Rockets Assign Motiejunas, Machado To D-League
WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: The Rockets have assigned Motiejunas and Machado to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to RealGM.com's transactions log. Given White's uncertain status, it appears he hasn't been officially signed to Houston's D-League affiliate at this point. As Hoops Rumors' Chuck Myron pointed out last night, NBA teams were previously limited to assigning two players at a time to D-League affiliates, so it's not clear whether that affects White's situation or if the rule has changed.
MONDAY, 10:47pm: The Rockets are sending Royce White, Donatas Motiejunas, and Scott Machado to their NBA D-League affiliate, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter). Of the three players, Motiejunas is the only one to have logged NBA minutes with five minutes of play last night against the Pistons.
White, the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, picked up national attention for his unexpected absence from Rockets training camp over the summer. It turns out that the forward was struggling with anxiety issues, including a fear of flying. Later in the week, the two sides worked out an agreement in which White could travel to a portion of road games via bus rather than fly with the team.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Rose, Clippers, Jackson
The Sixers will have to wait at least a few more weeks to see the debut of Andrew Bynum in red, white, and blue. The big man is still waiting on his right knee to heal up and isn't expected to be cleared for basketball activity until December 10th. That will put Bynum on track for a return in the weeks that follow, which could mean that he'll be out of commission for the remainder of the calendar year. Some might wonder if Bynum is being extra cautious in his walk year, but he shot that notion down earlier tonight, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers. Here's more from around the Association, including other non-Lakers items..
- Speaking of injured stars, Bulls guard Derrick Rose has started cutting again as he rehabs a torn ACL in his left knee, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is encouraged by the development but stressed that Rose isn't necessarily ahead of schedule but rather right where he should be in his recovery.
- The Clippers' new found depth is allowing them to rest their stars more this season, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Forward Blake Griffin is extremely appreciative of the strengthened bench and says that he will be benefitting from the reduced minutes.
- Reality is sinking in for the Lakers now that they know Phil Jackson won't be their coach (again), writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
Poll: Did The Lakers Make The Right Hire?
Earlier today, the Lakers made their hiring of Mike D'Antoni official via press release, bringing closure to a bizarre week in Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, the announcement placed a strong emphasis on how D'Antoni's up-tempo offensive philosophy will make for a strong fit for the 2012/13 incarnation of the club.
"After speaking with several excellent and well-respected coaching candidates, Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim [Buss] and I all agreed that Mike was the right person at this time to lead the Lakers forward," said GM Mitch Kupchak. "Knowing his style of play and given the current make-up of our roster, we feel Mike is a great fit, are excited to have him as our next head coach and hope he will help our team reach its full potential."
Of course, Phil Jackson was among the top candidates considered for the position, and, from the outside, it appeared that the job would be his if he wanted it. It turns out that this was the perception from the inside as well, as Jackson claimed earlier tonight that he was told he was offered the job and would have until today to accept. Instead, Jackson was woken up at midnight by a phone call from Kupchak who informed him that D'Antoni would instead take the reins on a three-year deal.
D'Antoni and Jackson were obviously the top two choices for the Lakers gig and it doesn't appear that the club went any further down their list. Former Blazers coach Nate McMillan was viewed as a possible candidate, but was reportedly never contacted by the club. Same goes for longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who said that he would not lobby for the job without first hearing from Kupchak & Co.
The Lakers are hoping that a reunion between D'Antoni and starting point guard Steve Nash will allow the team to fulfill its vast potential, but there are plenty of question marks when it comes to the former Knicks and Suns head man. While D'Antoni-led teams are known for delivering high-octane offense, they tend to be less-than-tenacious on the other side of the floor, to put it mildly. Having center Dwight Howard to control the low-post should be a major boost to the club, but it's fair to wonder if they'll be playing quality D while putting up shots in seven seconds or less on offense.
Do You Like The Lakers' Hiring Of D'Antoni?
