Latest On Amar’e Stoudemire, Possible Buyout
FRIDAY, 4:27pm: Stoudemire’s representatives are still discussing a buyout with the team, but the player still hasn’t made a definitive decision about his future yet, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
11:13pm: Stoudemire’s representatives are pushing for a buyout, and the Knicks seem inclined to grant it, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report notes. New York has no interest in re-signing Stoudemire this summer, and the team prefers to use its salary-cap room to chase a younger star, Beck adds.
WEDNESDAY, 11:36am: No “real” discussions have taken place between Amar’e Stoudemire and the Knicks about a buyout, agent Happy Walters tells Marc Berman of the New York Post, adding that his client is loyal to the Knicks and won’t make a move unless Knicks owner James Dolan is on board with it. Dolan doesn’t oppose the idea, sources tell Berman, and in one buyout scenario, Stoudemire would relinquish the amount of money he would make on a prorated minimum-salary contract. The veteran big man echoed sentiments of loyalty to the Knicks in comments Tuesday, as Berman notes in a separate piece.
“I gave it all, man — my heart, my body and my soul,’’ Stoudemire said. “I truly gave it all. I’m still giving, still dedicated to the game of basketball, still dedicated to New York State and the Knicks.”
Carmelo Anthony is lobbying Stoudemire to stick around, as Berman notes. The 32-year-old Stoudemire has spoken of playing several more years and said recently that he expected he’d talk soon with the Knicks about a future with the team beyond this season. Stoudemire later said he and the Knicks would discuss the possibility of a buyout after the All-Star break. He’d have to hit waivers no later than March 1st to be eligible to play for another team in the postseason.
The Mavs are reportedly the favorites to sign Stoudemire should he buy his way off the Knicks and clear waivers, and the Clippers and Warriors would apparently have interest as well. It’s almost certain that Stoudemire would clear waivers, since no team, including the Sixers, currently has the cap space necessary to take on his salary of nearly $23.411MM. The Knicks could recoup a portion of his salary via set-off if he clears waivers and signs with any other team, though teams and players often agree to waive set-off rights in the event of a buyout. The Mavs, Clippers and Warriors are all limited to paying out no more than the minimum salary anyway, so any set-off wouldn’t amount to much.
Byron Mullens To Play For Heat’s D-League Team
THURSDAY, 11:35pm: Mullens has been acquired off of waivers by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s D-League affiliate, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link)..
TUESDAY, 6:50pm: Veteran center Byron Mullens will join the NBA D-League, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Mullens will be subject to the D-League’s waiver process to determine which team he will play for. The 25-year-old had changed agents last month, and is now represented by Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports.
The seven-footer had elected to turn down his minimum salary player option for the 2014/15 campaign to seek a more lucrative deal on the open market, but was unable to cash in this past offseason. Mullens’ last NBA action came during the 2013/14 campaign when he appeared in a combined 45 games for the Clippers and Sixers.
Mullens had played briefly in China this season before being waived by the Shanxi Brave Dragons. The big man is likely using the D-League as a springboard to make his return to the NBA. With the demand for floor-spacing centers around the league, Mullens should garner consideration for a 10-day contract if he provides teams with a strong showing once he hits the D-League hardwood.
In 189 career games over parts of five seasons, Mullens has averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. His career slash line is .408/.319/.706.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Dudley, Kerr
Jared Dudley said that he played the entire 2013/14 season with a fracture in his right knee, and he did so at the request of Clippers coach and executive Doc Rivers, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes. Dudley also relayed that he played through the injury with the understanding he would be able to return to the team healthy for the 2014/15 season, but instead he was traded to the Bucks this past offseason, Markazi notes. Dudley is extremely thankful that he was dealt to Milwaukee, the ESPN scribe relays. “The trade [to Milwaukee] was the best thing for my career, where I got with a training staff that got me healthy and when I’m healthy, I’m the player you see now and the player you saw in Phoenix.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- In an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Suns GM Ryan McDonough acknowledged that Phoenix’s roster composition is uneven, Adam Green of RealGM.com relays. “I think our roster balance is a little off, and that’s my fault,” McDonough said. “We are a little too backcourt heavy, especially in terms of guys who, you know, I think you’d define primarily as scorers in the backcourt. So I think at some point we’ll need to balance that out, try to get a little more size, a little more frontcourt scoring and rebounding.”
- Kings owner Vivek Ranadive wasn’t necessarily the driving force behind the early season firing of Michael Malone, Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com writes (Twitter links). Bruski was addressing an earlier report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that asserted Sacramento’s owner was the one who insisted that Malone be let go, though Bruski didn’t elaborate further on who was the impetus behind the coaching change.
- Despite coaching the Warriors to the best overall record in the league thus far, Steve Kerr says that he still has a lot of work to do in figuring out how to be an NBA coach, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “The biggest thing for me is learning on the job, feeling the job, feeling the routine and the rhythm of it, staying in tune with the players and making sure we’re moving the ship forward,” Kerr said. “You learn all the time. There’s a lot going on, and you have to constantly be on your toes.“
Western Notes: Clippers, Benson, Karl
Pelicans and Saints owner Tom Benson must undergo evaluations by three different doctors to determine whether the 87-year-old is competent enough to retain control of the two franchises, Andy Grimm of The Times-Picayune reports. One doctor will be named by Benson and a second will be chosen by his daughter, