Warriors Eyeing Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom's departure from Dallas has been impossible to avoid for the Mavericks this week. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd were still being asked about it last night, and owner Mark Cuban cited Odom's reality show as a possible factor in the veteran forward's disappointing season in Dallas.
For other teams, however, the Odom drama represents an opportunity rather than a distraction. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, Odom is on the Warriors' radar as the offseason approaches.
Getting Odom to Golden State would be difficult. He's on a non-guaranteed contract for next season, owed a buyout of $2.4MM on June 29th or $8.2MM if he's on a roster past that point. The Warriors would probably have to acquire Odom via trade, since I doubt he'd be eager to sign as a free agent with a non-contender that could only offer him the mid-level exception. Golden State would want to find a way to add Odom to a starting lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut.
With Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com suggesting Odom left his heart and head in Los Angeles, the Warriors may have the geographic advantage over most of the league, but Oakland isn't L.A. and the Warriors aren't the Lakers. I have trouble seeing the Warriors' interest evolving into anything real here.
Odds & Ends: Trail Blazers, Przybilla, Warriors
Let's round up a few Tuesday links from around the NBA….
- The Trail Blazers have interviewed agent Noah Croom for their general manager opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Blazers president Larry Miller didn't confirm that Croom was interviewed, but told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Portland has yet to reach out to any candidates currently with NBA teams.
- Joel Przybilla told Jason Quick of the Oregonian that he plans to play in the NBA next season, but hasn't decided where yet. Przybilla added that he's "had fun" playing with the Blazers and doesn't regret choosing Portland over the Bulls and Heat (Twitter links).
- Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone could draw interest for teams looking for a head coach this offseason, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) previews this year's Portsmouth Invitational, naming Jet Chang as his sleeper prospect in the tournament.
- The NBA announced today that the Las Vegas Summer League will return to action this July, after having been cancelled due to the lockout last summer.
- The league also announced that the NBA D-League has set new records this season for both assignments and call-ups.
Minor Moves: Chris Wright, Jerome Jordan
We'll track today's notable international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- Chris Wright has been assigned by the Warriors to the D-League's Dakota Wizards, according to a team press release. Golden State recalled Wright for a second time last Wednesday, but he'll head back to Dakota to join the team for its playoff series against the Bakersfield Jam.
- The Knicks have reassigned Jerome Jordan to the Erie BayHawks, their D-League affiliate, according to the team's official Twitter account. New York has previously assigned Jordan to Erie in January and March, so this is the last time this season he can be sent down this year. The BayHawks' season could be nearing its end anyway — they'll face the Austin Toros in the playoffs starting this weekend.
Mark Jackson Safe In Golden State
When Mark Jackson was hired for his first-ever coaching job with Golden State last June, he certainly made waves with his comments. While working as a color analyst during the 2011 playoffs, Jackson predicted that his Warriors would qualify for the postseason during this year. Currently at .389 over 21 wins and 33 losses, the Warriors are on pace to finish with a lower winning percentage than last season, which was .439.
Although it is highly unlikely that the rookie head coach will be able to follow through on his prediction, Marcus Thompson of ContraCostaTimes.com has received assurances that Jackson's job is safe.
I don't believe that Jackson's job security hinged on whether or not he was able to lead his team to the playoffs this season. Other factors didn't necessarily work in his favor either, including the oft-injured status of Stephen Curry and management's decision to trade Monta Ellis at the deadline. Should Andrew Bogut and Curry be able to make healthy returns along with Klay Thompson continuing his development, Jackson will be better equipped to have his job performance evaluated next season.
Franchise Notes: Kings, Warriors, Seattle
With a full slate of NBA action about to get underway, let's first head to the Pacific Division where arena-related news is being made all the way from Oakland to Seattle.
- More financial problems continue to plague to the development of the Sacramento arena, reports Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee. With the Kings refusing to pay any pre-development costs, the Sacramento City Council voted in favor of using $200,000 from the NBA to provide funding for two weeks of worth of initial site work. The Maloof family, the owners of the Kings, contend that they never agreed to provide a monetary contribution toward the pre-development costs of the arena.
- J.Michael Falgoust of USA TODAY wonders if Sacramento is in danger of losing the Kings as a result of the Maloof family's stubbornness toward the pre-development costs associated with the construction of the arena. The NBA will meet with both sides next week with hopes of resolving the issue. Falgoust believes the arena project will lose any chance of being completed if the dispute cannot be settled.
- The Warriors are planning to relocate their D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards, to Santa Cruz, California in time for next season, reports Lou Babiarz of the Bismarck Tribune. The move will allow for an hour and a half drive rather than having to fly from Oakland to Bismarck.
- While MLB's Mariners are in favor of basketball returning to Seattle, they are strongly against the construction of an arena near Safeco Field, writes Lynn Thompson of The Seattle Times. The team fears adding another sports franchise to the Sodo neighborhood will bring myriad parking and scheduling issues that may potentially cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to circumvent.
