Warriors Have Tried To Buy Out, Trade Biedrins
Speaking to the media yesterday, head coach Mark Jackson conveyed some displeasure with Andris Biedrins, noting that he had "everybody in here (at the team's facility), other than Andris Biedrins." While Jackson's disappointment in Biedrins figures to impact the big man's playing time, it's his contract that concerns the front office. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the Warriors have tried to initiate talks about a buyout, and have repeatedly attempted to trade Biedrins, but have found little interest in either option.
That the Warriors have looked for ways to unload Biedrins' contract is no surprise. Coming off the worst season of his career (8.8 PER), Biedrins is owed $9MM this year, and another $9MM on a player option for 2013/14. His contract would have been a prime candidate to be amnestied, had the Warriors not already used the clause to waive Charlie Bell when they were making a run at DeAndre Jordan last December.
With essentially two years remaining on Biedrins' deal, I'd be surprised if the Warriors gain much traction in either buyout or trade talks this year, but it's something to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches. Golden State would likely have to pair Biedrins with an attractive asset like a young player or a future first-rounder to draw even a modicum of interest on the trade market.
Warriors Rumors: Biedrins, Ezeli, Curry, Jackson
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group rounded up a number of comments from Warriors coach Mark Jackson today, including the coach's displeasure with Andris Biedrins, the only one of the Warriors under contract since Labor Day not to show up at the team facility since the holiday. Kawakami says there "little doubt" that rookie Festus Ezeli has the edge on Biedrins for the backup center job. Jackson says the starting small forward position is an open competition, and seems convinced that Stephen Curry, entering the final season of his rookie deal and eligible for an extension with the team until the end of October, will get a significant raise soon. "I laugh because the dude is going to be filthy rich," Jackson said. "There's no pressure. Don't let it get in your head? What? That I'm going to be paid? To me, it's hilarious. Hopefully, it's going to be us and I expect it to be us. But one way or another, Steph Curry is going to be paid and paid very well for a long time."
Here's plenty more from a busy day by the bay:
- Curry's doctor has given him permission to resume all activities with no restrictions, and is ready to demonstrate his healthy ankles to the Warriors brass in training camp, as HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram writes. Curry and the team have agreed to table extension discussions until the end of preseason. “I’ve left most of that to my agent,” Curry said. “I’m sure they have talked about it before, but nothing happened yet. We’re just kind of letting training camp play out and any deal we can make before the deadline would be great. I would love to stay out here in Golden State and be a part of the future. That’s definitely high on my priority list right now but the only thing I can control is getting healthy and getting ready for training camp and letting those guys do their job.”
- In the same piece, Curry also praised the team's additions of Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes.
- Jackson promised the Warriors would make the playoffs before last season, a vow the team wound up breaking. This year, he feels the team has improved, but is holding back from any pronouncements, believing that the team's changed culture is a statement unto itself, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
- Warriors GM Bob Myers, like Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby, is a former agent, and Sean Deveney of The Sporting News looks at how that experience helps them do their jobs.
- The team officially announced four training camp invitees, as we noted earlier.
Warriors Sign Brown, Goulbourne, Jackson, Kinsey
The Warriors have officially signed four free agents, the team announced via press release. Carlon Brown, Lance Goulbourne, Rick Jackson and Tarence Kinsey will all be in camp, and though the team did not disclose the terms, it's likely they all have non-guaranteed minimum-salary deals. The moves put Golden State at 19 players, one short of the maximum number they can bring to camp, with a space left open if the team wishes to complete a deal with Alex Renfroe, who was reportedly close to signing with the team earlier this month.
We heard a report from HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy a week ago that the team had signed Kinsey, so this just makes that move official. Kinsey is the only one of the four with NBA experience, having played parts of three seasons with the Grizzlies and Cavs, the last coming in 2008/09. The 6'6" shooting guard has averaged 4.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game in 109 NBA contests, with a PER of 11.0. He spent last season with Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
The 6'5" Brown went undrafted out of Colorado this June, averaging 12.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 2.0 APG in 28.5 minutes for the Buffaloes in 2011/12. The shooting guard played with the Bobcats in summer league, putting up 9.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.4 APG in 22.3 MPG. Goulbourne, a 6'8" swingman, also went undrafted out of Vanderbilt this past June, having put up 8.7 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 27.9 MPG in his final season for the Commodores. Neither Brown nor Goulbourne appeared in Chad Ford's list of the Top 100 draft prospects for ESPN.com (Insider only). Jackson, a 6'9" power forward from Syracuse, spent his first pro season last year with Chorale Roanne Basket in France, putting up 8.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 17.0 MPG.
