Shawn Marion Leaning Toward Cavs
AUGUST 12TH: The Cavs are still in the lead for Marion even as Indiana continues to push for the 36-year-old, who met Monday with Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
AUGUST 6TH: Shawn Marion is leaning heavily toward signing with the Cavs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today, Cleveland was considered merely an “intriguing” option for the forward, who was also being hotly pursued by the Pacers. Wojnarowski reports that Indiana has already moved on from Marion due to his interest in joining Cleveland.
Indiana could have offered Marion a greater role and more salary, assuming their disabled players exception request would have been approved by the league. However, the Pacers expectations are grim following Paul George‘s injury, and the return of LeBron James has made the Cavs a magnet for veteran free agents all summer. Chauncey Billups was the latest player to register interest in playing for Cleveland, and the team has already signed Mike Miller and James Jones.
Joining James has looked even more appealing in recent days, as momentum builds toward a rumored trade sending Kevin Love to Cleveland. If the Cavs gave up Andrew Wiggins in such a deal, Marion would alleviate some of the defensive concerns that scenario has raised. Marion will likely be a better shooter than Wiggins this season, although he wouldn’t create the same athletic dynamic that would have existed between James and the No. 1 pick.
And-Ones: Marion, Rockets, Spurs
With NBA training camp approaching, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if D-League prospects should sign camp invites or take advantage of offers for guaranteed money overseas. The bigger names, he writes, can probably afford to go through training camp and take a stab at making an NBA team. The lesser-known ones, however, might want to think about going overseas. Here’s more from around the league..
- Free agent forward Shawn Marion had a face-to-face meeting earlier today with Pacers president Larry Bird, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Last week it was reported that Marion was leaning heavily towards the Cavs but the Pacers are hoping that they can sway him.
- Kostas Papanikolaou‘s nearly $4.8MM first-year salary with the Rockets is believed to be the greatest amount any NBA team has ever handed out for the rookie season of a second-round pick, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
- In the wake of Mark Davis’ whirlwind tour of San Antonio, sources with knowledge of the visit said Spurs Sports & Entertainment would be against the Raiders, as they are currently structured, relocating to South Texas, write Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News. Spurs shareholder Charlie Amato says that the solution would be for the Spurs’ ownership group to have a controlling interest in the Raiders or perhaps any other franchise that wanted to move to San Antonio.
- The recent ruling against the NCAA could help the NBA in its efforts to raise the age limit, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. The Ed O’Bannon ruling grants colleges the right to pay players up to $5K per year and one of the big arguments against an age minimum was that would force prospects to play for free in the NCAA. Now, that’s no longer the case, even if the $5K figure is chump change compared to what many of the top collegiate stars should rightfully earning in relation to the revenue that they draw.
Central Notes: Allen, Hibbert, Wiggins
Earlier today, the Cavs signed New Mexico big man Alex Kirk. The 6’11” center averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game in his junior year this past season and drew interest as a second round choice but went undrafted in June. More out of the Central Division..
- Ray Allen said earlier today that we won’t need to wait for word from a secret inside source – he’ll just come out with a decision on his future when he figures it out, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Allen has been heavily connected to the Cavs and there has been some conflicting information about his basketball future in recent weeks.
- With speculation that the Pacers could explore a Roy Hibbert trade, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post makes the case for the Nuggets going after him and offering JaVale McGee. Acquiring Hibbert would enhance Denver’s defensive profile while giving themselves a legitimate on-the-block scorer. Meanwhile, McGee would give Indiana an active big man that blocks shots and runs the court like a gazelle.
- Andrew Wiggins is in limbo as he waits to be sent from the Cavs to the Wolves, but he’s not losing sleep over it, writes Ian Harrison of The Associated Press. “Whatever happens is out of my control,” he said. “I’m not worrying about it right now.”
Paul George To Miss Season
WEDNESDAY, 8:04pm: The Pacers will apply for the disabled player exception, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. This confirms that Indiana has ruled George out for the season. The exception requires medical prognosis of a player’s absence for the entire year. If granted the exception, the Pacers will have $5.305MM to spend to replace George through free agency. The exception doesn’t reduce George’s cap hit, meaning Indiana is unlikely to use the full exception and exceed the luxury tax line. Applying for, receiving, or using that exception will not preclude George from returning in 2014/15, should he make an unexpected speedy recovery.
SATURDAY, 8:33am: Sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that doctors believe Pacers swingman Paul George is likely to miss all of next season after suffering a horrific injury to his right leg early in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Team USA intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas. No official prognosis has been given yet.