Minor Moves: Wright, Williams, Murray
We'll track the latest international and D-League-related transactions here:
- The Warriors have recalled Chris Wright from their D-League affiliate, according to a team release. Wright had been assigned to the Dakota Wizards on March 24th for the second time this season.
- Sean Williams is rejoining the Texas Legends for the rest of the D-League season, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Williams was waived by the Mavericks in March to make room for Kelenna Azubuike, but will return to the team's D-League affiliate, where he spent time earlier this season.
- Former NBA veteran Flip Murray will sign with the D-League's Austin Toros, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Murray played for eight NBA teams in eight seasons, last seeing NBA action with the Bulls in the 2010 playoffs. The 32-year-old averaged 9.9 points in 22.7 minutes per contest over the course of 487 career games.
Teams Signing The Most 10-Day Contracts
Teams have different motives for bringing players in on 10-day contracts. In the case of a lottery-bound team with little to play for in the immediate future, signing a player to a 10-day deal allows for an affordable, first-hand look at a young player to determine whether or not he might be a long-term asset (think Gerald Green with the Nets). For a contender, a 10-day deal allows a team to bring in a veteran to temporarily provide bench help in case of injuries or questionable depth (ie. Mike James and the Bulls).
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, however, some teams like taking advantage of these deals more than others. While a number of clubs have yet to sign a single player to a 10-day deals, a handful have brought in multiple players on temporary contracts, renewing some and letting others expire. Here's a quick look at which teams have taken advantage of the 10-day contracts the most this season, handing them out to multiple players:
Cavaliers:
Manny Harris (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)
Lester Hudson
Ben Uzoh
Hornets:
Jeff Foote
Solomon Jones (two 10-day contracts)
Donald Sloan (two 10-day contracts)
Lance Thomas (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)
Nets:
Andre Emmett
Gerald Green (two 10-day contracts followed by rest-of-season contract)
Dennis Horner
Jerry Smith
Raptors:
Alan Anderson
Ben Uzoh
Rockets:
Earl Boykins
Courtney Fortson (10-day contract followed by rest-of-season contract)
Malcolm Thomas
Spurs:
Eric Dawson (two 10-day contracts)
Justin Dentmon
Warriors:
Keith Benson
Mickell Gladness (10-day contract followed by rest-of-season contract)
Wizards:
Cartier Martin
Edwin Ubiles
Warriors Won’t Re-Sign Keith Benson
Keith Benson's 10-day contract with the Warriors is set to expire at the end of the day, and the big man won't be re-signed to a second 10-day deal, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
The Warriors signed Mickell Gladness to a rest-of-season deal when his 10-day contract expired, but it appears they'll keep their 15th roster spot open for the time being. As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Benson and Gladness are the only two players to receive 10-day deals from Golden State so far this year, but the team could bring in another player or two for a brief audition before the season ends.
Though the Warriors had six games on their schedule during his time with the club, the 6'11" Benson only appeared in three of them, playing for less than 10 total minutes. He was held scoreless in the first three NBA contests of his career, grabbing three rebounds.
Warriors Sign Mickell Gladness For Rest Of Season
In a tweet, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reports that Golden State has signed Mickell Gladness for the rest of the season. It was reported yesterday that the signing was expected to be for the rest of the season as opposed to a 10-day deal.
As our Chuck Myron wrote yesterday, Gladness began the season with the Heat, appearing in eight games before getting waived February 7th. He then signed two 10-day deals with Miami, despite interest from the Warriors when he signed the last one.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Nash, Warriors, Clippers
The Clippers finish off tonight's slate of NBA action as they take on the Jazz at the Staples Center. Chris Paul & Co. are coming off of their fourth straight win after edging the Trail Blazers last night, 98-97. News out of the Pacific..
- Suns guard Steve Nash refuted a recent report which suggested that he was upset over the club's failure to actively pursue former teammate Boris Diaw after he was cut by Charlotte, writes Vince Marotta of Arizona Sports. The 38-year-old will be a free agent after this season and recently said that he wants to see the club make upgrades this summer.
- Meanwhile, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) is hearing that Nash will not rule out the Knicks in free agency, even though his former coach Mike D'Antoni is no longer there.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com opines that the Warriors shouldn't make a deal to get their top seven protected first-round pick back from the Jazz this year. Owner Joe Lacob has hinted at such a move to regain the pick if it falls outside of the top seven but Steinmetz doesn't believe that it will be worth the sacrifice down the line.
- Clippers guard Randy Foye is in the final year of a $4.25MM contract but isn't worried about his future beyond this season, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- Longtime Warriors forward Adonal Foyle is now in Orlando's front office and appears to be a GM-in-training, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.