Hoops Links: Bynum, Celtics, Spurs
On this date in 1988, Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pick-up game in California. Pistol Pete, one of the most dazzling talents to ever grace the hardwood, became one of the youngest players ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and was regarded by John Havlicek as “the best ball-handler of all-time.”
Got a great basketball blog post that you want featured on Hoops Links? Send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Keep It Cavalier looks at the logistics of a possible Andrew Bynum trade.
- Celtics Life wants to know what’s going on with all of these blown leads.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell looks at the Spurs’ needs and concerns in the New Year.
- Knickerblogger isn’t doing cartwheels over Jeremy Tyler.
- Hawks/Hoop casts their All-Star ballot for Jeff Teague.
- Bourbon Street Shots says Eric Gordon can’t play with Jrue Holiday.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, email Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Heat Notes: Beasley, Mason, Riley
Former Heat big man Kurt Thomas is considering an NBA return, but it won’t be with the club he played for more than any other. The veteran’s agent says that he won’t play for the Knicks as he wants to play for a team with a “legitimate” chance of winning the title. Ouch. Here’s the latest from South Beach..
- The Heat‘s reclamation projects continue to pay off, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Michael Beasley, Chris Andersen and Roger Mason Jr. have all contributed off of the bench and Greg Oden could provide another major boost when he returns.
- The contract guarantee deadline is Tuesday, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke confidently about Mason being on the roster for the rest of the season, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel. “We don’t take him for granted or other players like that off the bench,” Spoelstra said. “Roger, now, is gaining more confidence each game that he plays with our system. Those kind of guys are hard to find. They really are. To be able to sacrifice, to understand the big picture, to be available when we need him and to be able to produce and not be cluttered in the mind, I think a lot of teams would like to have a guy like him or some of the other guys we have.“
- Drew Voros of Index Universe spoke with Heat president Pat Riley about his methods for success in a wide-ranging interview.
Grizzlies Waive Seth Curry
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Curry has cleared waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
SUNDAY, 6:13pm: The Grizzlies announced that Curry has been waived.
4:19pm: The Grizzlies have waived Seth Curry, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Curry, the younger brother of Warriors star Stephen Curry, impressed in workouts with Memphis in December and formally inked a contract on Christmas Eve. Terms weren’t disclosed at the time, but it was reported late last week that his deal was non-guaranteed, putting him on the chopping block in advance of the Tuesday deadline.
Curry, 23, went undrafted out of Duke this past June and spent training camp this fall with his older brother and the Warriors. He was playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League since before getting picked up by the Grizzlies, averaging 21.3 points and 7.8 assists in 12 games.
Clippers Release Maalik Wayns
4:28pm: The Clippers formally announced that Wayns has been released. The club’s roster now stands at 14.
4:18pm: The Clippers have released Maalik Wayns, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wayns’ contract would have been guaranteed for the remainder of the season if he were still on the Clippers’ roster past Tuesday.
Wayns’ contract initially called for a guarantee date of December 1st, but it was pushed back to Tuesday, January 7th following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in mid-October. Had the Clippers kept him on the roster, his $788K deal would have been guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Wayns has recovered from his injury, but he couldn’t survive the numbers crunch.
The 22-year-old hooked on with L.A. last season on a pair of ten-day contracts and while he didn’t play all that much, he showed enough to stay on the roster heading into 2012/13. He’ll now be looking for a new home for the remainder of the year.
Week In Review: 12/30/13 – 1/5/14
It’s crunch time for the Cavs. They’re armed with an unlikely trade chip in disgruntled big man Andrew Bynum, but they have to make a deal in advance of Tuesday’s contract guarantee deadline as teams that are interested in Bynum essentially want to acquire him so that they can dump him and his contract. Talks with the Lakers continue on a deal centered on Bynum and Pau Gasol and Cleveland reportedly wants to get that deal done today. There’s also been talk of a deal involving Jazz small forward Richard Jefferson, but that may not be in play any longer. More from the week that was..
- Carmelo Anthony for Blake Griffin? Guess not.
- The Magic finally said goodbye to Hedo Turkoglu. The Lakers could be a suitor. Orlando said no to trade proposals from L.A. and the Hawks before cutting the veteran.
- Tony Parker wants an extension with the Spurs.
