averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 26.6 minutes per contest. He also earned a spot in the D-League's All-Star Game earlier this month.
Agent Tyler Glass told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando last week that Ohlbrecht had turned down a 10-day contract offer from the Celtics, which makes sense given the multi-year opportunity being presented to him by the Rockets.
In a related move, the Rockets announced that they have assigned Tyler Honeycutt to the Vipers. The forward was acquired by the Rockets from the Kings prior to the deadline in the Patrick Patterson deal.
Odds & Ends: Gay, Grizzlies, Korver, Smith
Hoops Rumors would like to wish a speedy recovery to former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley as he remains in a Chicago-area hospital days after suffering a stroke, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details. Heisley is interested in buying another NBA team, and has recently been linked to the Wolves and Bucks. Here's more from around the Association..
- Raptors star Rudy Gay told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports (on Twitter) that he was not happy about leaving the Grizzlies at a time when he felt that they were poised to make a run. The forward went on to say that the team was shocked and deflated by the Marreese Speights deal (Twitter link).
- Soon-to-be free agent Kyle Korver is open to a return to the Bulls this summer, he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who notes that the sharpshooter was one of Derrick Rose's favorites."That’s a great organization, that’s an awesome jersey to put on," Korver said of the Bulls. "Great fans, good team. You only get to be a free agent so many times in a career, so I’ll definitely see what’s all there. But I would absolutely listen to what they’ve got to say."
- Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, Josh Smith can go back to focusing on contributing to his Hawks team, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. In fact, for all of his ups and downs with the club over the years, he seems re-energized and upbeat about the second half of the year in Atlanta.
- Mark Cuban says that Vince Carter was the Mavericks' most in-demand player at the deadline, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). "We're lucky to have him," said the owner.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Links: Sonics, Celtics, Redick, Nets
The trade deadline came and went this week and ultimately it wasn't as eventful as we thought it might be. Most Hoops Rumors readers said that the biggest surprise this week was that Josh Smith wound up staying put with the Hawks. It only made sense for Atlanta to move the forward given that he is demanding a max deal and the club is unwilling to give him one. However, the Jazz's decision to stand pat with Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap was arguably more surprising. It seems unlikely that Utah will pony up the money to keep both big men this offseason and it would have made sense to get a return on one of them at the deadline. Hopefully, both Hawks GM Danny Ferry and Jazz decision maker Dennis Lindsey have something in mind that the rest of the NBA just isn't seeing.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send a link to your post to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Kingdome of Seattle Sports has an idea for how the Sonics can open with a bang in Seattle.
- Bleed Green talks Celtics post-deadline.
- Bucksketball gives us some myths and truths surrounding the J.J. Redick trade.
- The Brooklyn Game looks at the Nets' five worst trades in team history.
- Always Miller Time likes the Pacers' sunny future.
- Red94 broke down the deadline in their latest podcast.
- NBA247365 bids you adieu.
- Wages Of Wins revisits their preseason picks.
- Utah Sports Net explained why the Jazz were right to stand pat.
- The Basketball Post came down hard on Dwight Howard.
- Pounding The Rock wonders if a quiet deadline benefitted the Spurs.
- Orlando Pinstriped Post crunched the numbers on the Redick deal.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.