Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Danilo Gallinari To Miss Season

January 21st, 2014 at 2:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Danilo Gallinari will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his ACL today, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Gallinari didn’t have ACL surgery this past spring, instead having a procedure done to repair his meniscus, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Nuggets announced in April that he had torn the ACL in his left knee, and he hasn’t played in a game since. The doctor who performed the initial surgery believed Gallinari could strengthen the ACL enough to play on it without the traditional operation, but the knee didn’t respond, as Wojnarowski explains in his full story.

Gallinari said last week that the thought of missing the entire season had crossed his mind, a change from earlier, when he indicated he didn’t consider that a possibility. The Nuggets haven’t been the same without him, compiling a 20-20 record so far compared to last season’s 57-25 mark. The Warriors upset the Nuggets when they were without Gallinari in last year’s playoffs.

The 25-year-old is in the midst of a four-year, $42MM extension that runs through 2015/16 and pays him more than $10.1MM this season. The deadline to apply for a disabled player exception was January 15th, so the capped-out Nuggets can only sign a minimum-salary player to replace him. Today’s announcement strengthens the chance that Denver will look to make changes that favor the future over the present come the trade deadline.

The Nuggets will recoup some of their obligation to Gallinari this season through their insurance policy, which pays 80% of his salary for any games he misses over the latter part of the season. That’ll work out to a savings of about $4.5MM, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Players Eligible To Be Traded As Of Today

January 15th, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s been an active season for trades in the NBA. We’re still more than a month away from the deadline and we’ve already seen five swaps, including today’s three-teamer between the Warriors, Celtics and Heat. The door to the action opens just a little bit wider today, as seven more players become eligible to be included in trades. It’s not quite a landmark sort of occasion like December 15th, when most free agents signed in the offseason, along with a few others, become fair game for trades, but the arrival of January 15th nonetheless represents one fewer obstacle to player movement.

Players who received a raise of better than 20% this summer when they re-signed via Bird or Early Bird rights with a team that was over the cap weren’t eligible to be traded until today, as long as they were making more than the minimum salary last season. That narrow distinction applies to the following players:

Tony Allen, Grizzlies
Chase Budinger, Timberwolves
Timofey Mozgov, Nuggets
J.R. Smith, Knicks
Tiago Splitter, Spurs
Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves
Brandan Wright, Mavericks

The Wolves are the only team with two players on that list, but J.R. Smith seems far and away the most likely trade candidate, and he’s uncertain about his future in New York, as we passed along this morning. It doesn’t seem as though there’s much of a market for him, but if a team wants to engage in talks with the Knicks about the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, collective bargaining agreement rules won’t forestall a move any longer.

ShamSports, RealGM, and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.

Nuggets Rumors: Miller, Gallinari, Draft

January 15th, 2014 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Denver is perhaps the NBA’s streakiest team, having won seven in a row at one point and five in a row at another, with an eight-game losing skid in between. So far, it’s all more or less evened out, as Denver has a 19-18 record. Monday’s loss to the Jazz snapped their five-game win streak, perhaps signaling another string of defeats is on its way. Here’s the latest from the Rocky Mountains:

The Nuggets have no interest in acquiring J.R. Smith, be it in a trade for Andre Miller or otherwise, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported earlier this morning, and it doesn’t look like there will be a Miller trade involving the Mavericks, either. In reference to the veteran point guard, Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told the BaD Radio program on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas that he’s satisfied with his backcourt and won’t be “looking to mess around with that” (transcription via the Dallas Morning News). Nelson also said the notion of Andrew Bynum joining the Mavs is “a long to long-long-long shot.”
Danilo Gallinari says the thought of missing the entire season has crossed his mind, but it’s still possible that he’ll return this year from his torn left ACL, as he tells Massimo Lopes Pegna of La Gazzetta dello Sport (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). That’s a change from his comments two months ago, when it appeared likely that he would come back at some point in 2013/14.
Gallinari also told Pegna that the Nuggets are scouting Italian draft prospect Alessandro Gentile, who could be a second-round pick (translation via Carchia). The swingman is No. 69 in the DraftExpress prospect rankings, but No. 127 at ESPN.com.

Latest On J.R. Smith

January 15th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith is eligible to be traded starting today, and while it doesn’t appear as though any deal is imminent, all is not well between last year’s Sixth Man of the Year and the Knicks. Smith didn’t appear in last night’s game against the Bobcats, even though he says Mike Woodson hadn’t told him he would be benched, observes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Smith didn’t directly answer a reporter’s postgame question of whether he wants to be traded, but he nonetheless hinted at discontent with his situation in New York.

“I’ll figure out what I can do better to help this team and go from there,’’ Smith said, as Berman notes. “If I can’t help the team, no point in me being here.’’

A reporter also asked Smith whether he would try to talk to Woodson about the benching, but Smith replied that, “The communication from my end is over,” Newsday’s Al Iannazzone tweets. The latest discord seems to have started with Smith repeatedly trying to untie opponents’ shoelaces earlier this month, but Smith says it’s “ridiculous” that such pranks have led to so much trouble, according to Berman.