- One league source says the Bulls want to trade Luol Deng and amnesty Carlos Boozer.
- The Magic waived Solomon Jones.
- The Clippers are looking outside the NBA for a point guard. Delonte West and Bobby Brown are options for L.A.
- If the Nuggets move Andre Miller, it’ll probably be closer to the deadline. The Nuggets slapped him with a suspension last week. The Warriors and Kings are said to have interest.
- Kurt Thomas is considering an NBA return, but not with the Knicks.
- Jordan Crawford wants to stay with the Celtics.
- The Knicks signed Jeremy Tyler and kicked Chris Smith to the curb. Smith is D-League bound.
- The Pelicans waived Lou Amundson.
- The Suns say they’ll do whatever it takes to keep Eric Bledsoe.
- Shabazz Muhammad is going to the D-League too.
- This Rajon Rondo guy might also make a D-League cameo on his way back.
- The Warriors waived Hilton Armstrong.
- The Al Horford injury could prompt the Hawks to make a deal.
- In addition to the Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Celtics are among the teams that have inquired about a deal with the Raptors for Kyle Lowry.
Knicks, Clippers Deny ‘Melo-For-Griffin Talks
7:44pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld took to Sulia and expanded on the quotation that Woelfel tweeted earlier. Rivers’ full comment on the alleged deal:
“Please, please, let’s move on. That’s so stupid. Let’s move on. It really is, it’s just so stupid. You know how I rarely read stuff, but someone told me to read that. … It’s just stupid. My issue with any of that crap is that network (ESPN), to me, reports a story that they created and then they do reports on it for the next two days, on a story that they created! It’s stupid. [Griffin’s] name isn’t out there. I mean, if you’re the Knicks or whoever, wouldn’t you want Blake Griffin? I would! I don’t see what the story is, I really don’t. I just thought it was such a non-story.”
The Knicks have echoed Rivers’ sentiment and haven’t considered a deal involving Anthony and Griffin, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. According to Berman, the only way the Knicks would attempt to deal for Griffin is if New York was facing a situation where they lost Anthony to another club this summer without compensation.
7:06pm: Before Saturday night’s game against the Spurs, Clippers coach Doc Rivers called the rumors suggesting such a deal between his team and the Knicks “so stupid,” tweets Gary Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
11:37am: A source tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that the mutual desire Anthony and Paul have to play together is just as strong as it was in 2010, when Paul suggested at Anthony’s wedding that he’d join the Knicks.
8:04am: As Carmelo Anthony plays out the final year of his contract with the Knicks, club officials have discussed proposing a trade to the Clippers for Blake Griffin, league sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Sources say the Clippers front office has also had internal discussions about such a deal ,but the two sides haven’t talked to each other about a potential deal yet.
As of now, neither team is certain it would pull the trigger. The Clippers appear to be the more reluctant party, however, because of the season Griffin is having. He’s really turned it up as of late, averaging 26 points and nearly 11 rebounds in his past ten games. One source close to the situation said the Clippers’ latest round of talks ended in favor of keeping the 24-year-old.
Meanwhile, New York’s top priority appears to be re-signing Anthony to a long-term deal. Unfortunately for them, the team’s struggles and Melo’s unwillingness to make a commitment to the club mean that they have to explore other possibilities. The Clippers are one possibility for the Knicks since Anthony and Clippers point guard Chris Paul have wanted to play together since 2010 and that sentiment apparently has not changed.
Western Notes: Iguodala, Jazz, Favors
Andre Iguodala‘s averages are down, but he’s having a monster year for the Warriors, writes Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group.
“The thing about Andre is he’s not afraid of the moment,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. “We’ve got guys who put the time in. He’s another guy who’s there 10, 11 o’clock at night getting shots up. You think he stumbles into that shot and he’s not afraid of it, but I’m watching him at midnight taking those same shots. So when the lights come on and the curtains open up, he’s ready and prepared. He’s once again showing why we went and got him. He’s a big-time player.”
Here’s this afternoon’s look at the Western Conference:
- Since signing his new lucrative deal with the Jazz, forward Derrick Favors has been delivering the goods, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Favors inked a four-year, $49MM extension with Utah in the fall.
