Western Notes: Roy, Conroy, Fisher
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that DeMarcus Cousins has decided to hire Dan Fegan as his new agent, replacing John Grieg. Two of Fegan's most notable clients include Kevin Martin of the Thunder and Lakers center Dwight Howard (All Twitter links).
- In what should be encouraging news for the Timberwolves and their fans, Brandon Roy returned to practice today and reported that he felt no pain in his knee (Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune reports). The veteran two-guard had been inactive since undergoing surgery on his right knee last month and hadn't played since November 9.
- Will Conroy was at Minnesota's practice today, but attended as a special assistant to David Kahn and not as a candidate to re-join the team as a player, says Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press. The 6'2 guard and close friend of Brandon Roy had been released earlier in the season in order to make room for recently-waived Josh Howard. According to Kahn, Conroy will serve as the team's D-League scout before returning to Seattle to finish his school degree.
- When asked about Derek Fisher being waived, coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters to ask GM Mitch Kupchak if the team had any interest in the former Lakers guard (according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles via Twitter). Although we heard an earlier report that Fisher was contemplating retirement, Ramona Shelburne (also of ESPN LA) tweeted that in the event that he would still continue playing, any team who signs him would have to inherit the non-guaranteed deal he signed with the Mavericks.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas provides the current rundown of Rick Carlisle's point guard situation following Fisher's abrupt departure.
- Alex Kramers of TheKingsBlog.com elicited the reaction from the Kings locker room as they prepare to compete without DeMarcus Cousins. Coach Keith Smart told the media that the situation will be reassessed within the next few days. On a different and much lighter note, Kramers delves a bit into the minor ties between Jimmer Fredette and the Warriors' Stephen Curry.
Odds & Ends: Varejao, Bargnani, Mayo
A night after the first-place Thunder lost to tighten up the Western Conference race, the idle Heat slipped into the top spot in the East by percentage points on Friday when the Knicks fell at home to the Bulls. There's still plenty left to be resolved this season, and with the trade deadline now less than two months away, the level of intrigue is on the way up. Here's more from the Association.
- In a HoopsWorld video, Alex Kennedy says consensus around the league is that the Cavs will trade Anderson Varejao this season, and with some executives still high on Andrea Bargnani, Kennedy wouldn't be surprised to see a team take a risk to bring him on board.
- O.J. Mayo wasn't caught off guard when the Grizzlies let him walk in free agency, and the two sides didn't have talks about bringing him back this summer, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. "Once you see the writing on the wall, you can’t be dumb to the fact," Mayo said. “I didn’t even go to the exit meeting. I pretty much knew what it was.”
- Lou Williams had hoped he wouldn't have to come back to Philadelphia with an opposing team, as he did tonight, and wanted to work out a return to the Sixers in free agency last summer, Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com has the details. "I think Philly did a good job of making my decision easy for me," the Hawks guard said. "They made it clear they were going in a different direction and at that time I had to find somewhere else to go, and luckily for me I landed on my feet in my hometown. Both sides moved on. It is what it is, and I am sure they are happy with what they got out of the deal and I am happy to be at home."
- Andrei Kirilenko fit the profile of what the Wolves front office identified as the team's most pressing need this past offseason, but Minnesota still had questions about him, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Kirilenko is answering those doubts, and coach Rick Adelman has been surprised at just how much the 31-year-old defensive ace has helped the team.
- The Suns recalled Kendall Marshall from the D-League today, but the rookie doesn't appear to be any better from the experience, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Western Notes: Nash, Scola, Mayo, Nuggets
The latest updates from around the Western Conference on Friday afternoon:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that there is a low chance that Steve Nash will return on Saturday when the Lakers face the Warriors, although he still hopes to play on Christmas Day.
- Luis Scola reflects on his journey to the NBA and the long wait to get bought out from his team in Spain, as reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- O.J. Mayo tells Jon MacHota of the Dallas Morning News that he holds no hard feelings towards the Grizzlies after signing with the Mavericks this summer.
- The Nuggets do not plan to change course after a historically bad three-point shooting night against Portland, writes Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
- LaMarcus Aldridge does not know when he will return from his recent ankle turn, writes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Lin, Davis, Selby
Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko, from the Dallas Morning News, answered questions today in a chat. Among the topics Sefko touches on: why O.J. Mayo may not be in Dallas long, why the Mavs must build through free agency, why Tyreke Evans would be a good fit in Dallas and what the Mavs offseason looks like. The Mavs host the 76ers tonight, and the Spurs and Hornets are also in action. Here are some other things going on in the Southwest division:
- While the proper fit of teammates and system in New York
has helped Raymond Felton thrive with the Knicks, the same can't be said for
Jeremy Lin with the Rockets, observes Beckley Mason of The New York Times, who
wonders if Lin might perform better as a bench player for Houston. - Hornets rookie Anthony Davis, still working his way back to health, is content coming off the bench while his ankle gets stronger writes John Reid of the Times Picayune. The Hornets are on an 11-game losing streak, 4 of which have seen Davis out of the starting lineup.