The signees figure to compete against each other for the final spot on the regular season roster, since the team already has 14 contracts that are fully guaranteed. A 15th player, Kent Bazemore, has a deal that's partially guaranteed for $25K.
Stephen Curry, Agent Optimistic About Extension
Stephen Curry and the Warriors have agreed to put extension talks on hold until after the team's slate of preseason games, so that both sides have a better idea of how Curry's ankle looks after an injury-plagued 2011/12. But according to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com, Curry and agent Lance Young are both optimistic that they'll work out a long-term deal with the Warriors before the October 31st deadline.
"Definitely," Curry said, when asked if he'd like to get a new contract signed. "It’s not like I don’t want to be here. That would be a great opportunity, to be locked up another four years and make it happen before the season so I could personally feel good about it and my future."
Young added that he was "very optimistic" about working something out with the Warriors, which represents a change of tone from what we heard earlier this summer. When the free agent period began on July 1st, Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that it appeared unlikely Curry and the Warriors would reach an agreement before the season began. However, with the the two sides waiting until after the preseason to resume talks, the Warriors should get a better idea of how confident they can be in Curry's health going forward.
"Obviously they (the Warriors) want to protect themselves and want to see during training camp," Curry said. "And I have no problem with that."
Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors examined Curry as a potential extension candidate back in August. The Golden State sharpshooter is one of 20 players entering the final year of their rookie contracts who are eligible for contract extensions. Two others, Blake Griffin and Serge Ibaka, have already agreed to new long-term deals this offseason. If Curry doesn't sign an extension by Halloween, he'll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.
Odds & Ends: Renfroe, Knicks, Cavs, Grizzlies, Bell
Guard Alex Renfroe was reportedly close to signing with the Warriors earlier this month, but now it appears the former Belmont University standout is headed to the Spanish club CB Valladolid, David Pick reports via Twitter (hat tip to Sportando). Renfroe is like many who remain as free agents this time of year, faced with the choice between more money overseas and a shot at making an NBA roster on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. While the NBA remains far and away the premier league worldwide, there is legitimate competition for players on the fringes of the Association. Here's the latest:
- Raptors radio analyst Eric Smith says the Knicks have hired former Raptors assistant Dave Hopla as an assistant coach for player development (Twitter link).
- The Cavaliers considered adding another veteran this summer to fill the leadership vaccum left by the departures of Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker, but decided against it, believing coach Byron Scott as well as Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson can provide voices that are strong enough, writes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that the Grizzlies will remain in the top tier of an improved Western Conference if they can stay healthy.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes Raja Bell would be a welcome addition to the Heat. The 36-year-old shooting guard says the Heat would be his first choice if he can secure a buyout from the Jazz.
- Former Spurs enforcer Bruce Bowen talked to Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com about the Spurs' decision to largely stand pat this season, the Heat's chances to repeat, and his desire to get into coaching or a front office job someday.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside spoke with guard Cameron Jones, who made first team All-Rookie in the D-League last season after spending training camp with the Heat. Jones is a cousin of Raptors guard Landry Fields.
Pacific Notes: Curry, Bogut, Howard, Clippers
It's been a busy night out West in the NBA. On the depressing side of things, we found out that Channing Frye of the Suns will likely be sidelined for the entire year with a heart issue. Here is hoping that Frye makes it back to full strength, as he says he should. In lighter news, the Kings will give free agent center Hamady N'Diaye a shot to make their roster in training camp.
Here is what else is going on in the Pacific division:
- We covered this yesterday, but the Warriors said today, via press release, that Stephen Curry has received full medical clearance on his right ankle. Curry is good to resume all basketball activities right away.
- Curry's teammate, Andrew Bogut, has had ankle issues of his own. Bogut spoke with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury, saying that he should be ready for the team's opener, among other things.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld transcribes parts of an interview that Lakers coach Mike Brown gave with ESPN LA, detailing where Brown outlines how newly acquired Dwight Howard will help the Lakers right now and in the future.
