Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Jazz, Miller, Kings, Brown

October 13th, 2013 at 9:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Trey Burke‘s injury has opened up the possibility that the Jazz could trade for Marquis Teague of the Bulls or scour the free agent market for a veteran, and Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin says the team will consider its options, notes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.

“We’ll see,” Corbin said. “We’ll put our heads together tomorrow. We’ve got scouts out there. We’ll see what’s available. We’ve got some guys here. … We’ll see what gives us a chance.”

Internal candidate John Lucas III has impressed in camp so far, Luhm writes, so perhaps the Jazz may not have to look too far for their interim starting point guard. Here’s more from the West:

Andre Miller isn’t concerned about offseason trade rumors that invoked his name, and the 37-year-old Nuggets point guard says he wants to play until he’s 40, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive struck an agreement to hire Michael Malone as the team’s new head coach before the sale of the team became official, and Malone tells Sactown magazine that he and Ranadive kept their arrangement secret for two weeks. Sactown Royalty’s Tom Ziller has more.
Shannon Brown fell out of the rotation for the Suns last season, and the team could have waived him in June and avoided paying 50% of this season’s $3.5MM salary. They kept him instead, and he’s relishing the fresh start the team’s new regime has afforded him, as he tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Traded 2014 First Round Picks To Watch

October 9th, 2013 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

As we saw in 2011 when the draft pick acquired from the Clippers by the Cavaliers ended up landing first overall, trading unprotected first-round picks is a risky proposition for NBA teams. That would explain why, heading into the 2013/14 season, only three ’14 first-round picks have been traded without protection, all by veteran teams expected to have strong years.

The Knicks’ first-round pick will be sent to the Nuggets, as part of New York’s debt from the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster. However, if the Knicks’ pick is less favorable than Denver’s own pick, the Nuggets will pass it along to Orlando, as part of last summer’s four-team Dwight Howard trade. Otherwise, the Magic will receive Denver’s pick.

The Warriors’ first-round pick will head to Utah, one of several picks Golden State sent to the Jazz in the cap-clearing summer deal that saw Andre Iguodala land with the Warriors.

The other unprotected first-rounder will come from the Nets, who agreed to send their pick to Boston in this offseason’s acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. As part of 2012’s Joe Johnson swap though, the Hawks have the opportunity to swap their own first-round pick with the Nets’ pick, leaving the Celtics with the lesser pick of the two. So if the Nets disappoint this season, it will be the Hawks, rather than the C’s, who benefit most.

Nine other teams have agreed to give up their respective 2014 first-round picks in certain scenarios, but given the protection on these picks, only a handful will actually change hands next summer. We’ll be keeping an eye on the standings all season to monitor whether or not these traded picks will fall under protection, but here’s an early look at the situations to watch this season:

Team: Charlotte Bobcats
Will be sent to: Chicago Bulls
Protection: 1-10
Forecast: Despite the addition of Al Jefferson, the Bobcats still likely project as a lottery team, meaning this pick has a good chance to stay put. That could be good news for the Bulls, since we continue to inch closer to 2016, when this pick will become unprotected.

Team: Dallas Mavericks
Will be sent to: Oklahoma City Thunder
Protection: 1-20
Forecast: Mark Cuban and the Mavs are optimistic about the new-look roster, but I’m skeptical that Dallas is a top-ten team. This pick will probably stay with Dallas.

Team: Detroit Pistons
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-8
Forecast: If the Pistons were to finish as a bottom-eight team, I expect there’d be some jobs opening up in Detroit in 2014, given the expectations for the club. I have the Pistons penciled in as a low playoff seed in the East, so this pick should be ticketed for Charlotte.

Team: Indiana Pacers
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: While the Heat may be the No. 1 seed in the East again, the Pacers shouldn’t be too far behind them. As such, this pick will likely land in the mid-20s and be shipped to Phoenix.

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-13
Forecast: If the T-Wolves can avoid the injury problems that plagued them last season, they should be a playoff contender. The West will be competitive though, so there are no guarantees either way on this one.

Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Will be sent to: Philadelphia 76ers
Protection: 1-5
Forecast: I’m not bullish on the Pelicans’ postseason chances for 2013/14, but the offseason upgrades, along with continued development from Anthony Davis, should ensure that New Orleans isn’t a bottom-five team. The result could be a pair of lottery picks for the Sixers.

Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Will be sent to: Miami Heat
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: Speaking of those Sixers, it would be truly be a shocker if their own first-rounder changed hands next summer. Many pundits don’t expect the Sixers to win 20 games, let alone earn a playoff spot.

Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: Like the Wolves, the Blazers expect to be in contention for the postseason, but again, it won’t be easy in the West. This is another pick I could see going either way.

Team: Sacramento Kings
Will be sent to: Cleveland Cavaliers
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: The Kings are entering the season with playoff aspirations as well, but their odds are significantly lower, in my view, than the Wolves’ or Blazers’. I expect we’ll see Sacramento keep this pick.

RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.

