Central Notes: Augustin, Bulls, Cavs, Thompson
Tonight’s look at the Central Division as the Pistons get set to take on the Wizards and the Bulls travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies..
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com confirms (via Twitter) that D.J. Augustin’s contract with the Bulls is fully non-guaranteed and is just a one-year deal. James Johnson’s contract with the Grizzlies is also a one-year, non-guaranteed pact worth the minimum salary.
- The Cavs nearly traded for Klay Thompson on draft night in 2011, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal. Cleveland GM Chris Grant was trying frantically to add a third top ten pick in that 2011 draft to make it happen. Former coach Byron Scott told Lloyd months later it was the night he really came to believe Grant knew what he was doing and was the right man for the job.
- More from Lloyd, who adds that the Cavs talked to the Kings about a deal involving J.J. Hickson for the No. 7 pick, but the Kings ultimately dealt the pick in a different deal and the Cavs sent Hickson to the Kings after the draft for Omri Casspi and a future pick. Then the Cavs had a deal in place with the Jazz for the No. 12 pick, but the Warriors snatched Thompson at No. 11. The Jazz ultimately backed out of the deal with the Cavs and nabbed shooting guard Alec Burks.
Warriors Waive Hilton Armstrong
Less than three weeks after adding him to the roster, the Warriors have released Hilton Armstrong, the team announced overnight in a press release. Armstrong had been on a non-guaranteed contract, so Golden State won’t be on the hook for his full-season salary.
Armstrong, 29, played sparingly in seven games for the Warriors this month, compiling six points and 16 rebounds overall in about 28 total minutes. It was the big man’s first NBA action since the 2010/11, but he held his own, recording a PER of 18.0 in the limited sample size.
The move reduces the Warriors’ roster count to 14 players, leaving them with an opening to add another player at some point. Teams can begin signing 10-day contracts next Monday, so perhaps the team will bring Armstrong back on a 10-day deal or two later in the season.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Stephenson, Warriors
Shortly after playing in his first game back since he suffered a torn meniscus, Solomon Jones told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel he is enjoying more than being able to return to playing for the Magic. Jones, who is playing on a minimum salary contract this season, has enjoyed living close to his childhood home and his family. Averaging almost eight minutes in the games he has played, it will be seen whether Jones will play his way into another season near his home town.
A few other notes around the league.
- According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter Link), rival NBA executives are predicting that Pacers guard Lance Stephenson will be worth between $7-9MM per season when he enters free agency next summer. While the Pacers and Stephenson have both expressed interest in re-signing with each other next season, a $9MM price tag would almost guarantee they will only be able to re-sign either Stephenson or fellow Pacer free agent, Danny Granger.
- The Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic and guard Nemanja Nedovic to their NBA D-League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors. In a team announcement, the Warriors said both rookies will be able to play in tonight’s D-League game. Kuzmic has missed most of this season with a hand injury but has averaged 4.1 MPG in the games he has played with the Warriors. Nedovic has appeared in all but 10 of the Warriors games averaging 6.4 MPG, and 1.1 PPG.
- According to Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, the Cavaliers biggest need this season is at the small forward position. Former head coach Byron Scott told Lloyd in the summer of 2012 that the Cavaliers have been trying to resolve that position for some time but have not been successful to date. Aware that Cleveland spent their first overall pick on small forward Anthony Bennett, Lloyd still thinks the Cavaliers are looking to fill that hole and could do so in this season’s trade market. The only issue according to Lloyd is every inquiring team wants Dion Waiters in any trade they do with Cleveland which is a move the Cavaliers are unwilling to make.
- Although we knew Brook Lopez‘s season is over, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Brook Lopez will undergo surgery on his foot January 4th officially ending his 2013/14 campaign. Unless the Nets trade him, Lopez will be back for Brooklyn next season continuing the 4 year contract he signed back in 2012.
Latest On Andrew Bynum
The stir that the Cavaliers created today with their announcement of an indefinite suspension for Andrew Bynum has prompted plenty of rumors, and since our original story is getting lengthy, we’ll split off the latest on the one-time All-Star center into a new post. Here’s what we know:
- The Heat would likely have interest in Bynum if they can clear a roster spot for him, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Miami and the Clippers are Bynum’s preferred destinations, and both have been keeping an eye on big men who could become available.
Earlier updates:
- Trading Bynum may be a difficult task, as Sam Amico was told (Twitter Link) by an NBA executive: “Trading for him won’t magically make the issues just go away. He doesn’t love the game.”
- A source close to the Cavaliers tells HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy that Bynum was exhibiting the same “reckless behavior” in Cleveland that he did when he was a member of the Lakers (Twitter link). The big man has shown frequent disrespect to his coaches, Kennedy’s source said.
- The Lakers don’t seem likely to bring Bynum back, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Mavs met with Bynum when he was a free agent this summer, but they’re probably not interested in him now, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- If the Cavs can’t find a trade partner, it’s not clear whether they’ll keep Bynum beyond January 7th, when the guaranteed portion of his contract jumps from $6MM to his full $12.25MM salary, according to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. The Clippers would be interested in Bynum if he were to become a free agent because they know they need to address their weakness at backup center, according to Zillgitt and Amick.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears there’s no interest from other teams in trading for Bynum and that the Cavs will indeed wind up releasing him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed (Twitter links).
