Mavericks Waive Samuel Dalembert
12:45pm: Dalembert has been released, Dallas announced via a press release.
11:43am: The Mavericks are waiving center Samuel Dalembert, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The veteran big man’s minimum salary arrangement was fully guaranteed, so Dallas will be responsible for the $947,276 owed to the player for the 2015/16 campaign.
Dalembert was the Mavs’ No. 1 center as recently as 2013/14, when he started 68 games for them. He was then included in the Tyson Chandler swap with the Knicks. The 34-year-old only played 32 games for New York, including 21 starts, and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. Dalembert’s career stats through 886 regular season contests are 7.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
Dallas’ roster count now stands at 19 players, which means the team still needs to part ways with a minimum of four players prior to Monday’s deadline.
Mavs Release Jarrid Famous
The Mavs have waived center Jarrid Famous, the team announced via press release. Dallas needed to cut a player to accommodate its signing of former Xavier point guard Tu Holloway, since the team was already at the preseason roster limit. Famous signed with the team in July, but the deal only included a $10K partial guarantee, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Only Dwight Powell, whose salary is non-guaranteed, had less. The Mavs will be on the hook for that $10K assuming Famous clears waivers.
The 27-year-old Famous was in his second NBA training camp, having joined the Pacers in 2011, the same year he went undrafted out of South Florida. He embarked on an overseas odyssey in the meantime, one that he recalled this past May in an interview with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. Famous has made a concerted effort to make the NBA in the past year after previously focusing on overseas opportunities, as Zach detailed. He averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game across five preseason appearances with the Mavs.
Dallas still has work to do to pare down to the 15-man regular season roster maximum. The Mavs have 15 full guarantees plus a sizable $500K partial guarantee to JaVale McGee and matching $50K partial guarantees for Brandon Ashley and Jamil Wilson.
Should the Mavs keep McGee? If so, whom should they cut? Leave a comment to tell us.
Mavs Sign Tu Holloway
OCTOBER 22ND, 2:11pm: The Mavs have indeed signed Holloway, the team announced via press release. Dallas has also waived Jarrid Famous, the team also says in the release. The corresponding move was necessary, since the Mavs already had 20 players, the preseason maximum.
OCTOBER 14TH, 10:35am: Former Xavier point guard Tu Holloway is leaving the Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara after receiving an invitation from the Mavericks, the Guaros de Lara says (Twitter links; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). It’s not entirely clear if it means Dallas is signing him, auditioning him in a workout or merely bringing him in for talks, but the Mavs are already familiar with the 26-year-old’s game, having had him on the summer league roster in 2012. They would have to make a corresponding move to sign Holloway, since the Mavs are already at the 20-man preseason roster limit. Dwight Powell is the only player on the Mavs without at least a partial guarantee on his contract, as our roster count shows, though the partial guarantee for Jarrid Famous is just $10K, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
Guaros de Lara had Holloway on a guaranteed contact that included an NBA out, according to Carchia. He played for the Venezuelan team the past two seasons and has also made stops in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Belgium and Turkey since going undrafted in 2012. He totaled 12 points, eight assists and three turnovers in nearly 44 minutes of action over four games with the Mavs summer league team in July of that year after posting averages of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 36.6 minutes per game as a senior for Xavier in 2011/12.
The Mavs intend to keep all four of the point guards they have on fully guaranteed deals, according to coach Rick Carlisle, so that would make it remarkably tough for Holloway to find his way onto the regular season roster in Dallas. The Mavs can claim the D-League rights to as many as four players they waive, so it would appear Holloway has a stronger chance to be with the D-League Texas Legends than the Mavs come the end of the month, though that’s just my speculation.
Do you think Holloway has NBA-caliber talent? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Southwest Notes: Chandler, Mavs, Anderson, Sykes
It caught Tyson Chandler off guard when the Mavs pursued DeAndre Jordan instead of him, and Chandler felt as though he needn’t take a backseat to anyone, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details. An extension was on the table before the start of last season, as Chandler and Mavs owner Mark Cuban both confirmed to Sefko, but Chandler elected to become a free agent, since doing so would have allowed him to re-sign with Dallas for five years instead of three, Sefko notes. Instead, the Mavs looked elsewhere, and Chandler signed with the Suns, a turn of events that left Chandler with a right to be bitter about what happened in Dallas, as Cuban said, according to Sefko.
“I would be, too,” Cuban said. “We had extension discussions for a reason. And then we went for it on a player that wasn’t ready to be gone for.”
Still, Cuban added he felt justified in going after Jordan, saying he’d “rather swing and miss than not step up to the plate,” as Sefko relays. See more on Chandler amid the latest from around the NBA:
- Chandler made it clear Wednesday that he doesn’t feel animosity toward Cuban, observes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, though comments the center made on Tuesday that Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic conveyed showed that his feelings are still raw. “I definitely felt like, after winning a championship and [helping] bring it there, that I was going to be there for the long run,” Chandler said Tuesday. “I never heard of a championship team being broken up like that. When they traded for me to come back, I sat at the podium with everybody else and heard them say this was going to be a long-term deal and they weren’t going to make the same mistake as last time and blah-blah-blah. Seven months later, the same thing happens again. But I learned in this business that you can’t trust everybody. That’s why it is what it is.”