- Gina Pilato of Ridiculous Upside writes that the Grizzlies are looking for Josh Selby to recapture the form that made him the NBA's Summer League Co-MVP by sending him back to the D-League. Chris Wallace announced today that Selby will return to Memphis after two games in Reno.
Mavericks Not Considering Rebuilding
After a hot start to the season, the Dallas Mavericks have taken a step back and currently sit at a disappointing 11-13, good for 11th place in the Western Conference standings. However, Mavs owner Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that despite the team's struggles, he is not ready to consider undertaking a full rebuild.
“We’re not ready to go there,” Cuban said. “Look, I’m always the one who says there’s nothing worse than winning 41 games. That’s no-man’s land. You can’t get a good pick. And I don’t see that for us yet.
“Look at it the other way. If we were stumbling along like this and all of the sudden we made a big trade for a German guy for nothing, everyone would say, ‘Oh, let’s see where we can take it.’ So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
The "German guy" Cuban is referring to, of course, is Dirk Nowitzki, who has yet to play for the Mavs in 2012/13 and does not have a definitive date to return. Cuban wants to wait and see how Nowitzki, the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, meshes with the current group before looking to trade standout players such as Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo.
Cuban also ruled out tanking:
“I’ll know when we suck,” Cuban said. “At the same time, I’ll also know what we’re trying to accomplish, and it’s not about anything other than, what puts you in the best position to win a championship?
“When guys know you’re OK with losing, guys play like you’re OK with losing. When guys play like you’re not OK with losing, you get a different culture, different attitude, different approach to the game. We’re not a team that everybody just retired and we’re starting to look like the Bulls in ’98.
“But you won’t see us like some teams have where you win 41 games for three straight years. Then, ‘Oh, this is the year,’ but nothing’s really changed. You won’t see us there.”
The Mavs will be a team to keep an eye on as the trade deadline draws closer if Nowitzki experiences a setback in his recovery or the team does not improve.
Sixers’ DiLeo Denies Bynum Trade Talk
Before the tipoff of tonight's Sixers-Lakers game, Philadelphia GM Tony DiLeo made it known that the club has not had trade discussions about center Andrew Bynum, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers. DiLeo also rejected the notion that the Sixers have talked to the Timberwolves about swapping forward Dorell Wright for point guard J.J. Barea.
A recent piece by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports intimated that the 76ers have talked about trading the injured big man and cited one source as saying that the club was fishing for a starting caliber center. When asked if the Sixers are looking to make a move prior to the February 21 trade deadline, DiLeo said management would do something, “if we can improve our talent level.” DiLeo also said they aren’t targeting a specific position and that the club wants to see what the team looks like when healthy.
Meanwhile, the idea that the Sixers have discussed a Wright-Barea swap with the Mavs comes from an NBA source who spoke with Moore. Wright, 27, was acquired by Philly in a three-way deal this summer that sent Jarrett Jack to the Warriors and the rights to Edin Bavcic to New Orleans. Wright started every game he played in for Golden State over the last two years, averaging 13.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 33.5 minutes per contest. However, he has seen his playing time dip to just over 20 minutes per game with averages of 6.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG.
Southwest Notes: Wallace, Hollinger, Ross
While previous reports have indicated that GM Chris Wallace's role with the Grizzlies wouldn't change after the hiring of John Hollinger and Stu Lash, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that Wallace, Hollinger and Lash are expected to have equal input with CEO Jason Levien, who'll have final say on basketball matters. While Wallace expressed a willingness to work in the new environment, Tillery wonders if this might signal the end of Wallace's tenure in Memphis, writing that "only time will tell" how long he stays on board. Here's more on the Grizzlies front office and other news from the Southwest Division.
- Tillery notes the Grizzlies hiring of Hollinger isn't the first time the team has employed an analytics specialist in the front office. Aaron Barzilai, who's now with the Sixers, worked for the Grizzlies as a consultant for several years.
- Beckley Mason of The New York Times wonders if the Spurs have been sitting Matt Bonner, with whom they're more efficient than when he's not on the floor, to give more minutes to DeJuan Blair in an effort to showcase Blair for a trade.
- The Mavericks had interest in Terrence Ross before the Raptors took him eighth overall this June, reveals Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link). The Mavs held the 17th pick in the draft before trading it to the Cavaliers, so that means they were either thinking of trading up or believed Ross might slip out of the lottery.
