Pacific Rumors: Nash, Granger, Warriors
Steve Nash, who’s likely out for the season, doesn’t think GM Mitch Kupchak‘s recent comment that it would be “unethical” for the team not to let the point guard determine his own future with the club is a guarantee he won’t be waived. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News has more. “You never know what the case is in a month or two weeks physically from a club standpoint and from my standpoint,” Nash said. “When you’re looking at potentially the last few months of your career, I didn’t want that to slide by without getting back on the court. It motivated me. Who knows now.” More from around the Pacific Division..
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) confirms that Danny Granger‘s deal with the Clippers is a one-year pact for the prorated minimum. It was widely assumed that this was the case after Granger and the Sixers agreed to a buyout, springing him loose for the rest of the season and postseason.
- Warriors veteran Jermaine O’Neal is taking one last shot at winning a ring, writes Diamond Leung of the Mercury News. The Warriors big man says he can envision a scenario this offseason in which he can’t get into the proper frame of mind to start training for another season.
- The Warriors and the San Francisco Giants could team up to get a new basketball arena built near AT&T Park, write Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle. The W’s say they’re still going “full steam ahead” with the Piers 30-32 project, but they’re also considering fallback options.
- The Warriors announced that they have assigned Nemanja Nedovic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Nedovic has appeared in five games (all starts) for Santa Cruz this season, compiling averages of 19.0 points, 3.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.60 steals in 29.2 minutes.
Odds & Ends: Granger, Clippers, Henry
Danny Granger should help to bolster the Clippers‘ thin front line, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “He hasn’t played a lot over the last couple of years, but I thought before the trade he was starting to round into shape and starting to make shots,” coach Doc Rivers said of Granger. “What I see in him is length. He’s a long small forward who has the ability to add a different dimension to us. The way I look at it is we can have a post game at the 3 spot as well now, which would be nice for us. If gives us another dimension.” More from around the league..
- The Clippers have one roster spot open and while there are no plans to use it at this time, Rivers didn’t rule out the possibility of a 10-day deal later on in the season, tweets Markazi.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer looks at 10-day contracts and how they can benefit clubs.
- There’s a lot of talk about overhauling the NBA draft, but Sheridan Hoops’ Peter May says it’s fine just the way it is.
- The Mavericks announced that they have recalled Jae Crowder and Shane Larkin from the Texas Legends of the D-League. Crowder and Larkin were assigned to the Legends yesterday and played in last night’s overtime win against the D-Fenders. Crowder had his second triple-double in as many games with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, while Larkin added a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. To keep up with all of this year’s assignments and recalls, check out our running list.
- The Lakers announced that they have recalled Xavier Henry from their D-League affiliate. Henry was on a rehab assignment and spent just a few days in his latest stint.
Eastern Rumors: Butler, Sixers, Jimmer
Heat president Pat Riley says that he made a play for Caron Butler but ultimately things didn’t work out. “We reached out to him. But he was very definitive with what he wanted. I don’t think it’s something we could have promised…We’re pretty deep. When you got James Jones and Udonis Haslem, Rashard Lewis in those positions, they’re waiting,” said Riley, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). More out of the East..
- Within today’s article, Winderman has more from his talk with Riley, including a chat about the future of the Big Three and Dwyane Wade‘s recent emergence.
- Brett Brown knew that this would be a rough season, but the rookie 76ers coach admits that he really didn’t realize how difficult things would be, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “To say I knew it was going to be like this is false,” said Brown. Philly is 15-44 and has lost 13 consecutive games after Saturday night’s home loss to the Wizards.
- Coach Mike Woodson says the Knicks didn’t consider guard Jimmer Fredette before he hooked on with the Bulls, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com gives his early impressions of new Bulls guard Jimmer Fredette. The guard spoke to the media about his time in Sacramento and what he hoped to do now that he’s in Chicago.
- Thanks to the state of the Celtics roster, new callup Chris Babb could see even more burn than he could have possibly envisioned, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Babb, who came up from the Maine Red Claws, says he was caught off-guard by his promotion.