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No 55% (669)
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Yes 45% (555)
Total votes: 1,224
Jackson Says He Was Offered Lakers Job
While there has been a great deal of speculation that Phil Jackson's lengthy list of demands led to the Lakers offering the head coaching job to Mike D'Antoni instead, a statement released from Jackson today tells a different tale. Jackson says that after meeting with executive Jim Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday, he was offered the position and told that he would have until today to decide.
"No contractual terms were discussed and we concluded with a hand shake and an understanding that I would have until [today] to come back to them with my decision…I was awakened at midnight on Sunday by a phone call from [Kupchak]. He told me that the Lakers had signed Mike D’Antoni to a three-year agreement and that they felt he was the best coach for the team," said Jackson.
Jackson concluded the statement by expressing gratitude to the Lakers fans for their groundswell of support, calling it the "principal reason" why he considered making a return. Based on the tone of the Hall of Famer's statement, it would appear that he was leaning heavily towards accepting the job in Los Angeles.
Lakers, Phil Jackson ‘Getting Close’ To Deal?
9:54pm: In addition to rumblings that the Lakers would try to bring back Brian Shaw (currently an assistant on the Pacers) as an assistant if Jackson is hired, the former Bulls coach would reportedly consider bringing along Scottie Pippen to his staff as well (Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News reports).
9:29pm: Although this isn't much different that what has been implied before, Chris Broussard of ESPN also confirmed that Jackson's demands from today's meeting included travel restrictions for road games and an increased role in personnel decisions (Twitter link), a price which Broussard calls "steep."
8:53pm: According to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears, Jackson is expected to meet again with Lakers brass on Sunday or Monday. Should he accept an offer to coach the team, he is expected to bring former assistants Kurt Rambis, Frank Hamblen, and Jim Cleamons on board. Most notably, Mitch Kupchak has said that money will not be an issue in negotiations.
6:30pm: Kevin Ding of the OC Register (via Twitter) says that Phil's meeting with Kupchack and Jim Buss this afternoon went well.
5:45pm: Sam Amick credits a source close to Jackson who told USA Today that a deal would get done barring something significant. Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets that Jackson, Kupchak, and Jim Buss have all agreed to meet again within the next several days, also mentioning that Bernie Bickerstaff will remain as the interim coach in the meantime.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Blatche, Nets, Lakers, Heat
Here's a look around the NBA as we wait if the Lakers will call upon Phil Jackson to man the sidelines once again..
- Free agent forward Kenyon Martin turned down an offer from Greece's Panthianakos in hopes of landing an NBA job, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter). Even though Martin continues to talk with NBA teams about joining mid-season, nothing is imminent (Twitter link). Martin finds himself without a gig largely because of his demand for the mini-mid level exception over the summer.
- Andray Blatche picked up a reputation for wild behavior while with the Wizards, but he finds himself on the straight-and-narrow with the Nets, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. The athletic big man credited the move with getting him back on the right track and said that he needed a change of scenery in order to start realizing his potential.
- When it came to letting coach Mike Brown go, the Lakers looked into the past for some guidance, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes that the man who Udonis Haslem once fired as his agent is now the leader of the team the Heat forward will be facing Sunday. Haslem first chose Jason Levien, now the CEO of the Grizzlies, as his agent when he was coming out of the University of Florida but later fired him. The forward says that the two were never on bad terms and half-jokingly noted that he is glad to have never burnt the bridge with a potential future employer.
Hoops Links: Bulls, Harden, Granger, Wizards
On this date in 1971, the Knicks sent Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth, and cash to the rival Bullets for Earl Monroe. The trade shocked the basketball world as The Pearl was a thorn in the Knicks' side in six consecutive postseason showdowns from 1969 through 1974. The trade put Monroe and Walt Frazier in the same starting lineup, giving the Knicks one of the most exciting and potent backcourts of all-time. With Monroe in the fold, the Knicks beat the Lakers in five games to capture the 1973 NBA Championship.