The injury occurred when George attempted to block a transition layup by James Harden, and George’s leg came down awkwardly and buckled as he knocked into the basket stanchion. George then remained down on the court as trainers, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and members of George’s family who were present rushed to his side. His leg was placed into an air cast and after approximately 15 minutes, George was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and surgery. The scrimmage was then cancelled in light of the devastating turn of events.
In a statement released after surgery was completed, posted by Windhorst, USA Basketball confirmed that George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture and is expected to remain hospitalized for about three days. Windhorst’s sources also informed him that there didn’t appear to be additional damage besides the fractures. Dr. Riley Williams, a Team USA orthopedist who also works with the Nets, was with George, notes Windhorst.
The most recent example of a similar injury and possible recovery time is the leg injury that then Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Ware missed roughly nine months of action, then returned to the court during the 2013/14 season, but after nine games decided to redshirt the remainder of the season to allow the leg to fully heal.
The injury to George has already caused a number of NBA owners and GM’s to rethink their stance on letting their star players participate in international play, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). One GM told Wojnarowski that this would be a “game changer” going forward. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes that the current NBA deal with FIBA states that teams can’t bar players from international competition unless there’s “reasonable medical concern” going in. This was recently demonstrated when the Spurs denied Manu Ginobili permission to participate in the FIBA World Cup due to the recovery time needed for the stress fracture in his leg.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the injury, or the impact on participation in USA Basketball, writes Windhorst. But Colangelo did say, “This is a tough blow, not only for USA basketball but for the Indiana Pacers. And so as an organization we’re just going to let a little time go by here before we address rosters. … It seems so unimportant in the scheme of things. When you have something like this, it puts things in perspective.”
The team had planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players today but put off those plans after George’s injury, notes Windhorst. Coach Krzyzewski said in regards to those plans, “Everything’s on hold, and it should be. It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when there is an injury like this.”
As for the impact on the Pacers, if George is indeed out for the season, then Indiana would be able to apply for a disabled player exception. The exception would be equivalent to the amount of the $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Disabled player exceptions are for either half the player’s salary or the mid-level, whichever is less–which in this case would be the mid-level seeing as George is scheduled to make $15,937,290 during the 2014/15 season. But the Pacers would be unlikely to use the entire disabled player exception due to them being roughly $2MM shy of the tax line.
MarShon Brooks Likely To Sign With Italian Team
WEDNESDAY, 6:01pm: Brooks is likely to sign with Olimpia Milano in the coming hours, tweets Enea Trapani of Sportando.
TUESDAY, 10:56pm: Free agent guard MarShon Brooks is progressing towards finalizing a contract with Olimpia Milano Armani of the Euroleague, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The Kings, Pacers, and an unnamed Eastern Conference contender had also been in discussions with Brooks.
The Italian team had been close to signing E’Twaun Moore, but interest from a pair of NBA clubs prompted Moore to hold off on heading overseas. Brooks played for the Kings in the NBA summer league last month, and averaged 10.1 points and shot 53.1 percent from the field in seven games.
The 6’5″, 25 year-old swingman has played for four different teams in his three years in the league. His career numbers are 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG. His career slash line is .442/.326/.748.
Pacers Making Strong Push For Shawn Marion
The Pacers are looking to make an impact addition in the wake of Paul George‘s injury and today’s development out of Indiana comes as no surprise. The Pacers are making a strong push on free agent forward Shawn Marion and have placed calls on him in recent days, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Marion is scheduling further meetings with NBA teams, Charania adds.
Marion, 36, started 76 regular season games for the Mavs last season and also started in all seven games of the Mavs’ losing first-round effort against the Spurs. Yesterday, the Cavs hosted Marion for a visit and it has been said that Marion would like to join forces with LeBron James. Still, the rival Pacers could provide Marion an enticing opportunity and maybe one with greater importance in the wake of George’s fractured leg.
Marion posted a career-worst 13.7 PER this past season, a drop from his 18.0 mark in the year prior. The veteran appeared to be looking for something more lucrative than the minimum salary, but the Pacers are among the clubs that are limited to only paying out the minimum. Indiana could apply for a Disabled Player Exception worth $5.305MM, but doing so would require a formal medical prognosis that would confirm that George is expected to be out for the season. The 36-year-old averaged 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 76 games last season.
There are other veteran scorers available that could be of interest to Indiana, including Jordan Hamilton and Jordan Crawford.
And-Ones: McGrady, Barea, George, Bledsoe
Tracy McGrady, 35, is at peace with his decision to retire from professional basketball, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. While he says that he could still play in the NBA or an overseas league, and admits that he sometimes gets the itch, he’s no longer interested in putting in the necessary work. “At times I get…the urge to go back and play. I still can, I’m young enough to still play. My body feels good; I haven’t played in a couple of years so my body feels great. It’s just the mental part of [not] having that drive to get back in that type of shape and to put that type of time and focus into it,” McGrady said. More from around the Association..
