D-League Moves: Hudson, Douglas-Roberts, Spurs
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- Lester Hudson has joined the Austin Toros of the D-League, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The former NBA guard spent most of the season playing in China, where he averaged 27.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in 15 games for the Dongguan Leopards. The 28-year-old Hudson is a veteran of three NBA seasons, and played a total of 16 games for the Cavs and Grizzlies last year.
- In a piece on Delonte West, who's expected to make his debut this weekend for the D-League's Texas Legends, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes Chris Douglas-Roberts has continued to work with officials from the Legends and their NBA parent club, the Mavericks, after the Mavs waived him in January. Douglas-Roberts isn't on the roster of the Legends or the Mavericks.
Earlier updates:
- Aron Baynes and Nando De Colo have been assigned to the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced in a press release. Both players will be on their third D-League assignments of the season, and will be in uniform for the Toros' game tonight against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
- The Nets have assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Both players have excelled in their brief stints with the Springfield Armor this season, as Shengelia has posted 26.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG in six D-League contests, while Taylor has averaged 26.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in four games with the Armor. Based on the players' previous assignments, this one likely won't last long, but both guys will be in uniform tonight against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Knicks, Others To Monitor Delonte West
It's been nearly two months since Delonte West was added to the roster of the D-League's Texas Legends, but it appears West is finally ready to make his debut. After not reporting to the team for several weeks, West recently joined the Legends and is expected to play tomorrow, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
If and when West debuts for the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, there figure to be a number of NBA teams monitoring his progress. We recently heard West cited as a potential target for the Knicks as the club considers adding another point guard, and Stein confirms (via Twitter) that the Knicks will indeed be one of the teams keeping an eye on West.
Regardless of how West performs in the D-League, there will likely still be concerns about his off-court presence and his locker-room influence. But if he shows that he can still contribute on the court, I'd expect at least a couple teams to express some interest, thinking that the pros will outweigh the cons.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Chris Kaman
Chris Kaman entered last summer as a 30-year-old coming off a down season, but as a 7-footer just two years removed from an All-Star berth, an $8MM annual salary seemed reasonable. That's what he got from the Mavericks, but surprisingly, his deal is only for one season. Kaman wasn't without other suitors, as the Pacers showed interest, and the Spurs, Jazz and Kings were reportedly in the running as well. Kaman's one-year deal seems even more curious given that earlier this season he told Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida, "Nobody wants to do a one-year deal."
This season has been a prime example of why Kaman and others might be motivated to lock themselves up long-term. The former sixth overall pick, approaching his 31st birthday next month, has missed 14 games so far this season, mostly due to a concussion he suffered in late January. It's the third straight season he's been out at least that many games, and even when he's able to play, he doesn't see much time on the floor. He's seeing a career-low in minutes per game, and his production has taken a commensurate hit. His 11.4 points per game average is his worst since 2006/07, and his 5.9 rebounds per game are the fewest he's collected since he pulled down 5.6 as a rookie.
Still, when Kaman has played, he's performed about as well as he ever has. Only once in his career, during his All-Star season, has he scored more than the 18.5 points per 36 minutes that he's delivering this year. He's posting a 16.4 PER, a better-than-average mark that exceeds his 14.6 career PER. That might explain why Kaman was so upset when coach Rick Carlisle kept him on the bench after only two minutes of playing time Tuesday against the Bucks, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details. Kaman said he wouldn't let the incident dissuade him from considering another go with the Mavs in free agency this summer, and just last week he praised the organization's professionalism, remarking that he hoped the Mavericks would have him back next season.
Given his lack of minutes and the Mavs' likely pursuit of Dwight Howard this summer, Kaman appears a fallback option at best for Dallas, a team that would probably be just as hesitant to give him a long-term deal as it was last year. Joe Kaiser of ESPN.com (Insider link) came up with a list of teams that could be better fits for Kaman, pointing to the Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, Bobcats and Blazers. Of those teams, I think the Blazers probably make the most sense, as they're set to have plenty of cap room and would give Kaman, who's only been to the playoffs once in his 10 NBA seasons, a chance to join an up-and-coming club. Still, he'd likely only be a Plan B in case Portland can't re-sign J.J. Hickson. Few teams will have Kaman too high on their wish lists during an offseason in which Howard, Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson, Nikola Pekovic, Tiago Splitter and others are also set to hit free agency, so "Plan B" might become the theme of the summer for Kaman.
