Jamaal Tinsley

Eastern Notes: Ross, Blatt, Pistons

Terrence Ross is unlikely to be dealt by the Raptors before Thursday’s trade deadline, Michael Grange of SportsNet reports. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri tells Grange that it’s too early to give up on Ross, even though Ross’ playing time has dropped from 31.1 minutes in December to 20.9 in January and 22.0 for February. “I would be shocked if we did something with Terrence,” Ujiri said to Grange. “Trust me. I can’t tell you more how I totally don’t think that would happen before Thursday.” Ross has been rumored to be part of a package that could deliver a quality big man such as the PacersDavid West.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

  • David Blatt’s job security is on firmer ground because LeBron James has gained respect for him, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports. James, who did not give Blatt ringing endorsements earlier in the season, called him “great” and added that Blatt has handled his first season as the Cavs coach “extremely well so far, and I’m happy to be playing for him.
  • The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Harris has played in seven games for Canton this season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per contest.
  • Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says that things are quiet on the trade front for Detroit, and that it was doubtful the team would make a move prior to the trade deadline, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press tweets.
  • Free agent Jamaal Tinsley has turned down 10-day contract offers from the PistonsHornets, and Wolves, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Tinsley appeared in eight games for the Jazz last season.
  • Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team will get another point guard in time for its next game, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey did not elaborate on whether that would occur by trade or free agent signing.
  • Suspended Sixers forward Andrei Kirilenko is a likely buyout candidate, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. Philadelphia would prefer to trade him for assets but it’s expected that won’t happen and the team will wind up buying Kirilenko out, Mazzeo adds.
  • Brandon Bass made it clear that he has no interest in a buyout, as Jay King of MassLive relays (Twitter link). Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck identified him as a likely buyout candidate last week.

Eddie Scarito and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Matthews, Daniels, Tinsley

Wesley Matthews has steadily improved his game over the last few seasons for the Blazers, especially from behind the arc, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Matthews leads the league with 96 three-pointers made on the season, and he’s compiled a 59.5% effective field goal percentage. With three-point shooting being such a valuable commodity, the soon to be free agent could be in line for a hefty raise over his current $7.25MM salary, although that is just my speculation.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Newly acquired guard Troy Daniels has fit in well with the Wolves, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. “He shoots the basketball,” coach Flip Saunders said. “I probably should have found a way to put him in sooner. As I told our guys, when you utilize your minutes on the floor, you either gain trust from your teammates and coaches or not. So he did a good job and gained some trust.” Daniels was acquired from Houston in a trade for Corey Brewer earlier in the month.
  • The Thunder offered Jamaal Tinsley an opportunity to join the team last offseason, as the former first-round pick tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com.  “OKC offered but I elected not to indulge because it wasn’t a guaranteed deal and I’m too far along in my career for non-guarantees,” Tinsley said. The 36-year-old guard is currently entertaining offers to play overseas.
  • If the Thunder are going to make the playoff this season, Serge Ibaka has to become more involved in the offense, particularly in the fourth quarter, argues Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Mayberry points out that Ibaka is averaging only 3.4 points on just 2.6 attempts per game in the fourth quarter. The Thunder sit three games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 15-17.

International Notes: Selby, Barbosa, Heat

While most of today’s attention has been focused stateside due to the guarantee date deadline, here are some recent moves that have occurred outside the United States:

  • Former Grizzlies point guard Josh Selby has signed with Croatia’s Cedevita Zagreb, according to the team (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Selby, who was sent to the Cavs in last January’s Marreese Speights trade, also played in China earlier this season.
  • Although the Suns agreed to sign Leandro Barbosa to a 10-day contract on Sunday, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweets that the signing is being held up by FIBA clearances. Barbosa was in the stands for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
  • With Roger Mason‘s contract becoming fully guaranteed today, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweeted that the Heat‘s second-round pick, James Ennis will likely stay in Australia for the remainder of this NBA season.
  • Jamaal Tinsley is considering signing overseas, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (on Twitter). Tinsley last played for the Jazz, but was waived in November.

Zach Links and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Jazz Release Jamaal Tinsley

The Jazz have reduced their roster to 14 players, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived point guard Jamaal Tinsley. The team now has a roster spot available to add a replacement, though no corresponding move has been reported or announced.

