David Andersen

Western Notes: Faried, Warriors, Andersen

Kenneth Faried‘s stellar play with Team USA is going to raise his asking price during his upcoming extension talks with the Nuggets, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. A few months ago a GM told Deveney that Faried was going to be paid in the Paul Millsap ($9.5MM) or Taj Gibson ($8MM) range, but now he’ll most likely command a salary more comparable to Al Jefferson‘s ($13.7MM), the GM opines.

Here’s more from the west:

  • Such a deal for Faried would carry a risk for Denver, according to what one Western Conference assistant coach told Deveney. The assistant said, “I guess you don’t know what kind of production he would give you over a long period of time. What happens if they get Danilo Gallinari back and healthy? Now they have Arron Afflalo back. Ty Lawson and JaVale McGee were not healthy last year. How much will having those guys affect his numbers?
  • The Warriors gave partial guarantees of $35K apiece to Aaron Craft, James Michael McAdoo, Mitchell Watt and Justin Holiday, all of whom are on one-year deals for the minimum salary, as Pincus reports in a pair of tweets and on the Basketball Insiders Warriors salary page.
  • David Andersen has signed with ASVEL Villeurbanne of the French League, the team announced via Twitter (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando). Earlier this summer he was eying a possible return to the NBA. Andersen played two seasons in the league, and made his last appearance in the association during the 2010/11 campaign with the Pelicans.  His NBA career averages are 4.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG. His career slash line is .440/.347/.674.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Int’l Notes: Dragic, Andersen, Moser

Not everyone on the Dream Team can be a Hall of Famer, and Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders goes back through history to isolate the worst-ever Team USA members.  Among those earning the dubious distinction are Kirk Hinrich (2006), Raef LaFrentz (2002), and the 1998 roster, which was made up of college players thanks to the NBA lockout.  Speaking of international competition, here’s today’s look around the globe…

  • NBA teams continue to eye Zoran Dragic, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who writes in a full story that the younger brother of Goran Dragic “badly wants” to play in the Association. Still, Zoran signed a two-year extension last month with Unicaja Malaga of Spain, which Stein says offers the 25-year-old greater financial security. The Rockets appeared to be at the front of the line for the younger Dragic as of May.
  • Australian center David Andersen is eyeing a return to the NBA and has kept his dance card open beyond the World Cup, writes Roy Ward of the Sydney Morning Herald.  The 34-year-old, who has been traded three times within the NBA, last appeared in the Association with New Orleans in 2010/11.  Across 103 career games, Andersen averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 12.3 minutes per contest.
  • Despite lots of interest from teams overseas, Celtics summer camp standout Mike Moser will be in an NBA training camp next month, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

International Rumors: Andersen, Jenkins, Leslie

A lot of former NBA players looking to find their way back into the league do so via 10-day contracts this time of year, but others have decided their best options are overseas. Here’s the latest on a few noteworthy deals overseas:

  • David Andersen has signed with SIG Strasbourg of France, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The former Rockets, Raptors and Pelicans center has drawn mild NBA interest of late, but he said last week that he thought it more likely he’d head to Europe. L’Equipe first reported Andersen’s deal.
  • Charles Jenkins has signed a one-year extension with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, tweets Djordje Matic. The 24-year-old guard spent the past two seasons in the NBA with the Warriors and Sixers before joining Red Star this past summer. It’s unclear what kind of escape clause, if any, the deal would provide for Jenkins if another NBA team comes calling.
  • Former Clippers and Jazz guard Travis Leslie has signed with BC Siauliai of Lithuania, according to the team (translation via Carchia). French club ASVEL Villeurbanne released the 23-year-old last week.

Southwest Notes: Andersen, Calderon, Gay

The Rockets might have preferred not stopping for halftime last night against the Thunder. Houston put up 73 points in the first half but followed with only 19 after the break, setting an NBA record for the largest point differential between halves. The strong initial performance was not enough to outweigh the later thud, as Oklahoma City prevailed, 104-92. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Former Rockets and Pelicans center David Andersen says agent Leon Rose told him that NBA teams would be interested in him if an injury created a need, but the former second-round pick thinks it’s more likely he winds up signing in Europe next month. Roy Ward of The Age has the details.
  • Many of Jose Calderon‘s numbers aren’t any better than the ones Darren Collison put up last year, but part of the reason the Mavs prioritized an upgrade at point guard this past summer was to fix their crunch-time woes, notes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Dallas is better in the clutch this year, and there’s no reason to believe the team is rethinking its decision to bring in Calderon, McMahon writes.
  • With the approaching one-year anniversary of the GrizzliesRudy Gay trade, Gay is grateful for his time in Memphis, where he learned plenty about NBA life that he’s putting into practice now with the Kings, as he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

International Moves: Uzoh, Andersen, James

As free agents continue to come off the board, not all of them are signing their new contracts with NBA teams. Here's the latest on a handful of notable names landing non-NBA deals:

  • Ben Uzoh, who played for the Cavs and Raptors last season after spending 2010/11 with the Nets, has signed with Cholet Basket in France, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 24-year-old has averaged 4.0 points and 2.2 assists in 13.5 minutes per game in 60 career NBA contests.
  • We heard a week ago that Australia's David Andersen hoped to receive a chance to play in the NBA this season, but it appears he'll remain overseas. Carchia passes along word that Andersen has signed a two-year deal with Turkey's Fenerbahce Ulker. The 32-year-old big man played 103 games for the Rockets, Raptors, and Hornets from 2009 to 2011.
  • After spending a good chunk of last season with the Tulsa 66ers, Rhode Island product Delroy James has signed a one-year deal in Italy, FMC Ferentino announced (link via Sportando).

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Josh Howard, Deng, Heat

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter) points out that the Bulls are specifically $758,642 below the luxury tax apron and that the league minimum salary for sophomore players is $762,195. This definitely factors into the situation of Malcolm Thomas, who put on a standout performance as a member of their summer league roster and more importantly is entering his second year in the league. Deeks still doesn't think that Chicago is willing pay the tax, adding that the team isn't in any rush to make moves that would incidentally put them over the apron. Here are more of tonight's links from around the NBA…

  • Matt Moore of CBS Sports gives the Bobcats a grade of "C" for their work this offseason. 
  • Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com talks about the plenty of backcourt options that the Mavericks have for the upcoming season. 
  • Australia's David Andersen hopes that Wednesday's game against Team USA is enough to make an impression as he hopes for an opportunity to return to the NBA, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The 6'11 forward/center played in Italy last year and was a member of the Hornets during the 2010-11 season. Andersen says he will continue to play in Europe if he doesn't receive an offer from an NBA team. 
  • Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops examines the top 20 remaining free agents and groups them by position. 
  • Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Jazz are expected to re-engage in talks with free agent Josh Howard soon. 
  • Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN LA clarifies that although the Lakers are interested in Jodie Meeks, the shooting guard isn't quite open to signing for the veteran's minimum. Also, Kamenetzky notes that while the team has placed a priority on adding a backcourt or wing player, they won't use their mini-mid level exception to overpay for a player they feel isn't worth that much. Earlier today, Brian joined his brother Andy to discuss some names in free agency that are worth considering, including Carlos Delfino, Tracy McGrady, and Terrence Williams in addition to Meeks. 

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