That's why I think Kaman may have to settle for the mid-level exception that Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors believed he wouldn't have to take when he looked at Kaman's free agent stock last year. The full non-taxpayer's mid-level would give him four years with a starting salary of $5.15MM, and the total package would be worth up to nearly $22MM. That would open up the bidding to more than just teams with cap space or clubs willing to pursue a sign-and-trade, a maneuver that will be tougher to pull off now that taxpaying teams can't acquire signed-and-traded players. Kaman could go to a contender, or at least a playoff team, and still have the long-term stability he seems to want.
Mavericks Sign Chris Wright To 10-Day Contract
12:50pm: The Mavs have officially signed Wright to a 10-day contract, according to a team release.
WEDNESDAY, 7:52am: Mavs GM Donnie Nelson tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he signed his portion of Wright's contract on Tuesday. Wright is expected to officially sign and finalize the deal today, says Price (Twitter links).
SUNDAY, 6:53pm: The Mavericks are set to sign guard Chris Wright to a 10-day contract this week, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wright will take the place of the recently waived Dominique Jones on the Mavs' roster.
Wright, 23, was a standout at Georgetown but injuries slowed him down along the way with the most notable being a broken bone in his left hand during his senior year. The 6'1" point guard would then travel overseas to Turkey before landing with the D-League's Iowa Energy this season.
Wright has been amongst the most talked about players in the D-League this year and has been connected to several teams looking for a fill-in at guard. In 2012/13, Wright averaged 15.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Energy.
The Mavs' decision to waive Jones came as a surprise last week but it is believed that they cut him loose over his unwillingness to go to the D-League. Jones has only seen time in five games for the Mavericks in this calendar year.
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Warriors, Livingston
A look at a few random notes from around the league:
- The Mavericks have had an extremely tough year, but after a win over the Bucks tonight find themselves only a couple games out of the eight seed in the Western Conference. The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw gives his take on what they need to do to make the playoffs.
- Warriors.com gives a detailed look at what exactly the Warriors need to do if they want to stay where they're at and make the playoffs.
- Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston faced off against the Wizards tonight for the first time since they waived him earlier this season, writes the Washington Post's Michael Lee.
Western Notes: McGuire, Iguodala, Kings, Mavs
As we look forward to an eight-game evening slate that includes Dwight Howard's return to Orlando, let's round up a few of today's stories relating to Western Conference clubs….
- The Warriors elected not to sign Dominic McGuire after the trade deadline using one of their open roster spots at least in part because coach Mark Jackson didn't want McGuire taking minutes away from rookie Draymond Green, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia).
- Andre Iguodala admits to Paola Boivin of the Denver Post that his 2013/14 player option is in the back of his mind, but says he won't make a concrete decision on whether or not to exercise it until after the season.
- Despite David Stern's insistence that the Kings sale won't result in a bidding war, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the Sacramento group may be in trouble if the Seattle group "keeps pushing up the price."
- Part of the reason the Mavericks released Dominique Jones was to give him an opportunity to find playing time with another club, as GM Donnie Nelson explains to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The playing time that Dominique probably deserves wasn’t here and available," Nelson said. "Hopefully that presents itself with another team some place."
- Darren Collison isn't complaining about coming off the bench for the Mavericks, but when he becomes a free agent this summer, he'll hit the market believing that he's capable of being a starter somewhere, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Odds & Ends: Bulls, Gasol, Nuggets, Kings
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- The Bulls may have the best trade package for the Lakers if they try to trade for Pau Gasol, but Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) can't really see the big man playing for coach Tom Thibodeau.
- The Nuggets roster has been shaped by the club's blockbuster Carmelo Anthony deal of 2011, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. "It was a great trade," said former NBA guard Steve Kerr. "The pieces all fit really well with a coach who is renowned for player development and up-tempo basketball… In the end, it's not as if the team was winning in the playoffs with Carmelo anyway."
- There's an eight-figure gap between the bids being put up by the Sacramento group and the Seattle group for the Kings, sources close to the situation tell Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- The Mavericks cut guard Dominique Jones over his unwillingness to go to the D-League, but Dirk Nowitzki hopes that Jones finds new work rather quickly, according to Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram (on Sulia).
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Sulia) hears from sources that the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is adopting an NCAA tournament-style elimination format.