Odds & Ends: Jazz, Draft, Karl, Ledo, Weems

October 6th, 2013 at 8:45pm CST by Zachary Links

If the Jazz are going to roll with a third point guard this season, it’ll be either Scott Machado or Lester Hudson, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks could conceivably bring the ball up the floor, but it sounds like Utah would prefer to have another cushion at the one-guard position. “It’s always better to have a third point guard,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “A guy gets hurt, a guy gets sick … If it’s for an extended period of time, having that third point guard gives you a luxury.” Here’s more from around the Association..

Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv spoke with an NBA GM about the 2014 Draft. The GM feels that even though it’ll be a two-player race between Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle, no one will have the fortitude to pick Randle over Wiggins, even if he outperforms him.
George Karl says the 2012/13 was the most fun he’s ever had in coaching, so he’d like to return to the bench, even though the former Nuggets boss acknowledges to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he may not get another chance. “If that doesn’t happen, I think I can be OK with it,” Karl said. “I’ve had a great career and I think I’m healthy enough and energized enough to go another four or five years, and hopefully someone else out there will think the same thing.”
Rick Carlisle is high on second-round pick Ricky Ledo, but the Mavs coach hinted that Ledo will probably spend time on assignment to the D-League this year, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram passes along.
Sonny Weems, who will play in Russia this season, still has his eye on an NBA deal, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

Western Rumors: Evans, Jazz, Nuggets

October 5th, 2013 at 9:53pm CST by Spencer Lund

New Pelicans wing Tyreke Evans landed hard on his left ankle tonight during their preseason game against the Rockets. John Reid of Times-Picayune reports that he was helped off the court.

Fellow Times-Picayune beat reporter Jimmy Smith tweets that X-Rays were negative on Evans' left ankle. But the team will do an MRI later tonight to be sure there's no structural damage. Evans signed with the Pelicans after a three-team trade involving the Blazers and Kings in July.

Here's more from around the West as preseason games started today…

Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Jazz guard Ian Clark has been underwhelming in training camp. The undrafted rookie performed spectacularly for the Heat and Warriors in summer league, winning the summer league championship MVP in Vegas.
The Jazz signed Clark to a partially guaranteed two-year minimum deal with the Jazz. Still, he's been pressing, Oram adds in a tweet. Though the Salt Lake Tribune scribe doesn't believe he'll be waived (Twitter).
Oram continued to update on the Jazz training camp roster tonight, tweeting that with Marvin Williams and Brandon Rush hurt, many believe the Jazz will keep 15 on their roster with Scott Machado or Lester Hudson likely to claim one of the remaining spots for opening night.
JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried must improve their one-on-one defense as stressed by new Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, writes Benjamin Hochman in his mailbag column for the Denver Post.

Northwest Notes: Shaw, Aldridge, Robinson, Orton

October 5th, 2013 at 8:44am CST by Zachary Links

Brian Shaw was passed over for the Lakers coaching job back in 2011, but he's pretty happy with how things turned out for him, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. "It was hard for me, the way everything happened so suddenly," Shaw said. "It's hard for me, initially to accept the fact that, wow, I was in L.A. and now I'm going to Indiana. And then I got to Indiana and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It really was, in terms of seeing a different way of doing things." Looking back on things, Shaw is grateful for his NBA coaching journey as it led him to the Nuggets' head job. Here's more from the Northwest Division..

LaMarcus Aldridge maturely handled questions on Blazers media day about the trade rumors involving him throughout the summer and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com believes that shows he's becoming a better team leader.
Blazers forward Thomas Robinson is playing with a chip on his shoulder and isn't making any secret of it based off of his conversation with Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 draft is now on his third team in two years after stops in Sacramento and Houston.
The preseason will be critical for Daniel Orton, who projects as a fourth-string center and has a non-guaranteed contract with the Thunder. The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry checks in with the two-year veteran.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Daniel Gibson Drawing Interest From Nuggets

October 4th, 2013 at 10:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

A longtime former Cavalier could soon find a new NBA home, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio notes at the end of his latest Cavs-related piece. The Nuggets are debating whether to reach out to Daniel Gibson, Amico writes. It's unclear whether Denver is preparing an offer, or simply wants to bring the seven-year veteran in for a workout, but it appears there's still a market for Gibson, who's never played an NBA game for a team other than the Cavs.

As I pointed out when I examined Gibson's free agent stock a couple of weeks ago, interest from NBA teams appeared to have dried up after several clubs were linked to him over the summer. Still, I thought his skill set would warrant an NBA opportunity at some point this season, and perhaps that will come in Denver.

The Nuggets have 14 fully guaranteed contracts, plus Quincy Miller's partially guaranteed deal and three camp invitees, so there's already plenty of competition for an opening-night roster spot. The team's interest in Gibson could signal a lack of confidence in Miller, but the 6'9" Baylor product plays small forward, while Gibson is a guard, and the Nuggets will be without starting small forward Danilo Gallinari to start the season.

