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Odds & Ends: Nunnally, Kirilenko, Brownlee, Rocks

September 16th, 2013 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

D-Leaguer James Nunnally's name has come up in connection with a handful of NBA teams of late, having drawn the attention of the Spurs, Jazz, Suns and Pelicans. The Grizzlies may be most intrigued by the 6'7" swingman out of UC-Santa Barbara, as they've invited him to camp, reports Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. Still it doesn't sound like Nunnally has accepted that invitation yet, as he'll work as scheduled out this week for Utah and New Orleans. Here's more from this afternoon in the NBA:

An NBA investigation into Andrei Kirilenko's discount contract with the Nets has cleared the team of any wrongdoing, a source tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Complaints from at least one other team triggered the probe.
The Knicks are thinking of inviting small forward Justin Brownlee to camp after watching him play for their summer league squad this year. The 25-year-old from St. John's will work out for the team this week, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Agent Burton Rocks tells Hoops Rumors that the players union has certified him and his Burton Rocks LTD firm, which boasts a dozen baseball clients, as the MLB Trade Rumors Agency Database shows. Rocks is breaking into hoops by repping former Stony Brook standout Muhammed El-Amin.
Villanova assistant coach Billy Lange has turned down the Rockets' offer to become the head coach of their D-League affiliate, but he's considering a job with the Sixers, reports Dana O'Neil of ESPN.com.
The Grizzlies traded for Kosta Koufos this summer, and they've coveted the former Nuggets big man for more than a year, as TNT's David Aldridge writes as he hits on a wide range of subjects for his weekly NBA.com column.
Forbes today published its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, and Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen leads all sports owners in net worth, notes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com examines some of the data teams will be able to use under the league's new SportVU camera deal.

Southwest Rumors: Ebanks, Rockets, Brewer

September 13th, 2013 at 8:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

None of the teams in the Southwest Division took a significant step backward this summer, and the Rockets and Pelicans could be among the league's most improved teams in 2013/14. The division already boasts the defending Western Conference champion Spurs, as well as the Grizzlies, who totaled a franchise-record 56 wins last year. Here's the latest from the division that could well be the NBA's best:

Devin Ebanks turned down a $650K offer from a team in China to sign with the Mavericks today, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who confirms that Dallas is giving the former Laker only a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal for training camp.
Ebanks would be willing to play for the D-League's Texas Legends, the Mavs' affiliate, if he doesn't make the opening night roster for the big club, Charania adds.
The Dwight Howard signing turned the Rockets into contenders and shifted their attention from young players to veterans like Ronnie Brewer, who tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that the on-court role he can play for the team is what persuaded him to sign. Brewer only has a partial guarantee on his deal, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports reveals tonight that it's for $100K (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Hunter, Rockets, Melo, Ellis

September 13th, 2013 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Friday afternoon items from around the Western Conference….

Ex-Suns coach Lindsey Hunter is in the process of finalizing a deal that will land him on the Warriors' coaching staff, reports Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter). Hunter was considered by the Suns and Pistons for head coaching openings this summer, but both teams went in other directions.
The Rockets are engaged in discussions with Villanova assistant Billy Lange about making him the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. As Wojnarowski notes, the Vipers' last two coaches, Nick Nurse and Chris Finch, have since been hired as NBA assistants.
Fab Melo's contract with the Mavericks is fully non-guaranteed, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter). Regardless of whether or not he earns a spot on Dallas' regular-season roster, Melo will still be paid by the Grizzlies under his previous contract.
Although many observers believe adding a high-volume shooter like Monta Ellis won't improve the Mavericks, Lang Greene of HoopsWorld plays devil's advocate, arguing that perhaps Ellis is exactly the sort of scorer the team needs.

Mavs Invite Fab Melo To Camp

September 10th, 2013 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

1:17pm: The Mavs and Melo have reached a training camp deal, according to Stein.

11:11am: Having already been traded by the Celtics and released by the Grizzlies this offseason, free agent big man Fab Melo is set to join a new team, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein (via Twitter), the Mavericks are planning to bring the 2012 first-rounder to camp this fall.

Melo, the 22nd overall pick in last year's draft, only appeared in six NBA games for the Celtics in 2012/13. The Syracuse product spent most of the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, averaging 9.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 33 contests for the Maine Red Claws. While he has plenty of raw upside, Melo is also viewed as a long-term project, and given his lack of significant progress in his rookie season, neither the Celtics or the Grizzlies were inclined to wait on him.

The Mavericks already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there may not be room for Melo on the regular-season roster, and it's unlikely he'll receive a significant guarantee. However, assuming Dallas finalizes a camp deal with the young center, the team will retain his D-League rights, meaning he could end up starting the 2013/14 season with the Texas Legends.

A source told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) earlier today that Boston and Houston could be potential landing spots for Melo, but CBA rules prevent the C's from re-signing Melo until next summer.

Odds & Ends: 2014 Draft, Jay Z, Wolves, Mavs

September 9th, 2013 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

We're 290 days away from the 2014 NBA draft, but for ESPN.com's Chad Ford, it's by no means too early to forecast next June's first round. In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Ford presents his first 2014 mock draft, headlined by a top five of Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Dante Exum, and Jabari Parker.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

The NBPA is still waiting for official confirmation that Jay Z has divested his ownership stake in the Nets before granting him full NBA agent certification, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (Twitter links). We heard last week that the rapper is selling half his Nets share to head coach Jason Kidd, and the other half to a current minority owner.
The Timberwolves officially announced today that they've hired Bobby Jackson as a player development coach and promoted David Adelman, Rick Adelman's son, to assistant coach (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds (via Twitter) that the Wolves didn't pick up Shawn Respert's option at the end of August, leaving Jackson as the team's only player development coach.
Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com loves the Mavericks' decision to re-sign Brandan Wright to a two-year, $10MM contract, giving the team a grade of A+ for the move. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, though it looks like a solid value for Dallas.
Speaking to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Marcus Camby discusses his decision to sign with the Rockets, the recruitment he received from Dwight Howard, and his plan to coach after his playing career is over.
In a piece for Secret Rival, Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro examines a few former Big East standouts, rounding up where they're playing now. You can take a more in-depth look at the latest international player movement in our tracker, which we introduced earlier today.