Tinsley was signed by the Jazz shortly before the regular season got underway, following the announcement that Trey Burke would be sidelined for several weeks with a broken finger. However, the 35-year-old was ineffective in his eight games with the team, averaging just 1.1 PPG and a 2.3 PER, as well as making only one of 15 three-point attempts.

The Jazz won’t be on the hook for Tinsley’s full salary, since his contract was non-guaranteed, but a pro-rated portion of his minimum salary will count against the cap. According to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (via Twitter), Utah will likely sign a player out of the D-League to replace Tinsley.

Odds & Ends: Tinsley, Pondexter, Kings, Mills

Here are a few notes from around the league as the NBA’s first week comes to a close:

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Jazz Sign Jamaal Tinsley

SATURDAY, 12:45pm: The Jazz have officially announced the move, with a press release on their website.

9:17am: The deal is a one-year, minimum salary pact, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter). While most contracts signed this month are non-guaranteed, it’s unclear whether or not that’s the case for Tinsley’s deal.

THURSDAY, 12:18am: Utah and Tinsley have reached agreement on a deal, Kennedy reports. He’ll join the team for its game Friday at the Lakers (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 9:09pm: It’s “only a matter of time” before the Jazz bring aboard Jamaal Tinsley, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who says the team’s interest in the point guard has intensified (Twitter link). Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld classifies the possibility of a deal between the two sides as “very likely” (on Twitter). Agent Raymond Brothers said last week that his client, a free agent who spent the last two seasons with Utah, and the team were both giving thought to a reunion.

The Jazz are without rookie point man Trey Burke, the ninth overall selection this June, who suffered a broken right hand earlier this month. John Lucas III, Scott Machado, Lester Hudson and Alec Burks are all internal options at the point, but it’s sounding like the club will seek outside help in the form of the 35-year-old Tinsley, who started 32 games for the Jazz last season.

Tinsley’s addition could spell trouble for the six players trying to make the team on non-guaranteed deals. Utah has 12 guys on fully guaranteed contracts, and rookie Ian Clark has a partial guarantee of $200K. That could leave just one spot open for Hudson, Machado, Brian CookMike HarrisJustin Holiday and Dominic McGuireand that’s assuming Utah elects to carry a full complement of 15 players to start the regular season.

The Mavericks, Bobcats, Rockets, Suns and Nets all reportedly looked into signing Tinsley during the offseason, but I’d be surprised if Tinsley warranted any more than a minimum-salary deal. Tinsley made the minimum in both years of his previous contract with the Jazz, and neither season was guaranteed when he signed the deal in 2011.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Cavs

T.J. Simers of the OC Register writes that Lakers executive Jim Buss believes he has an understanding with Kobe Bryant regarding next summer, in which he’ll let him hit free agency, spend the money accordingly on free agents, and offer whatever’s left to the Lakers’ star afterwards. When Simers asked him to elaborate, Kobe “vaguely” responded: “We’ve probably talked (about it)…but I’m putting off any thought of that.”

In another piece, Kobe spoke with Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times about his inability to mesh with Dwight Howard last season: “We saw different ways of going about leading this team…Dwight wanted to do it one way and he felt like it was effective. I wanted to do it another way. It was constant tension the second half of the season.”

Here are a handful of tonight’s links to pass along from around the Association:

  • LeBron James remained diplomatic when asked if winning a third consecutive ring would provide an answer to whether or not he’ll stay in with the Heat beyond this year: “When that bridge comes, I’ll cross it with my family…And we’re going to make the right choice. We’ve been in this position before, I’ve been in this position before, and I’ll be excited about it, but we’ll see what happens” (Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald).
  • LeBron was also quick to assert that his focus is on the upcoming season, and later emphasized Dwyane Wade‘s health as the key to Miami’s success: “Winning, that’s my only concern right now, winning…I want to put a third ring on the guys that have two. I want to put a first ring on the guys that don’t have any and I want to put a fourth on [Udonis Haslem] and D-Wade. So, that’s my goal…Without (Dwyane), this ship doesn’t continue to move without him, and I hope he knows that,..I think he knows that because he’s a big part of what we do.”
  • Cavaliers coach Mike Brown is still undecided about how he’ll handle the rotation at small forward this season, having been torn between Alonzo Gee and Earl Clark: “Nobody’s really separated themselves drastically from the other guy…One game, one guy’s played pretty good, then another guy’s played pretty good. … I told those guys, it can go into the regular season, just keep yourself ready to go in case your number’s called” (Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer).
  • Steve Nash spoke with Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com about the challenges of staying healthy at this point in his career.
  • USA Today’s Sam Amick goes over what he’s learned so far after watching the pre-season.
  • Jody Genessy of the Deseret News says that the Jazz’ signing of Jamaal Tinsley makes Lester Hudson and Scott Machado longshots to make the final cut.