The team's interest may simply lie in evaluating Gibson as a potential signee later in the season, or the Nuggets might want to see whether he'd accept a non-guaranteed camp invitation. Given the lack of space on Denver's roster, I'd expect Gibson's representatives at ASM Sports to insist on at least a partial guarantee if he were to sign with the team this month.

Western Notes: Carter, Dwight, Trail Blazers

October 3rd, 2013 at 6:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While we heard earlier today that Shawn Marion may not be entirely sure of what the future holds beyond this season, his Mavericks teammate Vince Carter feels eager to continue his NBA career as long as his body allows him to: "I don’t want to limit myself. I think doing that, you start thinking about it as the season goes on. I just go. I just let the body pretty much dictate how I feel at the end" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas). The 36-year-old guard/forward is entering the final year of his three-year contract this season, though MacMahon notes that team owner Mark Cuban has already gone on record saying he'd like to re-sign Carter this summer.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the team was much closer to landing Dwight Howard than people might think: "…we would not have gone after him if we didn’t think we had a chance or that it made sense…We were a lot closer than people realize to perhaps that actually happening."
The Oregonian's Mike Tokito thinks Robin Lopez will not only help expedite the development of Meyers Leonard, but also provide a viable frontcourt partner for LaMarcus Aldridge on the opposite block. In another piece, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that Aldridge had sustained a strained hip flexor during practice last night. However, the Trail Blazers' PR Twitter account clarifies that the injury was a left quad strain (Twitter link). Head coach Terry Stotts, while somewhat concerned, doesn't believe it to be serious.
Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press underscores the tough road that Timberwolves training camp hopeful Othyus Jeffers has had to endure to get to this point.
Nuggets coach Brian Shaw is pleased with how his players have responded in training camp as he prepares to get the team to push the pace this season (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post). In a separate article, Dempsey writes that JaVale McGee still has a ways to go before establishing himself as a legitimate post presence.

Odds & Ends: Bryant, Sampson, Miller

October 2nd, 2013 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

Kobe Bryant made his way back on the court for the first time today, reports ESPNLA.com's Dave McMenamin. He didn't participate in any drills with his teammates, and the organization remains quiet on any timetable for return.
According to Houston Fox 26's Mark Berman, former Rockets center Ralph Sampson wants to work with the organization, and could possibly become the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw says second-year forward Quincy Miller reminds him of a younger Paul George, writes the Denver Post's Chris Dempsey. Shaw was an assistant with the Pacers last season, when the Indiana forward was named to his first All-Star game.

Northwest Notes: OKC, Nuggets, Aldridge, Wolves

October 1st, 2013 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

After missing 2012/13 with a knee injury, Chase Budinger re-signed with the Timberwolves this summer, with both sides looking to put a lost season behind them. However, Budinger's year is off to an ominious start — the team announced today that he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, a procedure that will sideline him indefinitely (Twitter links). As Minnesota looks to avoid further visits from the injury bug that plagued the club last season, let's round up a few items out of the Northwest Division….

Budinger isn't the only notable Northwest player who has recently undergone arthroscopic surgery. The Thunder have announced in a press release that Russell Westbrook had the procedure performed on his right knee today, and that he'll likely miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season.
Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post explores the 10 most interesting stories to come out of the Nuggets' Media Day, including GM Tim Connelly's willingness to shake up the roster, if necessary. "If we enjoy the success we want to have, maybe we’re not as motivated to be deal-seeking," Connelly said. "But I want to be opportunistic, I want to be aggressive. I don’t think we’re where we want to be at this point."
At Media Day in Portland, GM Neil Olshey encouraged reporters to "get over" their fascination with LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors and "move on," while Aldridge indicated that he's looking forward to spending the season with the Trail Blazers. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge have the details.
At the Timberwolves' Media Day, Kevin Love wasn't too interested in discussing the past, including his injury-plagued 2012/13 season or his relationship with ex-GM David Kahn, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
In a separate piece for the Star Tribune, Zgoda talks to T-Wolves head coach Rick Adelman about why it took so long to determine that he'd definitely be back on the bench for the coming season.
The Jazz finalized their camp roster today by signing Lester Hudson.

Nuggets Rumors: Fogg, Shaw, Connelly

September 30th, 2013 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest news out of Denver..

The Nuggets announced their complete training camp roster which includes a new name in guard Kyle Fogg. The 6'3" guard averaged 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers last season. Fogg averaged 13.5 PPG in his senior season at Arizona in 2011/12, but went undrafted.
Coach Brian Shaw won't say that this year's Nuggets squad will finish with less wins than last year (57), but he does acknowledge that there will be a focus on player development, writes Terry Frei of The Denver Post. The coach was also asked about a timetable for the return of Danilo Gallinari, but that's still an unknown at this point.
General Manager Tim Connelly says that Denver was lucky to land Nate Robinson because he was being pursued by playoff teams, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The GM also acknowledged that the team isn't where he'd like it to be as the season draws near. While he likes the players he has, he won't hesitate to make a change if one is needed.