- John Hollinger of ESPN gives a detailed breakdown of the Clippers 2012-13 roster, insider only. Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill and Lamar Odom highlight the offseason additions for the Clips.
- HoopsWorld published their season preview for the Clippers. The HoopsWorld staff is predicting a second place finish across the board for the Clips, presumably with the Lakers finishing atop the Pacific pack.
Warriors Sign Tarence Kinsey
The Warriors have signed Tarence Kinsey to a contract that includes a training camp invite, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren't known, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed, one-year contract.
Kinsey, a South Carolina product, played three NBA seasons for the Grizzlies and Cavaliers from 2006 to 2009. In 109 career games, he averaged 4.7 PPG on .453/.324/.817 shooting. Since he last played in the NBA, the 28-year-old has spent most of his team on rosters overseas, including Fenerbache Ulker and Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
The Warriors have 14 players on guaranteed contracts on the roster, plus Kent Bazemore on a partial guarantee. The team is also reportedly close to bringing aboard Alex Renfroe on a non-guaranteed deal, so Kinsey isn't a strong candidate to earn a roster spot.
Pacific Notes: Barnes, Evans, Kings, Warriors
Earlier this week, the Clippers inked forward Matt Barnes to a one-year, minimum-salary deal, beating out the Heat, Lakers, Nets, and others. The Knicks also appeared to be interested at one point, but agent Aaron Goodwin believes that coach Mike Woodson was never "truly on board" with the idea. Here's more on the Clippers and other items out of the Pacific..
- While Gary Sacks formally signed Barnes, it appears that Chris Paul had a significant hand in luring the veteran to Los Angeles, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “Chris Paul was talking about how tough we were going to be next year, assuming I was a Laker,” Barnes said. “I told him I was a free agent and he said, ‘No, you’re about to be a Clipper.' "
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld thinks that the Kings are doing the right thing by holding off on an extension for Tyreke Evans. With fellow guards Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, John Salmons, Francisco Garcia, and Jimmer Fredette in the mix, Sacramento has other options in the event that Evans doesn't return to his rookie-year form.
- The HoopsWorld staff previewed the 2012/13 Warriors and Yannis Koutroupis opines that if it weren't for the Lakers, Golden State would have had the best offseason of anyone in the division. The Warriors rounded out their team with the re-signing of Brandon Rush along with the additions of Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack, Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, and Draymond Green.
Pacific Notes: Barbosa, Hill, Warriors, Suns
We heard earlier this week that former Suns guard Leandro Barbosa, who finished last season in Indiana, had spoken with the Suns, the Nets and the Lakers about his destination this year. The Nets roster looks set at guard, and yesterday it looked like the Suns weren't interested either. We will keep an eye on the Lakers' interest in Barbosa, but in the meantime let's round up all things Pacific Division:
- We learned yesterday that Dwight Howard will not be ready for the Lakers first preseason game in early October. According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers will likely shift Pau Gasol to center and insert Jordan Hill into the starting power forward spot in Howard's absence. The uncertainty that the Lakers face with Howard's back problems makes their ability to keep Gasol in the deal look even better, if that is possible.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area hosted a Warriors chat today. Among the topics covered are the expectations for Andrew Bogut in his first year in Oakland, Stephen Curry's future with the Warriors as well as newcomer Harrison Barnes' rookie role.
- Paul Coro from the Arizona Republic checks up on the Suns as we get closer to the starting of training camp. He says the only three players who haven't shown their face in Phoenix of late are Jermaine O'Neal, Marcin Gortat and Michael Beasley. In addition to a Beasley update, Coro says their is word that Goran Dragic, Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall look good. He also reiterates what we heard yesterday, that Leandro Barbosa's interest in coming back to Phoenix is one-sided.
Warriors Close To Signing Alex Renfroe
Guard Alex Renfroe is close to signing a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors, a source told Sportando. The former Belmont University standout spent last season with Brindisi of the Italian League, putting up 12.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.6 APG. The deal would allow Renfroe to enter camp with Golden State and fight for one of their reserve roster spots.
Renfroe, 26, closed out his collegiate career with Belmont in 2008/09 and averaged 16.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 5.1 APG before going undrafted. The two-guard eventually worked his way overseas, however, and hooked on with KK Zagreb of the Adriatic League.