Grizzlies Making Rudy Gay Available?
Rudy Gay is no stranger to trade rumors, having been the subject of a few rumblings as recently as last summer. And it appears that 2013 will bring even more rumors surrounding the veteran forward, with Zach Lowe of Grantland reporting that the Grizzlies have made it known in preliminary talks with NBA teams that Gay could be available.
Lowe clarifies that it doesn't sound as if Memphis is actively shopping the 26-year-old. However, the club is about $4MM into the luxury tax this season, and could be heading back into tax territory in the next two seasons, based on the contracts currently on the books. As such, moving Gay's three-year, $53MM+ deal might be an attractive option.
Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said back in June that the team had no plans to deal Gay, and a September report from the Memphis Commercial Appeal suggested that Memphis turned down a number of lowball offers for Gay over the summer. However, with a new owner (Robert Pera) in place, and new faces in the front office, such as John Hollinger and Jason Levien, the Grizzlies may be more open to revisiting the possibility of a move.
While Lowe doesn't specify which teams the Grizzlies may have spoken to about Gay, he does speculate on which clubs may be a fit, naming the Timberwolves, Bucks, Celtics, Hawks, Raptors, Rockets, and Jazz as "sensible candidates." Lowe also adds that the Warriors have "long coveted" Gay, but points out they don't really have the pieces to make a deal work at the moment.
Amick On Warriors, Shumpert, Lillard, Kings
In his Thursday morning edition of A to Z at USA Today, Sam Amick speaks to Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob about his team's first-half success and looks into the Kings' decision to pass on Damian Lillard last June, among other topics. Let's dive right in and check out what Amick has for us….
- Asked about the possibility of making a trade to further upgrade the Warriors' lineup, Lacob tells Amick that the club is taking things one game at a time for now, and that if Andrew Bogut comes back healthy before the deadline, "it's sort of like you made a trade." Still, Golden State intends to be opportunistic, so if a potential deal arises, the team will certainly consider it.
- Lacob also praised the work of GM Bob Myers, singling out the signings of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry as moves that have made a big impact so far.
- Lacob expects it'll be another year and a half before the Warriors "get all the approvals" for their eventual move to San Francisco.
- While the Knicks are happy to have Amare Stoudemire back in the rotation, Amick suggests Iman Shumpert is the player New York needs more right now. The young guard tells Amick that he expects to return in "January or February."
- According to Amick, one reason why the Kings drafted Thomas Robinson over Lillard at No. 5 overall last June was the front office's uncertainty about whether ownership would be willing to pony up the money for a long-term deal for Jason Thompson. While Sacramento was happy to land Robinson, who was viewed as a safe selection, there was also "strong support" for Lillard among the front office and scouting staff.
- Amick notes that the Celtics and Jazz are two teams worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline approaches. In the past, Boston has been aggressive about adding future pieces even when the team has been winning, which it's not doing right now. As for Utah, the Jazz have a number of expiring contracts and other assets and could be sellers if they continue to play sub-.500 ball.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Warriors, Magic, Roy
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday evening:
- Jazz guard Mo Williams is expected to miss six weeks following thumb surgery. It will be interesting to keep an eye on what roster moves Utah makes to account for his absence.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News examines several reasons the Warriors are having such a successful season.
- John Mitchell of Philly.com writes that former Sixers big man Nikola Vucevic is beginning to realize his potential with the Magic.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the path Ishmael Smith followed that led to his signing with the Magic.
- Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Brandon Roy is practicing with the Timberwolves but it is still unknown when he will return to the court.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes that J.J. Hickson's stellar recent play has been a nice surprise for the Trail Blazers.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Curry, Evans
The Lakers and Clippers both lost on Tuesday, meaning the always-fascinating Pacific Division has been thrust back into the spotllight. Here are the latest rumblings and links from around the division:
- Kobe Bryant tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the Lakers' age is partially to blame for their recent lack of energy.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has quotes from Stephen Curry, who likes the Warriors' direction this season and praises the play of David Lee.
- Kings guard Tyreke Evans may return to action in a week, the Associated Press reports (via ESPN.com)
D-League Moves: Bazemore, Tyler, Melo
We'll track Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls right here:
- The Warriors have once again recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler from the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced today in a press release. Golden State has taken advantage of its nearby D-League affiliate to shuttle Bazemore and Tyler between Santa Cruz and the NBA team, as each player has already had four D-League assignments this season.
- The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Melo has spent most of the season with the Maine Red Claws, with his most recent stint having begun on December 12th. Melo, one of two players selected in the first round last June by the Celtics, had a particularly impressive pair of games for the Red Claws last week, posting a triple-double on December 22nd (15 points, 16 rebounds, 14 blocks), and then recording 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine blocks on December 26th. Melo is currently day-to-day with a mild concussion, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com speculates that the big man was recalled to ensure that he's treated by the Celtics' training staff (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Gelabale, Celtics, D-Will, Favors
Amare Stoudemire began his season on the same day we all started a new year, scoring six points off the bench in his 2012/13 debut for the Knicks. Here's more from around the league on the first day of a year the Mayans never counted on.