Western Notes: Newton, Rockets, Durant

September 6th, 2013 at 8:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Most of the day's news has come from the Western Conference, where the Trail Blazers signed a player, the Thunder dropped one, the T-Wolves added to their front office. We also asked whether the Jazz are likely to extend Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, both, or neither, with a majority of readers who responded feeling as though Utah will get a pair of deals done. There's yet more going on in the West, as we detail:

Michael Lee of The Washington Post provides background on new Timberwolves GM Milt Newton, whose hiring became official today. Newton spent the last 10 seasons with the Wizards.
The Rockets have four players on their roster currently participating in international competitions, as well as a pair of "draft-and-stash" guys who are also taking part in those events. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle checks in on how all of them are doing,
Kevin Durant gave a qualified no when asked if he'd ever leave the Thunder, and while Royce Young of DailyThunder.com says Durant's "as of now" caveat is noteworthy, Young doesn't think it carries too much significance with KD tied to the team until 2016.

Southwest Rumors: McGrady, Hamilton, Covington

September 3rd, 2013 at 7:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs came tantalizingly close in June to giving late-season addition Tracy McGrady a championship ring before his NBA career concluded, but T-Mac's professional playing days might not be over just yet. Sources indicate to the Chengdu Business Daily that there's mutual interest between McGrady and the Sichuan Jinqiang Whale of China, according to China Daily USA. McGrady hinted at a return to China when he announced his NBA retirement last week. Here's more news related to the NBA's Southwest Division clubs:

Richard Hamilton is probably looking at no better than the minimum salary, but the Rockets, as well as the Knicks, are among teams that may have interest in the former Bull, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
Undrafted small forward Robert Covington scored a full guarantee on the first year of his three-year deal with the Rockets, per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, and the former Tennessee State Tiger tells Jason Friedman of Rockets.com about what set him apart in summer league, his relationship with James Harden, and more.
HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis names ex-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins first on his list former NBA coaches likely to receive an offer the next time an opening emerges. Hollins beat out reigning Coach of the Year George Karl, who'd prefer to take a job with a Western Conference contender.

Western Notes: Barea, Blazers, Rockets, Gibson

September 3rd, 2013 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in the day, we rounded up several items out of the Pacific Division. Now, let's shift our focus to the West's other two divisions, with a few links relating to Southwest and Northwest teams….

J.J. Barea tells Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com that while he wouldn't be opposed to returning to the Mavericks eventually, he's not looking to change addresses anytime soon. "I'm happy in Minnesota," Barea said. "They're the ones that wanted me there, the ones that signed me for four years, so until they decide to trade me, I'm going to give them all my effort in the games."
The Trail Blazers aren't looking to trade LaMarcus Aldridge and he's looking forward to playing with the new-look roster, but if the team's season gets off to a slow start, it's worth keeping a close on Portland's situation, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Lance Thomas was grateful for the opportunity to re-sign with the Pelicans after the team released him in July, as he tells Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.
The Rockets had some interest in free agent guard Daniel Gibson at one point, but don't anymore, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com gives the Mavericks a grade of B- for the team's new deal with Bernard James.

Central Notes: Cavs, Asik, Dunleavy, Bulls

September 2nd, 2013 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at today's news out of the Central Division..

In today's mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Rockets could be open to dealing an unhappy Omer Asik to the Cavs for Anderson Varejao. It's unlikely for a number of reasons, but a source in Houston says that while Asik is not pleased with backing up Dwight Howard, the Rockets still insist they're not going to trade him. Even if the Rockets changed their minds, they'd likely be looking for a better shooter than Varejao.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks back at the offseason that was for the Bulls. Their big get, obviously, was adding Mike Dunleavy on a surprisingly light two-year, $6MM deal. The Dunleavy signing gives Chicago a solid shooter who should be more consistent than Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson, who signed elsewhere.
Over the weekend, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe spoke with Bucks GM John Hammond, who spoke glowingly of Larry Sanders. The big man signed a four-year, $44MM contract extension with Milwaukee this offseason.

Rockets Sign Ronnie Brewer

August 28th, 2013 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

AUGUST 28TH, 12:40pm: The Rockets have officially signed Brewer, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 19TH, 6:15pm: It's a two-year partially-guaranteed deal for Brewer, according to Stein (on Twitter).

5:51pm: The Rockets are wrapping up a deal with free agent Ronnie Brewer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Brewer is a client of CAA, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

The Knicks traded Brewer to the Thunder at the trade deadline last season and the guard/forward wound up averaging a career low 10.1 minutes per contest during his short run in OKC. Despite his lack of burn with Kevin Durant & Co., Brewer said he was open to a reunion with the Thunder. The Sixers were also linked to the University of Arkansas product this summer.

Brewer, 28, has career averages of 8.2 PPG with 3.0 RPG and 1.7 APG for the Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls, Knicks, and Thunder. In 60 combined games for New York and OKC last year, Brewer averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 14.2 minutes per game.