Hoops Links: Pistons, Lyons, Mills
On this date in 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points, the most ever by an NBA player in a single game, during his team’s 169-147 win over the Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain shot 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the free throw line, to go with 25 rebounds. His 50.4 PPG scoring average in 80 games during the 1961-62 season remains an NBA record to this day and it’s hard to imagine it ever being broken.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want featured on Hoops Links? Send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. This week’s spin around the blogosphere..
- Six Championship Drive looks ahead to next year in Detroit.
- Point Guard U caught up with former Arizona Wildcat Mark Lyons.
- No Man’s Land looks at guys who could surprise in the second half, including Patrick Mills.
- Legion Report recaps the buyout period.
- Sean Mason sees the Lakers as a team with no future.
You can send your submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Rumors Originals
A look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- We turned the spotlight on the best comments Hoops Rumors readers had to offer. If you want to make the cut next time, start weighing in now.
- Eddie Scarito asked readers to vote on the post-deadline move with the most impact.
- Chuck Myron ran down the buyout market guidelines.
- If you missed out on Chuck’s weekly chat, go check out the transcript here.
- If you haven’t already, check out our 10-day contract tracker!
Jahii Carson To Enter NBA Draft
Jahii Carson has played his final home game for Arizona State, coach Herb Sendek told reporters, according to Bob Baum of The Associated Press. The point guard is currently projected as a high-end second round pick by DraftExpress but could work his way up the boards with strong workouts.
The guard offers tremendous explosiveness and a wicked first step, but his height (5’11” or 5’10”, depending on who you ask) is likely to hurt his stock. While his stature could limit his upside at the next level, it hasn’t hampered him in college much. This season, Carson has averaged 18.4 PPG and 4.6 APG. He’s not as efficient as he was last season, however. He shot 47.3% from the floor in 2012/13 but he’s shooting 43.6% from the field so far in 2013/14.
Week In Review: 2/24/14 – 3/2/14
Danny Granger and the 76ers wrestled a bit over a possible buyout but, eventually, the two sides shook hands. While he had interest in a few different contenders, the veteran eventually joined the Clippers, making their roster even more loaded. More from the week that was..
- Caron Butler signed with the Thunder after turning down overtures from the Heat, Spurs, Bulls, and Rockets. The soon-to-be 34-year-old agreed to a buyout with the cellar-dwelling Bucks.
- Jimmer Fredette reached agreement with the Kings on a buyout and, soon after, the Bulls signed him for the year.
- The Grizzlies want to keep Zach Randolph long-term.
- Heat stars might not be willing to give a hometown discount.
- The Pistons are considering Isiah Thomas for their GM job.
- Ivan Johnson is working out for multiple teams.
- The C’s and Rodrigue Beaubois talked about a possible 10-day.
- The Nets made history by signing Jason Collins and they’re likely to re-sign him at the end of his 10-day.
- The Bobcats and Ben Gordon discussed a buyout.
- Bulls VP John Paxson says his coach isn’t going anywhere.
- Stan Van Gundy is unlikely to coach next season.
- The Suns signed Shavlik Randolph and cut Slava Kravtsov loose.
- The Celtics won’t be buying out Keith Bogans.
- The Kings are looking at Royce White.
- Some execs are worried that Dante Exum could try and force his way on the Lakers.
- Gerald Wallace is done for the year.
- Jrue Holiday is done for the season too.
- Ditto for Gustavo Ayon.
- The Grizzlies claimed Beno Udrih.
- The Kings arena plan took a step forward.
- Nene HIlario avoided a season-ending injury.
- The Jazz said no to offers that would have netted them a first-rounder for Marvin Williams.
- The Hawks said goodbye to Dexter Pittman.
- The Wizards signed Drew Gooden to a 10-day pact.
- The Kings gave Orlando Johnson a 10-day.
- The Knicks nabbed Earl Clark as well as Shannon Brown. They also checked out Dahntay Jones.
- A few teams like Lester Hudson.
- Metta World Peace got some bites from the Clippers.
- The Sixers signed Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day deal.
- The Celtics signed Chris Babb to a 10-day pact.
- The Heat signed DeAndre Liggins to a 10-day.
- The Hawks inked Mike Muscala.
Wizards Likely To Sign Drew Gooden
TUESDAY, 8:23am: J. Michael of CSNWashington adds Antawn Jamison and Justin Hamilton to the list of others the Wizards are considering, but Michael confirms that Gooden is the favorite to land a 10-day deal. The team may also hold off on signing anyone to give Chris Singleton a shot at playing time, Michael writes.
MONDAY, 5:11pm: Gooden will be in D.C. tomorrow to ink his deal with the Wizards, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, Michael Lee of the Washington Post (on Twitter) hears that it’s “unlikely” that Washington will sign anyone before tomorrow night’s game against the Magic. He cites Lou Amundson and DeSagana Diop as other 10-day possibilities for the Wizards.
4:11pm: It’s likely that the Wizards will sign Drew Gooden to a 10-day deal, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The 32-year-old hasn’t stepped foot on an NBA court since April of last year but he could help fortify Washington’s frontcourt depth in the wake of Nene‘s injury.
We learned last month that Gooden was working out in hopes of landing an NBA deal. Over his 16 games in Milwaukee last season, the 11-year veteran averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88. The Bucks wound up using the amnesty clause on the 6’11” big man over the summer, taking his $13.37MM salary between this season and next off of their books.
While other amnesty victims from this past summer like Metta World Peace and Mike Miller were able to hook on elsewhere, there were few, if any, nibbles on Gooden.
Odds & Ends: Iverson, World Peace, McNeal
Celtics second round pick Colton Iverson is working hard in Turkey in an effort to get himself in position to jump to the NBA, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. “It’s great to know that they’re still supporting me, watching me evaluating me, helping me think about ways that I can better,” Iverson said. “I know they’re really invested in me right now; I am going to try and put in the hard work and do everything I can to be ready, when they are ready for me be to be ready for them. I am going to keep working every day. Knowing that they have my back and are supporting me right now is a great motivation and I’ll keep working harder than ever before.” More from around the NBA..
- It sounds very unlikely that the Nets will make a run at keeping Metta World Peace in New York City, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) says Brooklyn has zero interest. MWP probably doesn’t mind since he reportedly has his eye on the Thunder, Heat, and Spurs.
- Jerel McNeal is back with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. McNeal played in China earlier this season for Zhejiang Chouzhou and averaged 21.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 15 games. Last season for Bakersfield, the Marquette averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 44 games. He also earned a call-up with the Jazz at the end of March.
- Expect the Clippers to make a move on another player or two during buyout season, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Doc Rivers has said that he will continue to monitor the market, even after picking up Glen Davis.
- Lakers newcomer Kent Bazemore used to get attention for his enthusiasm on the bench, but now he’s getting attention through his strong play, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The guard has averaged 16 points and 31 minutes in two games with L.A.
Amico On Deng, Lakers, LeBron, Bosh
Will Luol Deng stay in Cleveland beyond this year? While there has been speculation that he’ll bolt this summer, execs tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio the Cavs can hang on to him if things change. That means getting hot to close out the season and possibly shaking up the roster/coaching staff. More from Amico’s column..
- Most execs feel LeBron James will either return to the Heat or shock everyone and aim for the ultimate redemption story by returning to the Cavs. The Heat, however, are believed to be way in front of everyone.
- One GM told Amico that it’s hard to know whether the Lakers are a real possibility for Carmelo Anthony or if it’s just wishful thinking from Lakers fans.
- It seems most GMs feel Chris Bosh, and not Anthony, is the second biggest potential prize on the upcoming market. But if James goes back to the Heat, Bosh will, too. If James flees Miami, the Lakers are secretly interested, sources tell Amico.
- Kobe Bryant is probably the only one who can convince Pau Gasol to stay with the Lakers. Gasol would love a return to Memphis, but the Grizzlies aren’t exactly big spenders.
- If Kevin Garnett retires, Amico gets the sense that fellow Nets vet Paul Pierce could wind up anywhere.