- Former Mavericks guard Darren Collison is now in the spotlight with the Clippers, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “I’m just glad I fell into a situation like the Clippers that’s given me the opportunity,” Collison said. “Now I have a chance to play for a contending team that’s going to give me a chance to play for something more special.”
- Former Jazz big man Kyrylo Fesenko has entered the NBA D-League player pool, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Fesenko last played in the NBADL during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons with the Utah Flash. Fesenko was assigned five times during that time span by the Jazz.
D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, T’Wolves
Today’s look at the D-League..
- The Spurs announced that they have recalled guard Nando De Colo from the Austin Toros of the D-League. De Colo made his fifth appearance for the Toros this season Friday evening helping Austin to a 122-97 home victory over the Texas Legends finishing with 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. For now, teammate Malcolm Thomas remains in Austin.
- Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark will be staying in L.A. following last night’s game against the Lakers because they’re both being assigned to the D-League once more, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
- The T’Wolves are giving some thought to purchasing a D-League team, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. “Eventually that might be something that we want to do, where we have a team where we can send (players) back and forth,” president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said. The Wolves plan on sending Shabazz Muhammad to their shared affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa. It’ll be their first D-League assignment since 2011/12.
- Brandon Parker of the Washington Post wonders what kind of impact it will have on the D-League if Celtics star Rajon Rondo is sent down to rehab from injury. Having household names rehab on a farm team would increase the D-League’s exposure and attendance. It also, of course, would give NBA players a great way to ease back into regular action.
Central Notes: Bulls, Carmelo, Bynum, Dunleavy
It wouldn’t make sense for the Bulls to go out and sign Knicks star Carmelo Anthony this summer, writes Sam Smith of NBA.com in his latest mailbag. Yes, Anthony would be a tremendous scoring threat when paired with a healthy Derrick Rose, but it would probably call for Chicago to amnesty Carlos Boozer, let Luol Deng walk, and move Taj Gibson. Earlier today, we heard that the Knicks have discussed one possibility for trading Anthony internally. Here’s today’s look at the Central Division..
- No one knows where Andrew Bynum will end up, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports throws out five ideas for where the Cavaliers big man could land. One of Amico’s ideas is shipping the disgruntled big man to the Nets for Paul Pierce.
- Mike Dunleavy may be known for his long-distance shooting, but he offers much more than that on the court, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Dunleavy inked a two-year deal with Chicago worth the mid-level exception this past offseason.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau said the Bulls haven’t ruled out sending rookie Erik Murphy to the Iowa Energy of the D-League at some point, Johnson writes.
- Caron Butler pushed to be traded from the Suns to the Bucks because he didn’t want to be lost in Phoenix’s youth movement. Now, the veteran is fighting for burn in Milwaukee’s own youth push, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Cavs, Jazz Discussing Richard Jefferson
10:00pm: A source tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer not to expect a Bynum/Jefferson swap. “Nothing is happening, especially RJ,” the source said.
9:26pm: The Jefferson deal is one of three options for unloading Bynum that the Cavs are focused on, Stein and Windhorst write. Coming to a trade agreement with the Lakers is one of the other paths Cleveland might take. Keeping Bynum past Tuesday’s guarantee date and trying to trade him at the deadline or next summer is the third, according to the ESPN scribes. Utah’s demands in return for Jefferson aren’t likely as steep as the price the Lakers have set for a Gasol/Bynum swap, as Stein and Windhorst’s report also reads.
7:32pm: The Cavs and Jazz are discussing a deal involving Andrew Bynum and Richard Jefferson, according to Marc Stein (Twitter links) and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Cavs remain in talks with the Lakers about Pau Gasol, but the Utah deal is now also a possibility for them.
Jefferson would fill the Cavs’ need for a small forward and his $11MM deal expires at the end of the year. The 33-year-old’s star has faded considerably since his days with the Nets, but he is averaging nearly ten points per contest this season and has been shooting the long ball at an impressive 41.7% clip. For his career, Jefferson has averaged 14.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG across 13 seasons for the Nets, Bucks, Spurs, Warriors, and Jazz.
It would appear that RJ is one of the Cavs multiple offers that they are said to be mulling over at the moment. With pitches from the Jazz, Lakers, and others to possibly consider, Cleveland hopes to make a determination on Monday.