- While the Wolves recently took a look at Mickael Gelabale and decided to sign Lazar Hayward instead, another, unidentified team has also considered signing the former Sonics small forward, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- There's mistrust between long-tenured Celtics and the team's newer acquisitions, says Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, who echoes Kevin Garnett's uncertainty about whether this year's version of the C's is capable of turning it on for the playoffs.
- Deron Williams admits his shot is still off-kilter from the effects of surgery on his right wrist he underwent in 2011, and he feels as frustrated as he's ever been in his life, as Newsday's Roderick Boone chronicles. "I've had stretches [before] where one or two games, I had off-games," Williams said. "Never like this. I've never been consistently playing this bad."
- The Jazz aren't jumping into a move that would free up more playing time for Derrick Favors, but Favors isn't discouraged when he sees fellow power forward Paul Millsap on the floor down the stretch, as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune observes.
- Shaun Powell of Sports On Earth examines teams that are near the bottom of the standings and seem destined to stay there for years to come, given their cap situations.
- Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group recounts the rapid ascent of the Clippers and Warriors.
- He spent most of 2012 spearheading the launch of Hoops Rumors as the site's lead writer, but his work with our sister website, MLB Trade Rumors, earned Luke Adams an honorable mention on the list of the year's most influential Canadians in baseball, as compiled by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
D-League Moves: Warriors, Wroten, Samuels
Today's D-League assignments and recalls:
- Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler continue to bounce back and forth between Golden State and Santa Cruz, having been re-assigned to the D-League by the Warriors. The team announced the move in a press release.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Tony Wroten from their D-League affiliate, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The rookie guard had just been sent to the Reno Bighorns last Wednesday.
- The Cavs announced that they have recalled Samardo Samuels from the D-League's Canton Charge. Samuels, who turns 24 in January, has seen time in 18 games for Cleveland so far this year.
- The Mavericks announced today that they have recalled Jared Cunningham from the Texas Legends of the D-League. During his seven game stint with the Legends he averaged 18.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 37 minutes per contest.
- The Hornets announced that they have assigned forward Darius Miller to the D-League's Iowa Energy. Miller has appeared in 23 games this season for the Hornets, averaging 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. New Orleans drafted the 6'8" Kentucky product with the 46th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
D-League Moves: Pacers, Warriors, Cavaliers
Here are Friday's D-League assignments and recalls:
- Miles Plumlee is headed to the D-League, while fellow rookie Orlando Johnson has been recalled to the Pacers, the team announced. It's the third assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for Plumlee this year, who's averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in five D-League contests so far. Johnson led the Mad Ants to victory tonight with a game-high 24 points.
- The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League after being assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors yesterday, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 49 points in Santa Cruz's 113-101 win last night.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Samardo Samuels to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Samuels will join the Canton Charge in time for tonight's game against the Tulsa 66ers. Samuels, 23, has seen his playing time in Cleveland reduced this season, as he's averaging career-lows in MPG (10.9), PPG (3.2), and PER (6.4), among other categories.
D-League Moves: Thursday
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here:
- The Pacers have re-assigned Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Johnson had a brief stint in the D-League last month before he was recalled to Indiana on November 26th.
- The Warriors have re-assigned Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League just three days after recalling them, the team announced today in a press release. Both players appeared briefly in Golden State's game last night against the Jazz.
- Quincy Miller is heading back to the Iowa Energy for his second D-League stint of the season, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Miller, who was originally assigned to the D-League on November 13th, has been back with the Nuggets since December 2nd. He's only appeared briefly in three games with Denver, however.
- Three Thunder players are becoming increasingly familiar with the route between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Perry Jones III, DeAndre Liggins, and Daniel Orton have been re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. It's the fourth D-League assignment of the season for Orton, and the third for both Jones and Liggins. Starting this season, there are no restrictions on the number of times that NBA teams are allowed to assign players to the D-League, so the Thunder have been taking full advantage of the geographical proximity of their Tulsa affiliate.
Odds & Ends: Fisher, Cuban, Williams, Landry
We hope you're enjoying your holidays and today's NBA quintuple-header! As we look forward to the rest of tonight's action, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the Association….
- Derek Page of HoopsWorld explores whether Derek Fisher's release from the Mavericks could eventually lead to a reunion between Fisher and the Lakers. For his part, the veteran point guard doesn't sound like he's ready to officially retire or immediately sign elsewhere: "My family is my priority and that is where I choose to be. I won’t close the possibility that I will play again, however for now my family and being close to them remains the priority."
- Mark Cuban fielded a variety of questions in a recent Reddit AMA, and the Dallas Morning News has rounded up a few of Cuban's basketball-related answers.
- We heard earlier that Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker would buy out Shelden Williams' contract with Elan Chalon, but Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets that such a move now appears unlikely. Williams is expected to finish the season with the French club.
- Carl Landry, who signed a two-year deal with the Warriors over the offseason, has been everything Golden State hoped for and more, says Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News.
- ESPN.com's Chris Broussard delivers a lengthy profile on Rich Paul, longtime friend and now agent to LeBron James.
- Shelvin Mack and Garrett Temple both spoke to the media about signing with the Wizards, and the team's official site has the videos.