Hoops Links: George, Grizzlies, Heat, Gobert
On this date in 1949, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The BAA included the Boston Celtics, Minneapolis Lakers (later Los Angeles Lakers), New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors (later Golden State Warriors), and the Rochester Royals (later Sacramento Kings). The NBL included the Syracuse Nationals (later Philadelphia 76ers) and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (later Atlanta Hawks).
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Red Rock Fantasy Basketball laments the Paul George injury.
- The Daily Dribble gives us their all-time Grizzlies starting five.
- Hot Hot Hoops looks at what George’s injury means for the Heat.
- SLC Dunk tries to figure out what the Jazz have in Rudy Gobert.
- Grizzly Bear Blues sizes up Quincy Pondexter.
- At The Hive looks at the Hornets’ offseason agenda between now and training camp.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron examined Warriors standout Klay Thompson as an extension candidate.
- Charlie Adams asked Hoops Rumors readers whether the the Pacers will make the playoffs without Paul George. The overwhelming majority of you said no.
- Here’s are the 2014/15 roster tallies as of August 2nd.
- Here’s a look at 2014/15 draft-and-stash signees, courtesy of Chuck.
- Cray Allred asked readers to choose between five rebuilding efforts and decide which will pay off first. Results were rather even with the Bucks, Celtics, and 76ers getting roughly 25% of the vote.
- I asked if Byron Scott is the right hire for the Lakers.
- Chuck offered up a primer on the rookie scale extension.
- Chuck looked at the free agent stock of Shawn Marion.
- Follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS.
- We featured the best of your comments in Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback.
- Here’s a rundown of the league’s longest tenured coaches.
- If you missed out on this week’s chat, get caught up with the transcript.
Grizzlies, Pacers Interested In Gary Forbes
Free agent Gary Forbes has interest from the Grizzlies and Pacers as he mulls an offer in China, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). A contract in China would allow him to join an NBA team midseason when the Chinese season is complete.
Forbes, 29, signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Nets last offseason before being cut in mid-October. Soon after, the 6’7″ swingman hooked on with the Nets’ D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, before being cut in January due to injury.
Forbes played in China during the 2012-13 season and has been away from the NBA since 2012. In his two years with the Nuggets and Raptors, Forbes averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Earlier today, we learned that the Pacers are interested in MarShon Brooks and it stands to reason that they’ll be looking into several options to help to try and fill the void.
Week In Review: 7/28/14 – 8/3/14
Pacers swingman Paul George is likely to miss all of next season after suffering a horrific injury to his right leg early in Friday’s Team USA intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas. The injury occurred when George attempted to block a transition layup by James Harden, and George’s leg came down awkwardly and buckled as he knocked into the basket stanchion. The injury certainly hurts the Pacers’ chances of contending in 2014/15 and is nothing short of heartbreaking for the 24-year-old. More from the week that was..
- Wolves owner Glen Taylor expects to trade Kevin Love by August 24th, the date when Andrew Wiggins can be officially moved. One report indicated that the Wolves are no longer in serious talks with any team other than the Cavs.
- The Spurs signed Tony Parker to a multi-year extension. It’s the third extension that Parker has signed with San Antonio over the course of his career and it will take him through the 2017/18 season.
- Derrick Rose acknowledged that there is some tension between him and the Bulls, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t agree with that assessment.
- A judge ruled in favor of Shelly Sterling, which means the transfer of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer will probably go through.
- The NBPA elected Michele Roberts to lead the union.
- The Lakers officially hired Byron Scott.
- The Hawks and Mike Scott agreed to terms.
- The Heat signed forward Shawne Williams.
- The relationship between Eric Bledsoe and the Suns is reportedly in bad shape.
- The Sixers are reportedly fighting changes to the lottery.
- The Wolves are targeting Thaddeus Young.
- The Kings, Cavs, Spurs, Thunder, and Wizards are eyeing Dahntay Jones.
- Metta World Peace has agreed to play in China next season.
- Nemanja Dangubic has chosen to sign with Serbian club KK Crvena Zvezda.
- The Wizards waived Melvin Ely.
- Todd Mayo is planning on going pro.
- The Warriors waived Hilton Armstrong.
- Mo Williams and the Wolves agreed to a one-year deal.
- The Mavs signed Ivan Johnson.
- The Pacers are interested in MarShon Brooks.
- Byron Mullens will sign with a Chinese team.
- The Raptors will sign Lucas Nogueira after helping him out of his overseas contract.
- The Raptors inked Will Cherry.