- Chandler Parsons was a steal for the Rockets in the second round of the 2011 draft, but the 6'9" small forward was convinced he was headed elsewhere, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. "I thought I was going to go to the Celtics, 100 percent," Parsons said. "That was probably my best workout. I killed it."
- We went in-depth on the summer moves made by the Mavs and Hornets today as part of the Hoops Rumors Offseason in Review series.
Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- O.J. Mayo: Two years, $8.22MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is player option.
- Chris Kaman: One year, $8MM. Signed via cap room.
- Delonte West: One year, $1.22MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired Nos. 24, 33, and 34 picks in 2012 draft from the Cavaliers in exchange for No. 17 pick in 2012 draft and Kelenna Azubuike.
- Acquired cash from the Lakers in exchange for No. 55 pick in 2012 draft.
- Acquired the rights to Tadija Dragicevic from the Jazz and cash from the Rockets in exchange for Lamar Odom (sent to Clippers) and the draft rights to Shan Foster (sent to Jazz).
- Acquired Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones from the Pacers in exchange for Ian Mahinmi. Mahinmi was signed-and-traded.
- Claimed Elton Brand off amnesty waivers from the 76ers. Bid $2.1MM for one year.
- Claimed Eddy Curry off waivers from the Spurs.
Draft Picks
- Jared Cunningham (Round 1, 24th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Bernard James (Round 2, 33rd overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Jae Crowder (Round 2, 34th overall). Signed via cap room.
Camp Invitees
- Josh Akognon
- Chris Douglas-Roberts
- Melvin Ely
- Tu Holloway
- D.J. Mbenga
Departing Players
- Kelenna Azubuike
- Brian Cardinal
- Brendan Haywood (amnestied)
- Yi Jianlian
- Jason Kidd
- Ian Mahinmi
- Lamar Odom
- Jason Terry
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Dominique Jones , $2.3MM: Declined
It didn't take long for the Mavericks offseason to become about Plan B. Dallas-area native Deron Williams announced his intention to re-sign with the Nets on the third day teams could negotiate with free agents, and that reshaped the entire summer. Regardless of owner Mark Cuban's contention that the team is better off without D-Will, or whether Cuban submarined his team's efforts to sign the point guard by skipping their meeting with Williams to tend to his reality show "Shark Tank," the Mavs had to move on.
The post-Williams strategy appears similar to what governed the team's moves before last season, when they dumped multiple parts from their 2011 championship team to clear enough cap space to go after Williams. The Mavs have a preponderance of expiring deals that set the team up to make a run at another star next summer. It's a risky move, considering Dirk Nowitzki is 34 and already showing signs of breaking down, having missed the first month and a half of the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. And, as I outlined in August, it will be tough for the Mavs to make the numbers work if they want to go after Dwight Howard, the biggest name scheduled to hit free agency this summer. Chris Paul would be a little bit easier to swing, but there's no guarantee either of them are willing to turn back on their apparent satisfaction in L.A. A flurry of rookie-scale extensions at the October 31st deadline this year knocked many of the cheaper would-be restricted free agents out of the market, so the Mavs might just be better off sticking with the team they assembled this summer.
The key piece has turned out to be O.J. Mayo, who was signed for a relative pittance after the Suns, who appeared to be Dallas' primary competition, took a pass on him. It's not often you can acquire a former third overall pick just a few months shy of his 25th birthday, but that's what the Mavericks did, and he's become the team's leading scorer in Nowitzki's absence. Mayo had been relegated to a bench role by the Grizzlies, who went so far as to fail to tender him a qualifying offer this summer, eschewing their right to match other offers for him. While that may have been as much about cost-cutting as anything else, it reflected a down market for Mayo, despite the fact he posted career highs in PER (14.7) and win shares per 48 minutes (.094) last season. Cuban, a devotee of advanced metrics, no doubt took notice. While odds are slim that Mayo will exercise his player option for next season, the Mavs would at least have to be considered one of the frontrunners to re-sign him if they want to do so.
Dallas signed Chris Kaman to a one-year deal that gives him close to twice as much as Mayo is getting this season. That doesn't seem like an overpay, especially considering the more lucrative long-term deals that other teams handed out to JaVale McGee and Omer Asik, far less polished centers. Kaman is quietly off to a strong start, increasing his scoring average to 14.2 points per game, second on the team behind Mayo, and posting a career-high 17.9 PER. The true test for Kaman will come when Nowitzki returns and the two big men are forced to mesh, but the Mavs GM Donnie Nelson has expressed confidence about their fit.