Trading Smith, who signed a three-year contract for nearly $18MM in the offseason, wouldn’t fetch the Knicks much in return, as there’s apparently no market for the swingman. The Knicks have been trying to find a way to trade for Andre Miller, but the Nuggets have no interest in Smith and wouldn’t entertain the idea of a Miller-for-Smith swap, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Miller, Aldridge, Warriors

January 14th, 2014 at 9:47pm CST by Cray Allred

Rudy Gay says he is happy to be in Sacramento and in a Q&A on the Kings‘ website, he said being traded along with two teammates he’s close with helped make for an easy transition. When asked what he is bringing to his new team, he responded, “People pretty much know what I can do – bring leadership, scoring and all those things I’ve been doing my whole career.” Here are some more notes from around the Western Conference:

Andre Miller still hasn’t played for the Nuggets since his public confrontation with coach Brian Shaw, but the rift between the two isn’t as profound as it’s been portrayed to be, Shaw told reporters, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. “He’s dealing with what he needs to deal with. I’m focusing on the team and what’s best for the team right now,” Shaw said. “As I’ve said, I’m willing to coach any(body) and everybody who wants to put the team first. I have nothing but respect for him.”
LaMarcus Aldridge seemed to want out of Portland over the summer, but he’s changed his mind and is thinking about signing an extension because the Trail Blazers have become a more successful team, he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. “[GM] Neil [Olshey] did a great job of bringing in what we needed,” Aldridge said. “He worked with me throughout the process. I’m happy. We’re winning and we look good. Look, I just want to win.”
The Warriors D-League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors have signed Scott Machado, according to Rusty Simmons of The San Fransisco Chronicle (via Twitter), making official what Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported was forthcoming earlier today.
Suns rookie Archie Goodwin shared his thoughts with SNYtv.com’s Adam Zagoria on prospects Willie Cauley-Stein, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Henderson, and Julius Randle, comparing the latter to Josh Smith. Goodwin believes he would have been drafted much higher than 29th last year had his Kentucky Wildcats team made an NCAA tournament run instead of losing in the first round of the NIT tournament.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Bucher’s Latest: Griffin, Anthony, Lowry

January 14th, 2014 at 4:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

A majority of the league believes Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan don’t fit together, and Jordan’s improvement has made Griffin the more obvious trade candidate, according to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. The consensus is that the Clippers need a big man who can shoot, and even Chris Paul wishes Griffin were more like former teammate David West, sources tell Bucher. A general manager who possesses the sort of power forward who might mesh better with Jordan said to Bucher that the Clippers haven’t contacted his team and added that he hasn’t heard that the Clippers are shopping Griffin at all. The GM thinks owner Donald Sterling would never agree to such a deal, though Bucher hears from a Clippers source confident that Doc Rivers will talk him into it before the trade deadline. Bucher has more on the Clippers and scuttlebutt around the league, as we detail:

Bucher suggests that if the Clippers were to trade for Carmelo Anthony, there’d be no certainty that they could re-sign him.
The Warriors decided against trading for Kyle Lowry over concerns about how he’d fit into their locker room. The Raptors have upped their asking price for Lowry in the meantime, and executives around the league aren’t sure whether Lowry, Andre Miller or Kirk Hinrich is the best oversized point guard who might be available.
Several GMs believe the Bulls will trade Mike Dunleavy for a draft pick, with Chicago setting its sights on a retool for next season. The Rockets are reportedly targeting Dunleavy, and Bucher shares insight from a rival executive on why Houston might be inclined to deal for him.

Odds & Ends: Salaries, Rondo, Hickson

January 13th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA’s highest paid players used to dominate the list of the top earners in team sports, but no longer. Eight Major League Baseball players have deals that give them average annual salaries within the top 10 among all athletes in North American team sports, according to Liz Mullen and David Broughton of the SportsBusiness Journal (subscription only). Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony are the other two on that list. It’s a reversal from 2000, when eight NBA players were among the top 10 on those rankings, while two baseball players took up the other spots.

“The NBA players union has failed to protect the rights of the top players in the league,” agent Arn Tellem said. “Collective bargaining has proved totally ineffectual.”

It might help matters if the National Basketball Players Association were able to fill its vacant executive director position. They missed out on another target for the post when Blazers president Larry Miller turned them down, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reported this weekend. While we wait to see who they wind up with, here’s more from the NBA:

Celtics GM Danny Ainge has consistently batted down Rajon Rondo trade rumors, but there’s an “increasing belief” around the league that Ainge will seek to trade the point guard for multiple assets, as Chad Ford writes in his “tank rank” piece for ESPN Insider.
J.J. Hickson is leaving agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports and will soon hire a new representative, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.
ASVEL Villeurbanne of France has released former Clippers and Jazz point guard Travis Leslie, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
If Jordan Hill plays in 11 more games this year and averages at least 14.1 minutes per contest over the season, he’ll trigger an incentive clause worth $63,600, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Hill is averaging 20.2 MPG so far.

Odds & Ends: Deng, Miller, Kings

January 12th, 2014 at 10:49pm CST by Cray Allred

The Kings are playing much better than they did in last year’s awful campaign or to open this season, routing the Magic and Cavaliers after beating the Blazers last week. While the playoffs are still a long shot, FOX Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico sees signs of promise. The team has improved around DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, and now Rudy Gay as the roster has shaped up around the talent at the center, point guard, and swingman positions. Here’s a look around the rest of the league:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wonders if the Cavs could put off contract talks with Luol Deng in an effort to land LeBron James next summer. A league source tells Spears that the Cavs are interested in keeping Deng long-term, but also know there is plenty of time to evaluate him and begin extension talks. Deng says he understands that contract talks could be placed on hold as long as Cleveland has any hope for a James homecoming.
ESPN Insider’s Amin Elhassan [subscription only] looks at a hypothetical Andre Miller trade that could be a nice fit, sending him to the Wizards for a second round pick.
The storyline that has played out between Miller and Nuggets coach Brian Shaw is nothing new in the NBA, writes The Salt Lake Tribune’s Steve Luhm in a post lamenting the common necessity for new coaches to move on from an older veteran.
The Mavericks’ D-League affiliate Texas Legends are planning to add P.J. Hairston off wavers, Spears tweets. Hairston recently filed paperwork to join the D-League after North Carolina booted the junior from its NCAA squad due to an investigation of rule violations. He cannot be an NBA call-up for any team until next season, since he wasn’t ever draft-eligible this year.

Western Notes: Gasol Trade Options, Lee, Miller

January 11th, 2014 at 10:53pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

As the trade deadline approaches Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times thinks the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol while they can still get something in return for him. Gasol in the last year of his contract and the Lakers with little financial flexibility after extending Kobe Bryant seem to be parting ways after the season according to Bolch. Bolch suggests a few trades the Lakers should look into. First, the Nets to see if they can acquire injured Brook Lopez for Gasol. Next, the Grizzlies to pair Pau with his younger brother Marc Gasol in exchange for Zach Randolph. If neither are interested, Bolch suggests contacting the Rockets for Omer Asik. Finally, Bolch states the Hawks have coveted Gasol for some time and he thinks they may be willing to part with Paul Millsap in order to fill the gap created by an injured Al Horford. If all else fails, Bolch prompts the Lakers to at least get draft picks for Gasol and avoid “a bleak future”.

A few other notes around the Western Conference.

Although Andre Miller is one year removed from being called one of George Karl’s all-time favorite players, Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune believes we have seen the last of Miller in a Nuggets jersey. With a new coach in town and the Nuggets resurgence since Miller’s departure, Luhm thinks it is inevitable Miller’s absence will soon become permanent.
Courtney Lee didn’t need to prove anything to the Grizzlies front office for them to want to trade for him says Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal. Lee had already done that five years prior when training for the draft with his former agent Jason Levien and his former development coach Stu Lash. Levien, now the CEO of the Grizzlies, and Lash, now the Grizzlies director of player personnel and basketball development, both admired Lee’s hard work ethic and defensive prowess when they represented him five years ago, prompting them to bring him to Memphis.
While no one hopes for injuries, they have proven beneficial to Jodie Meeks‘ playing time and wallet. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times writes that Meeks is halfway to hitting bonus incentives in his contract that will pay him $200K. Meeks has playing time bonuses that are triggered for averaging both 20 minutes and 25 minutes a game. With Lakers players down with injury, Meeks has been averaging 31.6 MPG so far this season.
Not every wise transaction has to involve athletes, as John Canzano of The Oregonian points out. Canzano inspects the transactions Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has made regarding GM Neil Olshey, president Chris McGowan, and head coach Terry Stotts. In fact, Canzano predicts Allen will extend Stotts’ head coaching contract before the All-Star Game. Stotts contract has a team option for next year but nothing beyond that.

Stein On Raptors, Lowry, Chandler, Afflalo

January 11th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

For the first time, there’s real talk from Toronto that the Raptors might keep point guard Kyle Lowry for the rest of the season, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Word is that GM Masai Ujiri won’t commit to any firm position and is open to moving Lowry if the offers suddenly get sweeter. However, team officials appear to prefer the idea of going for what would be just Toronto’s third playoff berth in 13 seasons rather than attempt a colossal tank and go from .500 to Andrew Wiggins territory. Here’s more from Stein’s latest offering..

The Knicks were linked heavily to Lowry just a few weeks ago but they’re now said to want to work their way into the bidding for Nuggets guard Andre Miller. Unfortunately for them, they have the same problem in chasing Miller that they did with Lowry: a lack of assets to offer.
The Knicks are still getting calls for center Tyson Chandler but sources close to the situation tell Stein that they’re brushing each one of them off. At this stage, New York has no interest in parting with its defensive anchor, which makes sense if the Knicks are set on re-signing Carmelo Anthony this summer.
The Magic, meanwhile, continue to stiff-arm teams registering interest in shooting guard Arron Afflalo. The difference there, though, is that some rival clubs aren’t convinced that the Magic’s stance is as absolute as the Knicks’ stance is with Chandler. The lure of the 2014 draft is strong, but it’s not out of the question that someone could offer up a first-round pick for Afflalo. In that event, Orlando would have to give serious thought to pulling the trigger.