- The Jazz will guarantee the 2014/15 for Ian Clark.
- Former Sixers and Clippers point guard Maalik Wayns has signed to play with Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania.
- The Magic added Peyton Siva.
- The Lakers worked out Michael Beasley.
- The Grizzlies added Ed Stefanski to their front office and gave Chris Wallace an extension.
- The Kings signed free agent forward Eric Moreland.
- The Kings have interest in former No. 11 overall pick Terrence Williams.
- The Knicks signed second-round pick Cleanthony Early.
- The Bucks signed No. 36 pick Johnny O’Bryant.
- Lorenzo Brown is headed to Italy.
- It’s “very likely” that Hawks second-round draftee Edy Tavares, also known as Walter Tavares, will continue to play overseas next season.
Wolves Sign Mo Williams
WEDNESDAY, 4:19pm: The deal is official, the team announced (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 4:10pm: Mo Williams and the Wolves have reached agreement on a one-year, $3.75MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
The free agent guard had chiefly been connected to the Mavs of late, but Dallas instead used the $2.732MM room exception it had earmarked for a potential deal with the ex-Blazer on Jameer Nelson. The Wolves are almost certainly using part of their $5.305MM mid-level exception on this deal, one that will give Williams more than he would have made with the Mavs.
Williams, 31, had made re-signing with Portland his “only goal” at the outset of free agency after he turned down a $2.77MM player option. The capped out Blazers used their exceptions on Chris Kaman and Steve Blake, leaving only the Non-Bird rights they held on Williams to give him no more than a 20% raise, and it became clear within the second week of free agency that the chances for a return were slim.
The Wolves have been looking at the Mark Bartelstein client for a few days now, as John Krawczynski of The Associated Press notes (on Twitter). Team president Flip Saunders & Co. see Williams as a strong fit to play on the second unit alongside rookie dunking machine Zach LaVine. In 74 games for the Blazers last season, Williams averaged 9.7 PPG and 4.3 APG in 24.8 minutes per contest. Williams also turned in a career-low 41.7% field goal percentage and 11.8 PER, numbers that he’ll look to improve on this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pistons Sign Spencer Dinwiddie
JULY 29TH: The deal is official, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an announcement. He’ll get $700K in the first year of his contract, about $200K more than the minimum, but he’ll make the minimum in the final two seasons of the deal, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The team clearly used cap space on the contract, since the room exception wouldn’t have allowed for a three-year contract.
JULY 22ND: The third year isn’t guaranteed, MLive’s David Mayo writes.
JULY 21ST: The Pistons and second-round pick Spencer Dinwiddie have agreed to a three-year deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dinwiddie was selected with the eighth pick in the second round (38th overall).
The 21-year-old was viewed as a possible lottery candidate before his knee injury last season and was still projected as a late-first round choice by DraftExpress. The former Colorado standout might be limited in his first NBA campaign, but president/coach Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the front office obviously sees a high ceiling for the shooting guard. Last season, Dinwiddie averaged 14.7 PPG and 3.8 APG while shooting 41.3% from downtown and 85.7% from the charity stripe.
Judge Rules In Favor Of Shelly Sterling
5:20pm: NBA Executive Vice President Mike Bass issued a statement on today’s ruling (via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports on Twitter):
“We are pleased that the court has affirmed Shelly Sterling’s right to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer. We look forward to the transaction closing as soon as possible.”
4:45pm: The judge in the trial between Donald and Shelly Sterling ruled in favor of the embattled owner’s wife today, saying she had “reasonable” belief Donald authorized her to sell the Clippers and that her testimony was “far and away” more credible than Donald’s, tweets Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. Most importantly, the judge also made a ruling under 1310(b) of California Probate Code, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles (on Twitter), and that essentially makes the decision “appeal-proof“.
The move seemingly seals the deal for former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to officially complete his purchase of the Clippers. If this is indeed the end of the Sterling saga, it will be a great relief to the league office as well as many members of the Clippers. Matt Barnes was the latest Clipper to raise the specter of a boycott if Donald Sterling remains, as we noted earlier. Coach/president Doc Rivers and star guard Chris Paul were also among those who have been considering drastic measures if Sterling was not ousted by the start of the 2014/15 campaign.
Last week, Clippers interim CEO Dick Parsons testified that if Sterling stayed and Rivers were to leave, it would spell doom for the franchise.
