Texas Notes: Ellis, Rockets, Spurs
All three Texas teams have the night off, but we’ve got plenty of news to keep those in the Lone Star state occupied..
- Monta Ellis described his first season with the Mavericks as escaping from “a deep hole,” saying he’s enjoying basketball as much as he has since his second season in the NBA, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “I would have to say my last time feeling like this was 2007, when we made the playoffs,” Ellis said Monday, referring to the eighth-seeded Warriors, who upset the top-seeded Mavs in the first round. “This happy? 2007.“
- The Rockets have been focused on chemistry ever since their busy offseason and coach Kevin McHale believes that the team has made major strides, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “They have much better collective chemistry,” McHale said. “I think that is one of the most underrated things in sports — how well does everybody play with everybody? How well do they know their strengths and weaknesses? And they have a common goal of being really good together and that common goal is overriding any of the little stuff that was happening earlier.”
- The Spurs boast the deepest roster in the NBA, but Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if that’s a good thing.
Western Notes: Bledsoe, Daniels, Mekel
Suns guard Eric Bledsoe is expected to make his return from injury Wednesday night against the Cavs. His minutes will be limited at first, but the player is ready to go “full-throttle”, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. How Bledsoe performs the rest of the season will have a huge impact on his next deal, writes Coro. Before he went down with an injury, the future restricted free agent averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG. After starting the season 19-11, the team has cooled slightly and gone 17-14 without Bledsoe.
More from around the west:
- The Rockets have sent Troy Daniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA D-League, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. In two games with Houston, Daniels has averaged 2.5 PPG in 3.5 minutes.
- Gal Mekel has been recalled from the Texas Legends of the D-League by the Mavericks, the team announced via press release. In 30 appearances for Dallas, he has averaged 2.4 PPG, and 2.1 APG in 9.6 MPG. Mekel has appeared in three games for the Legends this season and averaged 9.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 27.7 minutes.
- One name that is expected to be mentioned in future free-agent rumors is Bobby Brown, whose season just ended in China, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Brown has already been mentioned as a possible target of the Clippers. Brown averaged 30.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.6 SPG for Dongguan this season.
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban would like to see the NBA expand the draft from its current two round format, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’d like to see four rounds so you can draft guys overseas, get more guys drafted that are your property so you can try to develop them,” Cuban said.
Odds & Ends: Wade, Colangelo, Deng
The Heat seem to be chief in Dwyane Wade‘s mind as he eyes his early termination option this summer, but the decision won’t necessarily be straightforward, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who shared Wade’s thoughts in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
“Well, I want to be here,” Wade said. “I think that’s always the things I’ve always said and I’ve always expressed. And after that, I want to win. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m starting over and I’m rebuilding. I want to win. And I want to be on a team that has an opportunity to do that, and feel like I’m a big part of that. This is where I want to be. But as players, [having] options is good. Because you don’t know what is to happen or what is to come. So for us, I think we’re in a great situation. Guys have options as players, and they can exercise those options. Who knows what that means? But right now, for us, we’re on a very good team. We enjoy each other. We enjoy this city and we enjoy playing for this organization, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Here’s more from Aldridge’s piece and other news from around the league:
- Bryan Colangelo spoke with Aldridge and attempted to walk back his comments from Friday in which he said he tried to tank as GM of the Raptors in 2011/12.
- The Pacers reportedly spoke with the Cavs about Luol Deng before the trade deadline, but Andrew Perna of RealGM hears Indiana had no interest in the soon-to-be free agent (Twitter link).
- The Rockets have recalled Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Daniels had been with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before the Rockets signed him last month. Houston immediately assigned him back there after inking the deal, which is for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes in an update to the team’s salary page.
Bobcats Waive Ben Gordon
12:09pm: With Gordon being waived after the date to be playoff eligible, he’ll have to choose between going to a non-postseason team or sitting out until he hits free agency this summer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports.
10:55am: The Bobcats have announced via press release that they have officially requested waivers on guard Ben Gordon. This move comes a day after the cutoff for players to be eligible to appear in the postseason when signing with a new team. The announcement was made by President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins. Higgins stated, “With the recent acquisition of additional backcourt depth to our roster, we believe this is in the best interests of both parties. We want to thank Ben for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him the best as he moves on in his career.”
Gordon was originally acquired from the Pistons along with a future first-round draft pick on June 26th, 2012, in exchange for Corey Maggette. Gordon appeared in 94 games for the Bobcats and averaged 10.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG over 19.6 minutes per contest. Gordon played in 19 games this season, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 14.7 minutes.
