Southwest Notes: Rockets, Randolph, Pelicans
Tonight’s look at the Southwest Division..
- The Rockets announced (on Twitter) that Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington have been assigned the club’s affiliate in Reno Grande Valley. Both players are extremely familiar with the Vipers.
- Zach Randolph reiterates his desire to remain with the Grizzlies for the rest of his career, though he adds in his interview with Marc Stein of ESPN.com that he hasn’t had any talks with team management as a decision on his player option for next season looms (video link).
- The Pelicans‘ late-season release of Greg Stiemsma is an embarrassment, opines Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans signed veteran journeyman Melvin Ely in his stead.
Rockets To Release Dexter Pittman
The Rockets are releasing Dexter Pittman, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). It was an extremely quick stop in Houston for Pittman, who just signed with the club on Friday.
The reasons are unknown at this time, but Pittman was not on hand for last night’s 111-104 win over the Pelicans. The Rockets waived Greg Smith on Friday in order to make room for the 26-year-old but, for one reason or another, things just didn’t work out.
The former second-round pick, whose deal included a non-guaranteed 2014/15 season, has been out of the NBA this season aside from a five-day stint with the Hawks. The Bulls waived Pittman before opening night, and he’s spent most of the season with the D-League affiliate of the Spurs after having joined San Antonio for summer league action last year. Pittman has averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest for the D-League’s Austin Toros this season.
Western Notes: D’Antoni, Jazz, Lakers
The Lakers don’t want to bring back Mike D’Antoni for another season, and are looking for a “peaceful way” in which to part ways with their coach, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. D’Antoni has one season left on his contract at $4MM, with a team option for 2015/16. The team would prefer to not have to fire him, and instead are hoping for what Lawrence writes, is a “best case scenario.” This scenario would have another team asking permission to hire D’Antoni. Lawrence also notes that despite the rumors that the Lakers want to hire John Calipari as coach, his sources say the team has no interest in bringing the Kentucky head man aboard.
More from out west:
- Greg Smith, who was released this week by the Rockets has officially cleared waivers and can sign with any team, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz need to pick up a superstar in order for the team to contend, writes Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune. He opines that the most likely way the team will do that is in this year’s lottery.
- Nick Young said there is no benefit in the Lakers tanking during their last few games of the season, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Young said, “I know some teams believe they should tank. I know a lot of teams out there are probably doing it, because they believe this draft is going to be one of the biggest drafts that’s happened in a long time. But for me, I haven’t really paid attention to it. I think we’re not going out there just to lose for the draft because I think we still want to be in the league. These guys are coming in to take our spots, so, I’m not about to give up for somebody else to come in and take my spot.“
And-Ones: Hoiberg, Knicks, Pelicans, Magic
The final Friday night of the NBA’s regular season features 13 games, and 12 of them have some sort of playoff implications. The other is a key contest for the Bucks, who can clinch pole position for the NBA draft lottery with a loss and a Sixers win. Here’s the latest from around the Association:
- Iowa State has hiked coach Fred Hoiberg‘s annual salaries to $2.6MM from $2MM in an effort to keep him, writes Luke Meredith of The Associated Press. The sought-after NBA head coaching candidate is unlikely to take the Wolves job, as we noted earlier today.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills said in Thursday’s radio interview that owner James Dolan wanted to make sure he and Phil Jackson could work together before the team hired the Zen Master, and Marc Berman of the New York Post takes that as a positive sign for Mills’ job security.
- James Southerland‘s contract with the Pelicans only runs through the end of the season, but coach Monty Williams isn’t ruling the small forward out of the team’s plans for the future, notes Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. “If he plays well here [in the last week of the season], he could be in our discussions come summer league, if it works out,” Williams said. “We’ll see.”
- E’Twaun Moore is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason, but he says he “most definitely” would like to return to the Magic, observes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- The desire for maximum flexibility probably played a significant role in the Rockets‘ decision to waive Greg Smith, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains in a piece for the Score.
- The Oregonian’s Mike Tokito explains how the NBA divvies up the $14MM it awards in playoff bonuses.
Western Rumors: Bazemore, Camby, Rockets
The loss the Warriors suffered to the Nuggets on Thursday puts them just two games up on the ninth-place Grizzlies, and the Jazz, who own Golden State’s first-round pick, will surely be rooting for the Warriors to lose in the season’s final days. Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Kent Bazemore is set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end, and while his value appears to have surged since he joined the Lakers at the trade deadline, he’s not simply looking to cash in, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News observes. “I’m all about the basketball aspect of things. I don’t want much. I’m not a guy who’s going to chase money on a bad team. I want to win,” Bazemore said. “This is the Los Angeles Lakers. I don’t see many people turning down an opportunity to be here.”