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) gets the sense that J.J Barea wouldn’t be involved in a two-team deal involving Kevin Love and maybe not even in a three-team deal. Because his contract could be difficult to move, Wolfson wonders aloud if the stretch provision could be back in play for the Wolves when it comes to the guard.
- None of the 19 players remaining on Team USA’s roster are planning to pull out of international competition following Paul George‘s catastrophic injury, report Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Is Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe a true No. 1 player? David Nurse of HoopsHype looks at both sides of the argument. On one hand, the guard has been the “other guy” everywhere he’s been from Kentucky (John Wall) to the Clippers (Chris Paul) to the Suns (Goran Dragic). On the other hand, Bledsoe has looked like a mini-LeBron at times and is a major impact player on both sides of the court. Ultimately, while a max contract may be tough to swallow, Nurse feels he’s worth it.
- Mavs guard Monta Ellis could be the next NBA notable looking for a change of scenery, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM. The 29-year-old has a player option in his contract and could hit free agency next summer. He’ll be looking for one last long-term deal and the Mavs might not want to lock themselves into a core with a number of defensive issues.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Scalabrine, LeBron, George
As most of you already know, the Celtics scored a major victory earlier today when Brian Scalabrine announced that he is coming home to Boston to join the television broadcast team. In a heartfelt essay on CSNNE.com, White Mamba explained that he felt that he still had unfinished business with the C’s organization. “Remember when I spurned the Celtics and signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2010? Actually I begged [Danny] Ainge to keep me and he wished me the best of luck,” Scalabrine wrote. “I was thinking, ‘This is really tough.’ I could feel it. I left something I had spent five years creating. I haven’t paid for a meal since 2008. What if all of this goes away?” More out of the East..
- Dwyane Wade didn’t put on an all-out recruiting blitz for LeBron James when the two of them met in Las Vegas shortly before James announced he was returning to the Cavs, as Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick writes. Wade did more listening than talking, as Skolnick puts it, but right after James told him he wouldn’t re-sign with the Heat, Wade, nervous that Chris Bosh would leave, too, put in a call to his remaining superstar running mate. As for Wade, he told agent Henry Thomas not to reach out to other teams on his behalf, preferring all along to stay with Miami, according to Skolnick.
- The Pacers will certainly miss Paul George this season, but they can still make the playoffs, argues Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d). With George, the Pacers were still projected to regress from their 56 win season thanks to the improved Eastern Conference and Lance Stephenson‘s departure. Pelton’s new projection has them winning 37 games, which could put them in the mix for one of the East’s final playoff spots.
- The Hawks hired European coaching stalwart Neven Spahija as an assistant coach, the team announced. The native of Croatia was the head coach at Cibona Zagreb in his homeland last year and carries almost 30 years of overseas coaching experience into his job with Atlanta.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Wiggins, Cavs, Murry, George
The No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft is in a weird spot, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Andrew Wiggins has been heavily connected to a possible Kevin Love deal between the Wolves and Cavs and on top of that, it turns out that he hasn’t even chatted with LeBron James since the game’s top player announced in Sports Illustrated that he was going back to Cleveland. “No. I’m sure he’s busy,” Wiggins said. “I feel like I’m busy, so I am sure he’s busy.” More from around the NBA..
- Toure’ Murry still has interest from the Heat, Jazz, and Clippers and a return to the Knicks remains a possibility, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Paul George‘s injury isn’t just a loss for the Pacers, it’s a loss for all of basketball, writes Candace Buckner of the Indy Star. It has been noted that in 1985, when quarterback Joe Theismann suffered a similar horrific fracture, the injury forced him into retirement at age 36. However, Buckner notes that George has the advancements of modern medicine on his side as well as his youth.
- Italian team Ferentino is eyeing former D-League guard Chris Roberts, sources tell Paolo DePersis of Sportando. The swingman spent last season in Serie A with Caserta averaging 11.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
Grizzlies, Pacers Interested In Gary Forbes
Free agent Gary Forbes has interest from the Grizzlies and Pacers as he mulls an offer in China, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). A contract in China would allow him to join an NBA team midseason when the Chinese season is complete.
Forbes, 29, signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Nets last offseason before being cut in mid-October. Soon after, the 6’7″ swingman hooked on with the Nets’ D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, before being cut in January due to injury.
Forbes played in China during the 2012-13 season and has been away from the NBA since 2012. In his two years with the Nuggets and Raptors, Forbes averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Earlier today, we learned that the Pacers are interested in MarShon Brooks and it stands to reason that they’ll be looking into several options to help to try and fill the void.