The Raymond Brothers client doesn’t want to hook up with any team that wouldn’t allow him to hit free agency this summer, as he’s currently scheduled to do. The Bulls, Clippers and Rockets had apparently been dangling two-year offers (Twitter links), but with the Bulls signing Jimmer Fredette, and with the Clippers’ recent signings of Danny Granger and Glen Davis, it is unknown if they would still have any interest. The Thunder have also been mentioned as a possibility for Gordon’s services.
Caron Butler Signs With Thunder
The Thunder have signed Caron Butler, the team announced. The Raymond Brothers client spurns the Heat, who had been co-favorites with Oklahoma City. The Bulls, Spurs and Rockets were also in contention for the 12th-year veteran. The deal covers the rest of the season, and perhaps there’s a player option for 2014/15, as Glen Davis recently re
ceived from the Clippers.
“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” GM Sam Presti said. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness. hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”
Oklahoma City had reportedly been seeking a two-way wing player before the trade deadline, and were willing to give up their own 2014 first-round pick to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. New York turned the Thunder down, and while Butler isn’t quite the defensive presence that Shumpert is, the Thunder appear to be better off, particularly since they’ll get to keep their draft pick and they’re likely making only a minimum-salary investment. Oklahoma City had been carrying just 13 players, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move.
Butler, who turns 34 in March, has been enduring one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 minutes per game for Milwaukee, which is close to his native Racine, Wisconsin. Butler’s homecoming this season to the league-worst Bucks was no fairy tale, and the team made him a part of trade talks before agreeing to a buyout this week. It’s unclear how much of this season’s $8MM salary he gave up to pry his way out his contract, which was set to end this summer.
The two-time All-Star goes from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to the top of the West with Oklahoma City, which figures to make Butler the backup to Kevin Durant and use them together in small-ball lineups. The early end of OKC’s pursuit of Danny Granger, who wound up picking the Clippers late Thursday night, reportedly led executives around the league to believe the Thunder were confident about their ability to land Butler. Miami had seemed like a natural fit, since the Heat made Butler the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he played his first two seasons with the team, developing a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, the godfather of one of Butler’s daughters.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement, noting that it covered the rest of the season.
Western Notes: Mavs, D-League, Iguodala
Mark Cuban was in the news today for his thoughts on the possibility of the NBA raising the age requirement for players entering the league. Cuban took it further, and believes that if the minimum age isn’t raised then the NBA D-League should work to convince players to play there instead of a single college season, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban stated, “I think what will end up happening — and this is my opinion, not that of the league — is if the colleges don’t change from the one-and-done, we’ll go after the one. The NCAA rules are so hypocritical, there’s absolutely no reason for a kid to go [to college], because he’s not going to class [and] he’s actually not even able to take advantage of all the fun because the first semester he starts playing basketball. So if the goal is just to graduate to the NBA or be an NBA player, go to the D-League.”
More from out west:
- Some of the more interesting trade scenarios are the ones that didn’t happen. This past offseason the Rockets tried to pry Dirk Nowitzki away the Mavs, writes Royce Young of CBS Sports.com. According to the article, Rockets GM Daryl Morey was nervous that the Warriors addition of Andre Iguodala would sway Dwight Howard to sign with Golden State. In response, Morey contacted Cuban to inquire on Dirk’s availability, which Cuban had taken as a taunt about the Mavs missing out on Howard, writes Young.
- Speaking of the Iguodala signing, Andy Larsen of SaltCityHoops.com details the role that the Jazz played in the Warriors inking the player this past summer.
- The Mavericks have sent Jae Crowder and Shane Larkin back to the D-League, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Both are expected to be in the Texas Legends lineup this evening.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes about the role reversal for the city’s two teams, the Clippers and the Lakers, in regards to free agent appeal.
Odds & Ends: Hawks, Raptors, Buyouts
The Hawks are close to adding five investors to their ownership group, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The NBA’s approval process for the addition is underway, and should complete in mid-March. Here’s more from around the league:
- Sources tell Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun that the Raptors are not planning to add any bought out players to the team (Twitter link). This falls in line with earlier reports of Toronto’s lukewarm interest in the buyout market.
- Tim Bontemps of The New York Post takes a look at which buyout players will work out the best for their new team between Glen Davis, Danny Granger, Caron Butler, Jimmer Fredette, and Beno Udrih.
- The Rockets attempted to sign Kostas Papanikolaou mid-season this year, according to Rigas Dardalis of EuroHoops.net. Houston owns the rights of the power forward currently playing in Spain, and will reportedly try to sign him again next summer.
Western Notes: Nash, Lawson, Mavs, Smith
Steve Nash worked hard to return to the court this season and eliminate the Lakers‘ ability to use the stretch provision, he reveals in a video at Grantland. Nash dispels the notion that he would consider joining the Clippers if the Lakers were to release him, saying, “It’s either back with the Lakers next year or this is it.” (Transcription via Bill Oram of Orange County Register on Twitter.) Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told Dan Barreiro of KFAN 100.3 that he’s confident coach Rick Adelman will complete this season with Minnesota (as transcribed by Andy Greder of St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter). Adelman contemplated leaving the Timberwolves prior to the season due to concerns over his wife’s health, and has spent time away from the team this year tending to her issues.