Mavs Rumors: Open Roster Spot, Wright, Beaubois
Lost in the noise surrounding the Lakers’ ascent in the Western Conference standings has been a similar Lazarus act by the Mavericks. Dallas is just three games back of the eighth-place Jazz and four and a half behind the Rockets, who occupy the seventh spot in the West. The Mavs made a surprise move yesterday, waiving Dominique Jones, and we have more on the aftershocks from that transaction, along with some early offseason speculation:
- The Mavs will probably fill their open roster spot with a player from the D-League, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, who hears the team is likely to sign someone today or Monday.
- Reserve center Brandan Wright is one of many soon-to-be unrestricted free agents on the Mavs, but he’d like to return to Dallas for next season, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Like Jones, fellow Mavs guard Rodrigue Beaubois hasn’t seen much playing time this season, but Price thinks Beaubois’ ability to remain on the bench without complaint is one reason he’s still around. Even so, Price would be surprised to the Mavs re-sign Beaubois this summer (Twitter links).
- Dirk Nowitzki believes Jones could blossom elsewhere in the NBA, as Price documents. “He never really got a real shot at it,’‘ Nowitzki said of his teammate on the Mavs 2011 championship team. “I like his athleticism, I like what he brought, it just wasn’t a good situation to be in.”
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Leslie, T’Wolves, Mayo
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that the Mavericks are now in the market for adding a player after severing ties with guard Dominique Jones. Sefko comprises a list including Mike Bibby, Michael Redd, Earl Boykins, and Gilbert Arenas as available veterans who could be worth a look. Among the D-League hopefuls who could warrant an opportunity, Justin Dentmon, Chris Wright, or Sean Singletary come to mind. Sefko rules out the chances of Delonte West making a return to Dallas, citing that the team wouldn't want to reconnect after how badly things ended with him last year. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous news and notes below:
- Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer thinks Tristan Thompson should be a candidate for the NBA's Most Improved award.
- Alex Kramers of The Kings Blog recognizes how Tyreke Evans has improved his perimter accuracy with daily extra work.
- Jody Genessy of the Deseret News says that the Jazz haven't and won't make a roster move today, and the Salt Lake Tribune's Bill Oram echoes that those expecting Utah to sign Travis Leslie will have to wait (Twitter links).
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune introduces his list of college guards who would be ready to help the Timberwolves immediately with their size and skilled-shooting abilities.
- MLive's David Mayo and Brendan Savage argued yesterday that the Pistons should take a look at O.J. Mayo this summer if he opts out of his deal with the Mavs, and Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News joins the chorus, believing the 25-year-old shooting guard would fill the team's need for perimeter scoring.
- Considering the need for a small forward, the health of Anderson Varejao, and the possibility that Marreese Speights leaves for free agency, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer discusses the Cavaliers' pressing issues heading into the offseason.
Odds & Ends: Oden, Mavs, Rose, HGH, Kings
Greg Oden and the Cavs appeared to engage in heavy flirtation last night, as the former No. 1 overall pick sat in one of owner Dan Gilbert's courtside seats at the Cavs-Grizzlies game. While Oden regards Cleveland as one of his favored destinations for a return to the league, the Cavs haven't made him an offer, agent Mike Conley Sr. tells Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida (Twitter link). Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld believes the big man will eventually sign with the Heat, based on multiple sources who insist Miami will be his choice, in spite of the ability other teams have to offer him more money and a longer contract (Twitter links). Oden isn't expected to sign with any team until the summer, so we'll likely be hearing plenty more about him in the coming months. In the meantime, here's more from around the league:
- Coach Rick Carlisle expects the Mavs will look at players to fill the roster spot vacated today when the team waived Dominique Jones, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman says there's no rift between Derrick Rose and the team's front office over the timing of the former MVP's return from injury, notes Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune.
- Henry Abbott of ESPN.com reported yesterday that the NBA and the players union were nearing an agreement that would subject players to blood tests for human growth hormone as soon as next season, but Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears no deal is close.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com interprets David Stern's call for Sacramento bidders to pour more money into their efforts to buy the Kings as a sign that the commissioner isn't as closely aligned with the city as it might have otherwise appeared.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic caught up with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who spoke at length about his push to keep the Kings in town.
- For draft prospects on college teams that might not make it to the NCAA tournament, the week ahead will be their final opportunity to make an impression before the combine. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, in an Insider piece, takes a look at five prospects who could be seeing their last collegiate action.