- Bud Shaw of The Plain Dealer takes Bynum to task for his apparent lack of commitment and raises the idea that the Cavs could trade him closer to the deadline if they decide to keep him beyond January 7th.
- Bynum probably won’t end up with the Warriors, since the organization loves its team chemistry and already has three backup centers with guaranteed contracts (Twitter links).
- Bynum might be a disruptive presence in the Cavs locker room, but if there were such problems when he was with the Sixers, no one has said anything about it, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Amick On Knicks, Lowry, Rondo
USA Today’s Sam Amick offered his New Year’s resolutions for a handful of teams who appear badly in need of help, touching base with issues currently encompassing the Knicks, Warriors, and Timberwolves. Aside from lamenting about the Eastern Conference’s shortage of winning records, Amick provides some fascinating tidbits on what’s been going on in New York, particularly with regard to their recent pursuit of Kyle Lowry and their reported interest in Rajon Rondo. Being that Amick’s discussion of Golden State and Minnesota is more-or-less tied to point differential and strength of schedule, we’ll focus on the Knicks-related topics from his piece, and you can find the highlights below:
- New York would be wise to consolidate all their efforts and assets toward acquiring Rondo and not Lowry, especially if they’re willing to discuss trading their already limited supply of draft picks, suggests Amick.
- According to a person with knowledge of the Raptors’ dealings, the Knicks had first raised the idea of sending a 2018 pick to Toronto during trade discussions for Lowry. Interestingly enough, it appears that GM Steve Mills was the one who ultimately vetoed this particular approach altogether, opting to remain patient for more worthwhile pursuits.
- Regardless of how many times Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge insists that Rondo isn’t on the trading block, the belief from rival executives remains that the star point guard can be had for the right price. With two months and change left before the NBA’s trade deadline, it doesn’t look like the rumors of New York’s pursuit of Rondo will go away anytime soon, especially if Carmelo Anthony remains part of the Knicks’ plans. Even if Rondo becomes available, the Knicks face another hurdle of being one of many teams in line looking to make a pitch to the Celtics for his services.
Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Warriors, Bledsoe
Here’s tonight’s look at the Pacific Division as the Lakers face the Suns, the Kings take on the Pelicans, and Andre Iguodala faces his old team when his Warriors meet the Nuggets..
- Iguodala says he didn’t see the Nuggets contract offer over the summer as more lucrative than the Warriors deal because of the non-guaranteed portions, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The small forward inked a four-year, $48MM deal with Golden State in July while Denver reportedly made him a four-year, $52MM offer and also proposed five-year scenarios.
- The Eric Bledsoe trade that almost didn’t happen changed the future of the Suns, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “It was close [to falling through],” Suns president Lon Babby said. “But Eric is someone we had long pined for here, and we saw the opportunity. When we saw that we could formulate a scenario that would work for everyone, we really felt like we had to keep pushing for it and fortunately, it all worked out.”
- The Lakers have to be strong and not rush Kobe Bryant back this season, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Pacific Links: Young, Marshall, Nedovic
All five Pacific Division teams are in action tonight, and the slate includes a matchup between the Lakers and the disappointing Warriors. Golden State could fall to .500 with a loss, despite preseason thoughts of challenging for the Western Conference title. Here’s the latest from the Pacific:
- The injury-hit Lakers haven’t had much to celebrate, but Nick Young is nonetheless having fun in purple-and-gold, and he tells Tracy Weissenberg of SLAM Online that the experience is better than the half-season he spent with the Clippers in 2011/12. “The Clippers got a lot of hype with all the highlights they do. Obviously, they got a better record than us right now, but Lakers is tradition,” Young said. “I grew up being a Laker fan. The city always being Lakers fans. I remember going to the Laker parades after winning championships. It’s nothing like being a Laker. It changed my view of the NBA right now, being a Laker.”
- Kendall Marshall has longstanding connections to a few Lakers, and that had him keeping a close eye on the team before he signed with L.A. this week, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “They look like they really enjoy playing together,” the former Suns lottery pick said of his new team. “Any team that plays together, you want to be a part of.”
- The Warriors have recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the D-League today, just one day after sending him down, the team announced. The rookie scored 29 points for the Santa Cruz Warriors last night, and he’ll be back with Golden State in time for tonight’s tilt with the Lakers. The Warriors are keen on one-day assignments, as I noted earlier this month.
Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Carroll, Kobe
It’s a lighter-than-usual Friday night slate in the NBA, with only nine games this evening, but it’s been plenty eventful off the court the past couple of weeks. Hoops Rumors readers have pegged Kyle Lowry as the most likely centerpiece of the next major deal, and as we wait to see whether that will be the case, here’s more from the Association:
- Richard Jefferson wouldn’t retract Thursday’s comment that he’ll have “no loyalty” as he seeks to play for a contender, but he told reporters Friday that he’d be “more than ecstatic” to remain with the Jazz, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Jefferson will be a free agent at season’s end.
- Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll was surprised that he and the Jazz couldn’t work out a way for him to return to Utah this summer, but he’s still fond of the organization, Falk observes in a separate piece.
- Kobe Bryant‘s latest injury has turned his extension into a disaster of a deal for the Lakers, who seem unlikely to have what it takes to lure LeBron James this summer, as Mark Heisler opines for Forbes.com.
- Stephen Graham has signed with the Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara, the club announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Francisco Vega of El Impulso first reported the story (on Twitter). The six-year NBA veteran was in camp this fall with the Bucks.
- The Warriors have sent Nemanja Nedovic to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the third assignment to Santa Cruz this season for the 30th overall pick this past June.
Warriors Notes: O’Neal, Armstrong, Douglas
Wednesday’s come-from-behind win against the Mavericks was a boost for the Warriors, who would have fallen to within a game of .500 had they lost. Golden State instead entered tonight at 13-10 and tied with Dallas for eighth place in the Western Conference, but the Warriors didn’t envision merely scrapping for a playoff spot this season. Injuries have played a role in the slow start, but it looks like the team has at least considered shaking up the roster with a trade, as witnessed by the team’s rumored interest in Kyle Lowry. It sounds like Lowry won’t wind up in a Warriors uniform, but Golden State will nonetheless be a team to watch if its struggles continue. Here’s more on the W’s:
- Jermaine O’Neal had surgery today on a torn ligament in his right wrist, but he took to Twitter to insist that he will return at some point this season (hat tip to The Associated Press). GM Bob Myers says O’Neal will probably miss about two months, according to 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). A report yesterday indicated it was likely that O’Neal was done for the year.
- Coach Mark Jackson explained to reporters, including Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group, why the team chose to sign Hilton Armstrong this week rather than bring back Dewayne Dedmon to fill its need for a backup center. “Just overall we thought we needed a guy that was more game ready today, not to say that Dewayne isn’t, but this is no time for us to experiment. We needed a proven guy off the bench,” Jackson said.
- Amid the rumors linking Golden State to Lowry, Jackson also said the team still believes in backup point guard Toney Douglas, as Kawakami also notes in his piece.
- The best outcome for David Lee and the Warriors isn’t a trade that would ship him out of town, but a return to the All-Star form the power forward exhibited last season, opines fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Marcus Thompson.
Kyle Lowry Rumors: Friday
An overnight report suggested that Knicks owner James Dolan had blocked a potential acquisition of Kyle Lowry, but Marc Berman of the New York Post provides another possible explanation for talks between the Knicks and Raptors breaking down. We have more details on that below, along with the rest of the day’s Lowry-related updates:
- The Nets have “zero intention of surrendering Bogdanovic or a first-rounder for Lowry, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, who can’t envision Brooklyn landing the point guard, given Toronto’s insistence on a first-round pick and a young asset. The Nets are enamored with Bogdanovic and don’t have many first-rounders to trade (All Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- Sam Amick of USA Today hears from two people with knowledge of the Nets‘ dealings that the team won’t acquire Lowry if the Raptors insist on getting a 2020 first-rounder from Brooklyn. As for the Warriors, Amick says that as of late Friday, they view the asking price for Lowry as too high and appear to be moving on.
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri was in Turkey yesterday and saw Bogdanovic in action, according to Halil Can Pelister SuperBasket.org (Twitter link). Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes (via Twitter) that the trip had been prearranged, so it’s not necessarily a signal that the Raps are serious about a deal with the Nets.
- Wojnarowski’s latest update on the Lowry talks is consistent with Frank Isola’s report, indicating that Dolan bailed on a deal that would have sent Felton, World Peace, and a 2018 first-rounder to Toronto. The Knicks‘ front office would like to re-enter negotiations, and is working to convince Dolan to ignore public criticism, but it’s unclear if the Knicks would put that same offer on the table or whether they’d need to upgrade it.
- The Nets and Raptors have exchanged ideas on packages that include Mirza Teletovic, Tyshawn Taylor, and Bojan Bogdanovic, according to Wojnarowski. Jason Terry has also been discussed for salary-matching purposes, but the Nets so far seem unwilling to include Mason Plumlee or a future first-round pick.
- The Warriors have also remained involved in Lowry talks, says Wojnarowski.
- Lowry told reporters, including Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun, that he anticipates being moved at some point, but has never asked the Raptors for a trade.
- According to Berman, after the Knicks thought they had a deal in place, Toronto’s asking price went up. Rather than accepting Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace, and a 2018 first-round pick, Toronto wants to include Tim Hardaway Jr. in place of World Peace, says Berman.
- Within Berman’s piece, he notes that Felton isn’t giving too much thought to the latest reports. “I laughed at that trade stuff,’’ Felton said. “I don’t talk about. I’ve been in the league for nine years. That stuff is going to happen when you have a good season. I have nothing to do with it. I don’t deal with it. That’s why we have general managers.”
- As the Knicks‘ front office works with Dolan to regroup on the Lowry front, the Nets are gaining traction as a possible destination for the Raptors‘ point guard, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Wojnarowski adds in a second tweet that Toronto continues to talk to several teams about Lowry, so nothing is imminent.