- The Rockets gauged Marcus Camby‘s interest in rejoining the team several weeks ago, only to learn that he would be unavailable to return to the NBA this year as he tries to come back from a left foot injury, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey confirmed that the conclusion that Greg Smith will miss the rest of the season led the team to waive him and sign Dexter Pittman, as Feigen passes along in the same piece.
- The Rudy Gay trade muted the effect of Sacramento’s acquisition of Derrick Williams, who’s seen his playing time continue to decline of late, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Kings coach Michael Malone wants to give Williams more minutes, but his lack of consistency dissuades him from doing so, Jones writes.
And-Ones: Blake, Pacers, Bargnani
Shortly after Steve Blake was dealt to the Warriors in February, we noted that the veteran point guard wouldn’t rule out a return to the Lakers this summer. Though Blake declined to follow up on those comments earlier today, there’s no denying that he still misses Los Angeles: “It’s one of the best places to live in the country,” he said. “Of course you miss that. Mostly I miss just being with my wife and kids. I’m a family man who wants to be home with them (Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times).
Here are a few more noteworthy links to pass along tonight:
- The Pacers have reached an agreement worth $160MM to extend their stay at the Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indiana for another 10 years, writes Tony Cook of USA Today (first reported by the Associated Press). The city’s Capital Improvement Board is expected to vote on the deal this upcoming Monday.
- Andrea Bargnani‘s lackluster and injury-filled year has been a big reason for the Knicks’ struggles in 2013/14, says Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman says that it’ll now be up to team president Phil Jackson to either arrange a buyout for the former number one pick or trade his $10MM expiring contract for next season.
- Dexter Pittman, who played high school and college basketball in Texas, tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston about how delighted he is to be part of the Rockets: “I always dreamed about playing back home. I’m in shock right now…”I played with LeBron James…I played with Kevin Durant. I (won) an an NBA Championship, but there’s nothing better than coming to Houston and playing with the best center in the game and playing with one of the best all-time great big men to ever play the game, Kevin McHale. and being in the shadow of Hakeem Olajuwon…Everybody’s dream that played basketball in Houston was to be a Rocket.”
- Kevin Pelton, Amin Elhassan, and Chad Ford of ESPN take an in-depth look at NBA prospect Nik Stauskas (Insiders only). Though ESPN initially reported that Stauskas had already decided to declare for the draft, the Michigan guard recently took to Twitter to deny the report himself.
Rockets Sign Dexter Pittman, Cut Greg Smith
4:56pm: The team has officially announced the moves on its website.
12:30pm: The Rockets will sign Dexter Pittman and waive Greg Smith to make room, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Smith has been out since early January after undergoing right knee surgery. The Rockets will be on the hook for the rest of his contract if he clears waivers, but his deal was set to expire at season’s end. Houston didn’t have an open roster spot, necessitating the departure of Smith to accommodate Pittman, a fellow center who’ll provide depth for the team as it heads into the playoffs.
Pittman’s deal will cover next season with non-guaranteed salary, Feigen adds via Twitter. The former second-round pick has been out of the NBA this season aside from a five-day stint with the Hawks, who terminated his 10-day contract early to bring aboard Mike Muscala. The Bulls waived Pittman before opening night, and he’s spent most of the season with the D-League affiliate of the Spurs after having joined San Antonio for summer league action last year. Pittman has averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per contest for the D-League’s Austin Toros this season.
Even though the Hawks released Pittman after March 1st, he’s still eligible to play for Houston in the playoffs. The restriction against guys who were on one team after that date playing for another team in the postseason only applies if they’re placed on waivers, and 10-day signees don’t go on waivers when their teams let them go.
Mark Deeks of ShamSports suggests Smith is a candidate to be claimed off waivers (Twitter link). Houston’s move today indicates that he’s unlikely to be healthy enough to help in the postseason, but any team that claims him would be allowed to match offers for him in the summer, since he’d be a restricted free agent as long as his new team submits a qualifying offer. If he clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. A claiming team would also acquire his full Bird rights, since his contract with the Rockets was a three-year deal, as Deeks points out (on Twitter). Smith was a part of Houston’s rotation last season, averaging 6.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 15.9 MPG and making 10 starts.
