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Central Notes: Neal, Teague, Cavs

December 12th, 2013 at 5:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

This past offseason, the Spurs extended then-restricted free agent Gary Neal a qualifying offer worth about $1.1MM, which was significantly below the two-year, $7.5MM agreement he eventually reached with the Bucks. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News, Neal believes he got a fair shake from Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford and understood that he wouldn’t be retained if he wanted more than what San Antonio was initially offering:

“I figured after three years, the Spurs benefitted me, and I benefitted the Spurs…But it’s a business. I kind of knew after Game 7 in the Finals, unless I signed a qualifying offer, I wouldn’t be back…I have no complaints…If (they didn’t give me the opportunity), they could have found another guy one of those summers to shoot 40 percent from three,..I thank Coach Pop a thousand times for that.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

  • The rest of the league is confused why the Bulls aren’t willing to give Marquis Teague more playing time, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Chicago reportedly dangled Teague in trade talks during the preseason.
  • The Cavaliers have recalled Carrick Felix, Sergey Karasev, and Henry Sims from the D-League, as per the team’s official website.
  • Pistons forward Gigi Datome is determined to play for the Italian national team next summer, whether it’d be during the FIBA World Cup or the Eurobasket Qualifying Round, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (hat tip to Tuttosport).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

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Kings/Raptors Trade Reaction

December 9th, 2013 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

News of the pending trade between the Raptors and Kings overshadowed Kobe Bryant‘s return to the Lakers, which was supposed to be the story of Sunday night around the NBA. There are plenty of reverberations in the wake of the deal that featured Rudy Gay, and we’ll round them up here:

  • The Raptors were at the 15-man roster limit before the trade, and since they’re acquiring four players and giving up three, they’ll have to cut someone. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun initially figured D.J. Augustin was ripe for the chopping block before hearing Dwight Buycks was most likely to go (Twitter links). HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler pegs Julyan Stone as the probable cut, but Wolstat (on Twitter) thinks Stone is most likely to stick.
  • There was increasing mutual dissatisfaction between the Raptors and Gay, note Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. It’s almost certain that Gay will exercise his $19.3MM option for next season, Wojnarowski and Spears write, and the Kings didn’t ask Gay about his plans regarding the option before agreeing to the trade, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
  • The Raptors might not be weakening their team this season, Kyler writes in his NBA AM piece, figuring the players they’re acquiring might be much better than the ones they’re sending out. Kyler also suggests the Kings may use the next couple of months to evaluate Gay to decide whether to flip him at the trade deadline.
  • Raptors coach Dwane Casey remains on shaky ground, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Raptors spoke to nearly every team in the league about Gay, Lowe writes, specifically mentioning the Pistons, Bucks and Cavs.
  • Toronto brass had already decided to rebuild before they found a taker for Gay, but sources told SportsNet’s Michael Grange just two days prior to the deal that GM Masai Ujiri had essentially given up on what seemed like a futile search for a trade partner.
  • In the same piece, Grange writes that league sources were stunned that the Kings were willing to take on Gay, with one executive asking rhetorically, “Doesn’t Sacramento watch the games?”
  • Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has been struggling to accept the idea of another losing season for Sacramento, which helps explain why he’s been so active on the trade market, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
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Central Rumors: Butler, Pistons, Cavs

December 8th, 2013 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons met the Bulls on Saturday in a game that would allow the winner to hit .500, and Detroit came away with the victory. That gives the Pistons the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, where everyone’s looking up at the Pacers, now 18-2 after a resounding win against the Spurs. Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • Caron Butler would be interested in putting a group together to buy the Bucks from Herb Kohl, reports Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Butler also says he’d like to take an active role in managing the team, but the 33-year-old would have to retire from playing first to accomplish either objective.
  • The Pistons aren’t likely to send Tony Mitchell on a D-League assignment this season, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, contradicting his report from before the season. The team feels differently about Peyton Siva, who could wind up in the D-League once Chauncey Billups and Will Bynum return from injury, Ellis adds.
  • Some Cavs players haven’t been enamored with Mike Brown‘s strict coaching this season, the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto observes. The team gave Brown license to use a heavy hand with his four-year contract, Pluto writes.
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Southwest Notes: Hollins, Roberts, Spurs

December 1st, 2013 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins reportedly spoke with Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks about joining his staff as assistant, and Hollins confirms to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he was offered the job.  He turned it down, however, intent on seeking out another NBA head coaching gig.  Here’s more out of the Southwest Division..

  • Pelicans point guard Brian Roberts is on a fully guaranteed minimum-salary contract, but he’s fallen out of the rotation, and that might put his roster spot in jeopardy, as Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune examines.
  • The Spurs announced that they have assigned center Aron Baynes and guard Nando De Colo to the D-League’s Austin Toros.  Baynes has appeared in ten games for the Spurs this season, averaging 1.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8.1 minutes.  De Colo has seen action in six contests this season for the Silver and Black, averaging 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 9.0 minutes.  To keep track of all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
  • Jeff McDonald of the Express News (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see Baynes and De Colo back in San Antonio tomorrow.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Bennett, Ledo, Pistons, Heat

November 30th, 2013 at 10:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs drafted Anthony Bennett first overall with many in the organization envisioning him becoming a small forward at some point, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd argues that the team should make the former UNLV big man the starter at that position now. Cleveland’s win tonight brings the team’s record to just 5-12, so Lloyd believes it’s an idea worth trying in a season when few of coach Mike Brown‘s gambits have worked. Here’s more from around the NBA:

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Berger On Asik, Stuckey, Waiters, Sixers