If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature in Hoops Links, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Blog A Bull is happy with the way Coach Tom Thibodeau is managing the rotation.
- Red 94 looks at how James Harden is doing early on with the Rockets.
- Hardwood Paroxysm feels for the Pacers in the wake of Danny Granger's injury.
- Bullets Forever looks at the Wizards' $43MM problem.
- The NBA Geek wants to know why John Bryant isn't in the Association.
- HoopTalent looks at the Italian players in the NBA.
- Bobcats Baseline predicts next year's Charlotte preview from ESPN's John Hollinger.
- SLC Dunk has ten reasons to be happy in Utah.
- The Basketball Post is waiting for the Kings to do a 180.
- Stepien Rules is excited after the Cavs' win over the Clippers.
- Bucksketball is high on Mike Dunleavy.
- NBA 24 7 365 puts the spotlight on Shannon Brown.
- Celtics Green is glad to see Keyon Dooling stay in the Celtics organization.
- 82 Games looks at the least successful teams in the postseason across the last ten years.
- Ball Or Nuthin wants the Lakers to let Steve Nash do his thing.
- Pounding The Rock wants you to know that the Spurs are more than a regular season team.
- Celtics Life talks about Rajon Rondo's quest for leadership.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Kobe Endorses Phil Jackson Return
While he has ties to several of the coaches that are said to be in the mix for the Lakers job, Kobe Bryant gave a little extra support to one in particular. The guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that he is pulling for the return of his former coach Phil Jackson.
"We have a good enough relationship where he knows where I stand," Bryant said. "He's realistically the greatest coach to ever coach in any sport. It's as simple as that. He's that for a reason. When you have the greatest coach of all time in any profession out there available you have to reach out to him."
Other candidates for the job include Mike D'Antoni, Brian Shaw, Nate McMillan, and Mike Dunleavy. While Bryant's preferred choice would be Jackson, he said that he wouldn't be disappointed if the Lakers went in another direction. As Spears notes, Bryant watched D'Antoni play basketball in Italy growing up and also threw his support behind Shaw to take the Lakers job following Jackson's departure.
Southwest Notes: Mavs, Curry, Mayo, Harden
News and notes out of the Southwest Division..
- In a recent chat, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News was asked if the Mavericks cut center Eddy Curry prematurely. Sefko notes that the strong play of Brandan Wright gave the staff enough wiggle room to move on without Curry. Curry’s minutes also would have disappeared once Chris Kaman and Dirk Nowitzki returned to action.
- More from Sefko, who sees the Mavericks retaining O.J. Mayo beyond this season. The guard holds a $4.20MM player option for 2013/14, but he is unlikely to exercise that if his early season play is a sign of things to come.
- Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated isn’t siding with Rockets star James Harden when it comes to his gripe with Thunder General Manager Sam Presti. Harden said earlier today that he was hurt to only be given an hour to think about Oklahoma City’s offer before being traded to Houston.
Poll: Will Kenyon Martin Sign With An NBA Team?
On Sunday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported that Kenyon Martin has yet to even receive even a non-guaranteed contract offer this year. The forward is, predictably, frustrated by the lack of opportunities put him front of him this offseason, but it's fair to say that he misjudged what the market would be for his services. The 12-year veteran wanted a team to fork over the mini-mid level exception for him, which could have been a realistic request under the old CBA.
Now, Martin is anxious to get back on an NBA court and prove that he can still play at a high level while shedding the bad-boy image that has plagued him throughout much of his career. While Martin struggled to contain his emotions on the court in his early years with the Nets, the forward has since learned to control his anger and no longer racks up technical fouls in bunches. He has also learned a valuable lesson from this offseason and now plans to sign with the next club that makes him an offer. The Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks, Nets, Hawks, and Spurs all checked in on Martin this offseason – will one of those clubs come calling again with a contract in hand?
Will Martin Play In The NBA This Year?
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Yes 73% (351)
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No 27% (132)
Total votes: 483