Southwest Rumors: Dwight, Jackson, Rockets
Dirk Nowitzki moved into 10th place among the NBA’s all-time leading scorers Tuesday, but it wasn’t until the Mavs let Steve Nash go that he finally realized he was his team’s No. 1 option, as Tim McMahon of ESPN.com notes in an oral history of Nowitzki’s career. Nash made history of his own Tuesday, taking over third place for most assists in league history. Nowitzki’s upcoming free agency isn’t inspiring nearly the volume of rumors as that of another Texas star, whom we hear from amid the latest from around the Southwest Division:
- Dwight Howard tells Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that as he endured criticism for leaving the Magic and Lakers, he kept LeBron James‘ move from Cleveland to Miami in mind. “I watched it closely,” Howard said. “Because people don’t understand how tough it is, how tough it was for both of us to make the decisions that we made. And for me having to do it twice in the span of two years, very tough. Because you don’t want to hurt people. And I don’t think LeBron wanted to hurt anybody. And we have that same type of personality, to where we enjoy the fans. We want to be liked. So It’s very hard for both of us to deal with it.”
- Pierre Jackson is parting ways with Fenerbahce Ulker of Turkey, according to Tolga Yenigün of Hurriyet.com.tr (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Jackson signed with the club shortly before the trade deadline, and the deal was supposed to run through June. The guard spent the first half of the season as a dominant force in the D-League, but he and the Pelicans, who own his NBA rights, were unable to come to terms.
- The Rockets have recalled Robert Covington and Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). The rookies spent the majority of the season with Houston’s D-League affiliate and have combined to play just 26 minutes for the big club.
Southwest Notes: Roberts, Hamilton, Machado
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Southwest Division..
- Brian Roberts achieved a key milestone Sunday, starting his 41st game for the Pelicans this season. That means he’s met the NBA’s starter criteria for restricted free agents, and the value of his qualifying offer surged from $1,115,243 to $3,450,156, as we detailed. It’ll be interesting to see if that prompts New Orleans to decline to make that qualifying offer for a player who’d likely return to a backup role behind a healthy Jrue Holiday next season. Without the qualifying offer, Roberts would become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Nuggets did not pick up the fourth-year option on Jordan Hamilton’s contract before the season, assuring he will be a free agent this summer, but he’s making the most of his situation now with the Rockets. “It’s a contract year, so I’m definitely auditioning for whoever,” Hamilton said, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I just have to come out every day and just play my ‘A’ game every chance I get when I’m out there. This is a great team, a great group of young guys. I’m young (24), as well. I think I would fit right in next year. I need to stay in shape and do all the little things they want me to do. This is a good situation.” Hamilton, who came to Houston in exchange for Aaron Brooks, went on to say complimentary things about coach Kevin McHale and the rest of the staff for helping him grow as a player.
- Former Rockets guard Scott Machado has signed in France with ASVEL Basket, according to a tweet from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The team has also confirmed the signing via press release (French link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Adelman, Barnes, Rockets
Wolves coach Rick Adelman spoke to reporters including Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune on Minnesota’s future, but didn’t include himself as part of the ongoing decision-making (Twitter link). “For the most part we’re still a pretty young team and the success of this franchise going forward is who else can they add,” said Adelman, who many believe will not be back to coach next year. Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer and Zgoda tweeted back and forth, speculating that Adelman’s quote was a tacit admission that he wouldn’t be a part of the Wolves future (Twitter links). Here’s more from out West:
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald says there is growing sentiment that the Warriors will look to trade away Harrison Barnes this offseason.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com says that the Rockets reached out to point guard Malcolm Delaney to see if bringing him in from overseas this late in the season was feasible. Stein first reported that the Rockets had interest in Delaney, but the news that Patrick Beverley should return for the playoffs has Houston brass leaning against a play for Delaney.
- Stein says the Rockets believe in Sergio Llull as an NBA rotation piece, but that there are major barriers to bringing him in from overseas anytime soon, including Llull’s apparent disinterest in joining the NBA, where the Rockets own his rights.
- Erik Murphy‘s former Bulls teammates are very happy he was claimed by the Jazz, per a tweet from K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “He works too hard,” said Taj Gibson, who had positive things to say about Murphy at the time of his release as well.
- Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey shared what he saw in Murphy to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). “Big guys who can step out and shoot can be complementary to our group. And Erik is a super shooter,” said Lindsey.