Mutual Interest Between Jazz, Jamaal Tinsley

OCTOBER 22ND: The Jazz remain interested in Tinsley, HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy hears (Twitter link).

OCTOBER 15TH: 3:00pm: Tinsley’s agent, Raymond Brothers, tells Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune that there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between the Jazz and his client (Twitter link).

12:19pm: Burke has tweeted that four to six weeks is a more likely timetable for his recovery than eight to 12 weeks. In that case, the Jazz may be less interested in seeking out a replacement.

11:20am: With Trey Burke expected to be sidelined for up to two or three months following right hand surgery, the Jazz are weighing their options at the point. At the moment, John Lucas III will likely be penciled in as the starter, but the team could explore a reunion with a free agent who logged significant minutes in Utah a year ago.

According to head coach Tyrone Corbin, the Jazz have “some interest” in bringing back Jamaal Tinsley, who Corbin refers to as “a guy who knows our system” (Twitter link via Bill Oram of the O.C. Register). The 35-year-old started 32 games for Utah last season, and appeared in 66 contests in total, averaging 3.5 PPG and 4.4 APG.

Tinsley reportedly drew some interest from teams like the Mavericks, Bobcats, Rockets, and Suns back in July, and was very much on the Nets’ radar before Brooklyn signed Shaun Livingston. We haven’t heard many rumors on Tinsley lately, though it’s not clear if that’s due to teams’ waning interest, a too-high asking price, or both.

For what it’s worth, Corbin indicated yesterday that the Jazz had kicked the tires on a couple free agents who wanted more money than the club was willing to offer, though there was no indication that Tinsley was one of those players.

Western Notes: Turner, Nuggets, Asik

Richard Hamilton was one name linked to the Timberwolves as they consider adding a wing, but he’s far from the team’s only potential target. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Evan Turner has fans among the Wolves front office, and that the 76ers would be open to moving him. In a piece for the Star Tribune, Jerry Zgoda also mentions Turner and identifies a few other possible options.

With that aside, let’s take a look at what else is going on around the Western Conference:

  • Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the Nuggets’ offseason, starting with Josh Kroenke’s agonizing decision to fire Coach of the Year George Karl.
  • ESPN’s David Thorpe examines Omer Asik‘s trade value and explores a few potential trades involving the Rockets’ center (Insiders only).
  • Earlier this week, we noted that there has been mutual interest between the Jazz and free agent guard Jamaal Tinsley, although nothing appeared to be imminent. Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune was able to relay some of head coach Tyrone Corbin‘s comments today regarding the 35-year-old point guard: “He’s a guy that’s on the list…We haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet. He’s a guy we’re comfortable with. I really respect what he brings to the team. We’ll look and see if it’s the right fit going forward.”
  • Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter) doesn’t expect the Spurs to make any roster cuts until after the team’s road trip ends in Miami on Saturday. McDonald also points out that although San Antonio only has to make one more roster cut, they could possibly opt for two.
  • Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich drew a parallel between Manu Ginobili and new addition Marco Belinelli“I consider him to have the same mindset as Manu, which means I’m going to have to be patient as I’ve learned with Manu. Manu taught me to shut up and just watch him play a little more, which is a good thing. And Marco is going to be the same way. They both have the same passion for the game. They have no fear, which most of the time is good, but sometimes it can bite you. But I would rather have that than somebody who is timid”  (NBA.com via the Associated Press).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Oden, Jordan, Rockets

A few more random notes from around the league.