- Ryan Anderson endured personal and physical hardships the last two years, but this summer, he finally had a chance to concentrate on his game, and new Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is impressed so far, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details. Anderson is entering the final season of his contract.
- Spurs camp cut Keifer Sykes plans to join the team’s D-League affiliate once he clears waivers, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Southwest Notes: Ginobili, Dekker, Pelicans
Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili has been among the team’s most accurate shooters, making 12 of his 16 shots from the field overall and going 5 for 7 on 3-pointers in four preseason appearances, and entering tonight’s game he was the team’s No. 2 scorer, at 11.7 points per game, a level of play that is even surprising the 39-year-old shooting guard, Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “I am shocked,” Ginobili said about his level of performance thus far. “To tell you the truth I wasn’t expecting this but I am feeling great; healthy; making shots. I’m playing relaxed. I am really enjoying the experience. That is what I wanted to achieve, this mental state. It’s way easier to do it in preseason when everything is more relaxed but we’ll see how it goes. So far, so good.”
Here’s the latest out of the Southwest:
- Rockets first-rounder Sam Dekker has struggled with his shooting during the preseason, but the rookie feels that he is beginning to acclimate himself to the speed of the pro game, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “As a rookie there is that little growth process,” Dekker said. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near as comfortable as I’m going to be. I’m learning every day and trying to learn from the best and ask as many questions as I can. I’m trying to pick up as much as I can so I can help this team and learn every day and keep growing and get more comfortable.”
- The Pelicans need to find an effective power forward who can defend and score if the team wants to shift Anthony Davis to the center position, which is being considered under new coach Alvin Gentry, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. One target for next offseason who Tjarks suggests would be a good fit in New Orleans is current Rockets combo forward Terrence Jones, who will be eligible to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2015/16 campaign. While Houston will most likely prefer to re-sign Jones, a substantial offer sheet proffered by the Pelicans could dissuade GM Daryl Morey from matching and bring Jones to New Orleans, Tjarks opines.
- Team owner Mark Cuban believes that if the Mavericks‘ top players can remain healthy, Dallas will deploy a potent lineup and have an excellent shot to make the playoffs this season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays. “We’re going to be fun,” Cuban said. “Our defense is going to be better, and we’re shooting the ball from three a lot more. And that’s with our young guys. Once the vets get in there, it will open things up more for them. … But we’ve got a lot of new, young guys that will be fun to watch. And then watching Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams, that’s going to be money right there. You know, that’s a [heck] of a top four.”
Southwest Rumors: Duncan, Mavs, Grizzlies
Tim Duncan is trying to sort out where he fits into the Spurs’ pecking order with the emergence of small forward Kawhi Leonard and the addition of power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. With high-scoring Aldridge at power forward, Duncan is likely to spend more time in the high post and use his passing skills, Wright continues. “My role has changed a little bit this year,” Duncan told Wright. “I’m trying to figure that part of it out. But it’s fun to be out there. It’s fun to be with the guys that I’ve been with for so many years and some new guys that I’m learning.” Even before Aldridge joined the Spurs, Duncan’s role in the offense was reduced, Wright notes. His usage rate of 22.2% last season was the lowest of his career but his true shooting percentage of .560 tied his best since 2006/07, Wright adds.
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- International veteran Salah Mejri has fought his way into the mix for a rotation spot with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. The 7’2” Mejri gives the Mavs length at center and has displayed shot-blocking and rebounding skills during the preseason, Sefko continues. However, he needs to work on his strength, Sefko adds. Mejri received a guaranteed rookie minimum of $525,093 from Dallas.
- Power forward Jarnell Stokes seems to have fallen out of favor with the Grizzlies and that could help journeyman center Ryan Hollins gain a roster spot, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Stokes only played six minutes in the team’s preseason game on Sunday, while coach Dave Joerger has made a point of praising Hollins, Herrington continues. With Marc Gasol as the only other true center on the roster, Hollins might fill a bigger need, Herrington adds. Stokes has a guaranteed contract worth $845,059 this season, while Hollins’ $947,276 deal is not guaranteed.
- Rookie center Joshua Smith is getting extensive court time as he battles for the Rockets‘ final roster spot, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Injuries to big men Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones and Clint Capela have allowed Smith, who has a non-guaranteed deal worth $525,093, to make an impression on the coaching staff. “You look at a guy in my position – just trying to make the team – any chance you get to start, you have to take advantage,” Smith told Feigen. “I’m humbled they’re giving me a lot of opportunities. I just have to keep trying to make the best out of them.”
And-Ones: Williams, Durant, Rose
Deron Williams, who signed a two-year deal with the Mavs, will miss at least the entire preseason — which ends Friday for Dallas — with a strained right calf, and his status for the season opener is unknown, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. Williams, as MacMahon points out, has yet to complete a full practice with his new team. An inability to stay healthy, of course, was a big reason for Williams’ decline while with the Nets. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including MacMahon, that there is no timetable yet for Williams’ return to the court.