November 29th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s Black Friday in North America, and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has provided a shopping list for teams scouring the trade market for roster improvements. In the process of listing his 10 trade candidates, Berger provides a handful of interesting tidbits on those players, so we’ll round up several of the highlights below:

  • A rival GM described the Rockets‘ asking price in Omer Asik trade talks as “delusional,” according to Berger.
  • Rodney Stuckey is in the final year of his contract, but a source tells Berger that the Pistons “are not trading” the veteran guard.
  • Some rival executives find it hard to believe that the Cavs would give up so quickly on Dion Waiters, who is still just 21 years old.
  • Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes represent the Sixers‘ two most logical trade candidates, but Berger hears from rival execs that it’s worth keeping an eye on Thaddeus Young as well.
  • While several executives named Ed Davis as a possible trade candidate, Berger believes the Grizzlies are more likely to explore dealing Zach Randolph. Berger adds that agent Rob Pelinka is “notorious for gaming the system in free agency,” so if Memphis does move Davis, it may be out of a fear that Pelinka has already lined up a team to sign him next summer.
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Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Rose, Bulls

November 24th, 2013 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Pistons big man Josh Harrellson is without a guaranteed contract and he’s making a case for his deal to get locked in with his recent play, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.  With the Pistons looking for an extra power forward and Jonas Jerebko, Tony Mitchell ,and Charlie Villanueva not stepping up to the plate, Harrellson became next man up in two games against the Hawks last week.  Here’s the latest out of the Central..

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Coach/GM Rumors: Jazz, Wizards, Raps, Cavs

November 22nd, 2013 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

It may seem a little early in the season for any NBA teams to make a coaching change, but it’s worth noting that each of the league’s 30 coaches have already survived twice as long this year as Mike Brown did with the Lakers a year ago. While there may not be any coaching or front office shake-ups right around the corner, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com examines situations of potential unrest around the league, offering up a few tidbits along the way. Let’s round them up….

  • Despite leading the Jazz to a 1-12 start, coach Tyrone Corbin doesn’t appear to be in any danger, since the focus in Utah is on player development rather than wins and losses. Berger adds that there’s also no logical in-house candidate to serve as an interim coach now that former assistant Jeff Hornacek is in Phoenix.
  • League sources question how much longer Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld “can remain in self-preservation mode,” says Berger.
  • If the Wizards and Raptors continue losing, Randy Wittman and Dwane Casey could be in a dead heat for the first coach to be replaced. According to Berger, the feeling around the league is that new Toronto president Masai Ujiri would be quick to make a change and start putting his own stamp on the franchise if things go south for Casey and the Raptors.
  • Cavaliers GM Chris Grant is on “shaky ground,” sources tell Berger. While coach Mike Brown may have pushed for the drafting of Anthony Bennett, Brown just signed a four-year contract with the team, so Grant’s seat is much hotter than his coach’s.
  • Pelicans GM Dell Demps and Pistons GM Joe Dumars are among the other executives who could be in danger of losing their jobs if their respective teams aren’t in the playoff hunt, writes Berger.
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Eastern Notes: Josh Smith, Sixers, Knicks

November 20th, 2013 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers will aim to become the NBA’s first team to 10 wins this season tonight when they face the reeling Knicks in New York. As we look forward to that contest and a handful of others, let’s check in on the latest out of the Eastern Conference….

  • The Pistons laid the groundwork for this summer’s signing of Josh Smith by pursuing the forward back in 2008, when he hit restricted free agency with the Hawks, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit didn’t make an offer at the time, since Atlanta seemed poised to match any offer sheet, but the Pistons maintained their interest over the next several years.
  • Thaddeus Young knows he’ll be the subject of trade rumors this season, but the Sixers forward said all the right things to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld in discussing the possibility. “At the end of the day I realize the NBA is a business and things happen for different reasons,” Young said. “If it happens then so be it, but at the end of the day I love being in Philly. It’s like my second home. Right now I’m there.”
  • In spite of increasingly frequent “Fire Woodson!” chants at Madison Square Garden, Ian Begley of ESPN New York believes the Knicks‘ Mike Woodson deserves a chance to coach a healthy roster before any decisions are made.
  • Pacers consultant and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh says he was “surprised” by his old team’s decision to let GM Glen Grunwald go before the season, according to Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News.
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Southeast Notes: Afflalo, Smith, Magic, Hawks

November 18th, 2013 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Sometimes, it’s the moves you don’t make that define your team.  The Magic reportedly received “lots of interest” in guard Arron Afflalo, this summer, but ultimately decided to hang on to him.  They’ve been handsomely rewarded for rebuffing the advances of other clubs as Afflalo is putting up 21.7 PPG – more than double his career average.  Tonight’s look at the Southeast Division..

  • Pistons forward Josh Smith told 92.9 FM that the Hawks never came to him with a contract offer this summer, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  “No, there wasn’t,” Smith said when asked if there was a contract offer. “During free agency, during that period, there were a lot of guys out in L.A. that were meeting with various teams. I was one of those guys. That’s where I work out in the summertime as well. The only time I saw the Hawks during free agency was when they came to one of my workouts just to say hello. I think they were meeting with Dwight Howard that day. They never came in or sat down with me during the free agency period to offer me anything.”
  • Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson is less-than-thrilled about his playing time situation with the Magic, but he’s refusing to blow it up into a major issue, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.  The 31-year-old wants to contribute, but at the same time, he wants to remain with Orlando for years to come.
  • Guys like Afflalo and Nelson have trade value, but their stocks will be even higher around draft time after logging productive seasons, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
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