- The Nuggets aren’t planning to shut down point guard Ty Lawson for the season, coach Brian Shaw tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “Going forward, we’re pretty much out of the mix in terms of the playoffs, being realistic at this point. But you still want to see combinations of guys working together,” says Shaw. “Our young guys get a chance to have the focus a little more on them and play in combination with Ty, looking forward to the rest of the season and what possibly lies ahead for next season as well.” Lawson has battled multiple injuries this year, and is currently missing time due to a fractured rib while the Nuggets slide further out of contention.
- The Mavs have recalled Jae Crowder, Bernard James, and Shane Larkin from their D-League affiliate, while reassigning Ricky Ledo to the Texas Legends, reports Adam Wermuth of Mavs.com. This was the reversal of a one-game assignment/recall of the same players the Mavs made yesterday.
- Rockets center Greg Smith is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear, reports Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. A lengthy recovery could put the rest of his regular season in jeopardy. The second-year big man played in 70 games for the Rockets last year, but injuries and Houston’s acquisition of Dwight Howard have limited Smith’s role this season.
Odds & Ends: Nowitzki, Colangelo, Fredette
Rockets GM Daryl Morey said today that he asked Mark Cuban about acquiring Dirk Nowitzki this summer out of fears the Warriors would keep Dwight Howard from coming to Houston, according to ESPN (Twitter link). Cuban didn’t realize Howard hadn’t committed to the Rockets, and interpreted the proposal as a taunt over the Mavs‘ failed pursuit of Howard. Morey made his remarks at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and we’ve got more from that meeting of the minds as we pass along the latest from the NBA:
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo admitted that he attempted to tank a few seasons ago, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Presumably, that happened during his Raptors tenure.
- Jimmer Fredette piqued the interest of the Celtics, but it “wasn’t a good fit for either side,” as president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters today, including Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- The Timberwolves have no interest in Fredette for “myriad reasons,” according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- Some within the Lakers organization wanted to retain Pau Gasol through the trade deadline to keep his Bird Rights, but Gasol writes in his blog that L.A.’s financial advantage to re-sign him won’t play into his decision (translation via HoopsHype). The 7-footer says he wants to go where he can help a team win a title, but he’s not ruling out a return to the Lakers.
- Caron Butler‘s role on the Heat would have been similar to the one Mike Miller played in recent years, and part of his decision to instead join the Thunder centered on the chance for more playing time, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links).
- The top half of the lottery picks in this year’s draft will be a star-studded bunch, but there are still other potential franchise-changing players in the mix, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com, who examines five potential steals.
Bobcats, Ben Gordon Talk Buyout
3:36pm: The Thunder have interest in Gordon, who continues to pursue a buyout with Charlotte, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Unlike other clubs thinking of signing him, Oklahoma City is open to giving him a deal that would allow him to become a free agent this summer, Shelburne adds (Twitter links).
FRIDAY, 10:23am: The Bulls are not expected to have interest in Gordon unless they miss out on Jimmer Fredette, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. Fredette is reportedly “strongly leaning” toward Chicago.
FEBRUARY 27TH: Buyout discussions continue between Charlotte and Gordon’s representatives, but the Raymond Brothers client doesn’t want to hook up with any team that wouldn’t allow him to hit free agency this summer, as he’s currently scheduled to do. The Bulls, Clippers and Rockets are apparently dangling two-year offers (Twitter links).
FEBRUARY 21ST: 5:40pm: Gordon and the Bobcats are close to completing an agreement on a buyout, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
1:38pm: The Bobcats and Ben Gordon are in negotiations about a buyout of his bloated expiring deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Gordon is making $13.2MM in the final season of a five-year, $58MM contract. He was rumored to have been a part of discussions about the trade Charlotte made with the Bucks yesterday, but the 30-year-old shooting guard remains a Bobcat.
Gordon has seen action in just 18 games for the Bobcats this season, averaging 5.3 points in 14.4 minutes per contest. The career 40.2% three-point shooter has made a career-low 28.6% of his long-range attempts this year. Gordon has been in trade rumors since clashing with former coach Mike Dunlap last season.
The 10th-year veteran came to Charlotte from the Pistons in the summer of 2012 as part of a deal for Corey Maggette and a first-round pick that could become a lottery selection for the Bobcats this year. Buyout chatter has emerged surrounding Charlie Villanueva as well, meaning both key figures from Detroit’s 2009 spending spree may wind up ending their deals early.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.