Here’s more from around the league:
- There is not much reason for Kevin Durant to sign an extension with the Thunder that would guarantee him $70MM when he could instead wait until he becomes a free agent and potentially sign a contract guaranteeing him roughly $140MM because of his tenure and the expected rise in salary cap, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders opines in a detailed overview of the superstar’s options.
- Derrick Rose, in response to his comments he made on media day when he said that he’s already looking toward his next foray into free agency, said he is focused on winning a championship with the Bulls this season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets.
Western Notes: Smith, Rondo, Mavs
In order to make the team, Rockets rookie center Joshua Smith, who is 350 pounds, has to cut down on his tendency to commit fouls, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Smith has committed 23 fouls in five games this preseason, spanning 90 minutes played, as Watkins points out. “It’s been OK, I can get a lot better, the foul trouble is one for me I got to correct,” Smith said. “It’s never good when your mom is telling you to stop hacking. I got to fix that.”
The Rockets have 14 players with fully guaranteed contracts for the regular season. Smith is on a non-guaranteed deal.
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- Rajon Rondo does not believe he has to defend his reputation as a bad apple in locker rooms and contends that the perception of his character is the creation of the media, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. Jones caught up with Rondo after reports that the Kings point guard is already butting heads with coach George Karl were taken seriously even though, as Jones points out, Rondo was only kidding. “When things are positive the media doesn’t make a big deal about it,” Rondo said. “When we go out here and do things for the community, we do things for charity events, it’s not a big deal. But as soon as you make a mistake or get a technical foul it’s running across the ESPN ticker. That’s the way the world is. You’ve just got to make a difference one day at a time and hopefully the media, well you have to do your job, but the world thrives on bad news.”
- Mavs rookie small forward Maurice Ndour has suffered a stress reaction in left leg and is out indefinitely, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). Ndour has a fully guaranteed salary worth $525,094 this season.
Texas Notes: Harden, Smith, Green, Barea
The Rockets‘ James Harden changed teams early in his career, but he told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that he doesn’t plan to do it again. “Definitely it’s going to end here,” Harden responded when asked about the rest of his career. Harden was sent to Houston in a 2012 trade after three years in Oklahoma City that included an NBA Finals appearance. He has three seasons left on a contract that will pay him more than $50.35MM.
There’s more from the Lone Star State:
- The Heat were thinking of center Joshua Smith with the D-League in mind, which is why he opted for a camp invitation from the Rockets, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Smith, who was on Miami’s summer league squad, joined Houston on a one-year, minimum salary arrangement with no guaranteed money.
- Danny Green, who re-signed with the Spurs during the offseason, is adjusting to life with free agent addition LaMarcus Aldridge, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Green, who received a four-year, $40MM deal to stay in San Antonio, has seen his shooting percentage decline in the preseason as he tries to get used to a lineup with three post players. “Before, we did a lot of drive-and-kick,” Green said. “We can still do that, but I think a lot of my looks are going to come from double teams in the post.”
- J.J. Barea, who signed a four-year, $16MM deal this summer, remains among the Mavericks‘ most popular players as he enters his 10th NBA season, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. Barea will still be an important part of the team, as coach Rick Carlisle has said that he plans to have roles for all four of his point guards. “I look back and think about going into my 10th season, and sometimes I wake up and can’t believe it,” Barea said. “I enjoy it to the max. I have more fun than anybody every day, and I just keep working.”
Southwest Notes: Jenkins, Splitter, Pelicans
John Jenkins is the leading scorer for the Mavericks in the preseason so far, and while that’s in large measure because of the absence of some of the team’s key figures, he’s making a strong impression, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details. Jenkins, who left the Hawks in free agency this summer three years after Atlanta picked him 23rd overall, just wishes he could have shown off his game sooner, Sefko relays.
“I put in the work for three years and felt I earned a chance in Atlanta,” Jenkins said. “But I didn’t get it. A lot of guys just need an opportunity. I wasn’t a first-round pick for nothing.”
Jenkins is one of 15 Mavs with a fully guaranteed salary for this season, so his place on the roster seems relatively secure, Sefko posits, even though four Dallas players have partial guarantees. See more from around the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs were tense in between the time they agreed to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks for virtually nothing aside from the cap space necessary to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and the moment Aldridge agreed to sign with San Antonio, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. “We didn’t know what the outcome would be,” coach/president Gregg Popovich said. “But we knew if we wanted to change the team and add talent, it’s something we had to do.”
- The partial guarantee on Bo McCalebb‘s contract with the Pelicans is worth $50K, but it won’t kick in unless he sticks through October 27th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). McCalebb is on a two-year, minimum-salary deal, Pincus also notes.
- Jerome Jordan‘s deal with the Pelicans is a non-guaranteed arrangement for one year at the minimum, and the same is true of the pact between Mirza Begić and the team, which New Orleans abruptly waived earlier today, as Pincus also shows on his Basketball Insiders salary page.