“If Doc were to leave, that would be a disaster,” Parsons said, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne. “Doc is the father figure of the team. Chris [Paul] is the on-court captain of the team. But Doc is really the guy who leads the effort. He’s the coach, the grown-up, he’s a man of character and ability — not just in a basketball sense, but in the ability to connect with people and gain their trust. The team believes in him and admires and loves him. If he were to bail, with all the other circumstances, it would accelerate the death spiral.”
Today’s clean sweep ruling should be the final step towards making Ballmer’s $2 billion purchase official, but Donald Sterling has a long history of dragging things out in court. The NBA certainly hopes that this will be the end of what has been a bizarre and ugly series of events for the league.
Poll: Is Byron Scott The Right Hire For Lakers?
While most teams with coaching vacancies scrambled to make their hire prior to the June draft, the Lakers had no problem taking their time. At long last, however, their search just might be over. We’re still waiting on an announcement, but it appears that the Lakers are nearing agreement with Byron Scott on a contract that will make him the 25th coach in franchise history.
In an offseason where coaching neophytes Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher both landed lucrative deals and rising sophomore Jason Kidd jumped ship from the Nets to the Bucks with a hefty pay raise, the Lakers apparently valued experience. Scott’s career 416-521 record on the bench leaves something to be desired, but it’d be unfair to judge Scott purely on wins and losses considering some of the teams he managed, including the LeBron-less Cavs. Scott’s first foray into being a head coach was a rousing success, of course, as he guided the Nets to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in 2001/02 and 2002/03 after a trying 2000/01. Those Nets were unceremoniously swept in the 2002 Finals by the Lakers but the 2003 team pushed a very talented Spurs squad to a six game series.
The Lakers considered other familiar names for the opening, including Lionel Hollins, George Karl, Alvin Gentry, Mike Dunleavy, and Kurt Rambis, but Scott was likely the pick thanks to his combination of experience and history with the Lakers franchise. Scott’s eleven career seasons in purple and gold was a definite foot in the door and it probably helped that his final season in Los Angeles was Kobe Bryant‘s first. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com noted, Bryant recently gave his blessing for the Lakers to hire Scott.
“He was my rookie mentor when I first came into the league,” Bryant said. “So I had to do things like get his doughnuts and run errands for him and things like that. We’ve had a tremendously close relationship throughout the years. So, obviously, I know him extremely well. He knows me extremely well. I’ve always been a fan of his.”
We’re pretty sure we know how Kobe would vote, but we want to know what you think. Is Scott the right man for the job in Los Angeles?
Is Byron Scott The Right Hire For The Lakers?
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Yes 72% (1,372)
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No 28% (545)
Total votes: 1,917
Hoops Links: MCW, Meeks, Pistons
On this date in 1993, Celtics star Reggie Lewis died after collapsing on a Brandeis University basketball court during practice. Lewis, who played six years for the C’s and earned an All-Star nod in 1991/92, was just 27 years old.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Red Rock Fantasy Basketball makes the case against Michael Carter-Williams.
- Six Championship Drive likes the Pistons’ signing of Jodie Meeks.
- Detroit Bad Boys pitches some Pistons-themed sitcoms.
- The Bird Writes talks corporate knowledge.
- Legion Report turns in their summer league notes.
- SLC Dunk looks at rookie head coaches.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
And-Ones: Wade, Warren, Smith, Woodbury
Dwyane Wade has a new favorite opponent to square off against in LeBron James, write Brandon Di Perno and Surya Fernandez of SB Nation. Wade said, “Well, it used to be Kobe Bryant…the second best all-time…now, I have a new favorite player to play against…my former teammate, LeBron.” The 2014/15 NBA schedule won’t be released until next month, but one of the highlights is sure to be the first contest between the Cavaliers and James’ former team, the Heat. Here’s more from around the league..
- Rookie T.J. Warren‘s game is well-suited for the Suns, writes Jesse Biancarte of Basketball Insiders. Warren played in five games in summer league for Phoenix and averaged 17.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 24.8 minutes. His only noticeable weakness during this stretch was his outside shooting, something he’ll have to work on.
- Former Duke guard Nolan Smith is working towards a two-year deal with Turkish club Galatasaray, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter). Smith was reportedly entertaining partially guaranteed offers from the Bulls and Thunder in late April.
- Former Georgia and D-League swingman Terrance Woodbury worked out for the Nets, but he’ll instead be heading to Nicaragua to join up with Raptors de Matagalpa, a source tells Enea Trapani of Sportando (on Twitter). In his senior year at Georgia (2008/09), Woodbury averaged 14.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG while shooting 43.1% from downtown, but he went undrafted the following summer.