The Mavs created the cap room necessary to sign Kaman when they amnestied Brendan Haywood. They also used the amnesty system to pick up Elton Brand from the Sixers. Between Kaman and Brand, the Mavs have plenty of size inside, just as they had when Haywood and Tyson Chandler teamed with Nowitzki for the title-winning squad in 2011. It's a little surprising that another team didn't put in a higher bid for Brand, who put up 11.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and an 18.0 PER as the starting power forward for the Sixers last season, and it's even more puzzling considering teams didn't have to commit to him for more than one year. He's one reason why the Mavs haven't completely fallen apart with Nowitzki out.
Trading Lamar Odom to the Clippers also represented a fortunate turn for Dallas, since the team would have been on the hook for his partial guarantee of $2.4MM if they couldn't find a trading partner. Considering Odom, who spent his lost year in Dallas pining for a return to L.A., probably wasn't amenable to the vast majority of NBA cities, Nelson and company wisely negotiated with one of the L.A. teams.
The Mavs thought they had found a starting point guard in the trade with the Pacers that netted Darren Collison, but he's already been replaced in the starting lineup by Derek Fisher. It's early yet, and most of Collison's numbers are up over last season, so it might be premature to say this didn't work out for Dallas. It seemed to make sense to go with a 25-year-old over incumbent Jason Kidd, who's 39. Kidd probably wouldn't have minded a role as Collison's backup, but the Mavs clearly had no interest in matching the three-year deal for more than $9MM he got from the Knicks. Kidd's surprisingly effective play in New York this season isn't helping matters, but even if Collison doesn't work out, the move was low-risk. Collison will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Dahntay Jones, the other player the Mavs got in that deal, can also come off the books in unrestricted free agency, even if he's somewhat overpaid at $2.9MM this season. Acquiring both Collison and Jones was preferable to the four-year, $16MM deal the Pacers gave Ian Mahinmi as part of that trade.
While the team's parting with Kidd was somewhat acrimonius, Cuban said recently that he would have liked to have kept Jason Terry around but "couldn't make the numbers work." He's likely referring to the number of years, which was three, that Terry got from the Celtics as opposed to his annual salary, which averages $5.225MM over the life of that deal. If the Mavs had convinced Terry to take a one-year deal, however, they probably wouldn't have signed Mayo, so parting ways with Terry was probably for the best as far as Dallas is concerned.
The Mavs probably aren't going to win the title this season, and they'll have difficulty upgrading the roster next summer. Before the season, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle likened his team's chances to those of a wild-card team in baseball and football that counts on a strong playoff run to overcome an up-and-down regular season. Those teams don't emerge nearly as often in the NBA, but the 2011 Mavericks are probably the closest example of that kind of team the league has had in recent years. Nowitzki, Mayo and Kaman give the team plenty of offensive firepower, and they have the size that's traditionally been necessary to win in the postseason. That may have changed when the small-ball Heat broke through last season, but the Mavs are hoping the 2013 playoffs have more in common with 2011 than 2012.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Ingram On Love, Derrick Williams, Mayo
It's been a busy day of news off the court for the Timberwolves, as we passed along a number of Wolves rumors earlier today, and this afternoon HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram checks in with a few more.
- Ingram praises the offseason moves of Wolves GM David Kahn, and believes that if Kevin Love continues to criticize the team, Minnesota might be better off trading him, perhaps to the Lakers in a Pau Gasol swap.
- The Wolves would like to send Derrick Williams out as part of a package, and Ingram thinks Williams might fit in well with the Cavs. Earlier today, we heard that Minnesota reportedly has strong interest in Anderson Varejao.
- Ingram lists Nicolas Batum and O.J. Mayo as the two offseason targets the Wolves missed out on, adding that Mayo took less money because "he had his heart set on Dallas." Going into the summer, the Wolves were seen as a team that might go after Mayo, but this is the first we've heard suggesting that Minnesota did indeed pursue him. It seems that Mayo couldn't have been turning down too much money, from the Wolves or anyone else, to sign with the Mavs, given his recent comment to Stein that he was disappointed with the two-year, $8.22MM deal he got.
Mavs Will Wait On Dirk Before Exploring Trades
As of tomorrow, most players that signed new contracts over the summer will become eligible to be traded, but that doesn't meant the Mavericks, a team that added a number of new players this past offseason, will start aggressively pursuing deals. According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, the Mavs aren't seriously engaged in any trade talks now, and figure to wait until Dirk Nowitzki returns to assess the roster and determine whether or not to make any moves.
Nowitzki underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October and continues to recover from the procedure. The Mavs are hoping he'll return to the court before the new year, which would still give the front office a number of weeks to observe the team with Dirk in the mix.
Little-used young players on expiring contracts like Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones could be trade bait before the deadline for the Mavs, while Shawn Marion, who has a $9MM+ player option for next season, could also be shopped if the team wants to create additional future flexibility. That's just my speculation though, as there's no guarantee that Dallas will even feel the need to make a move.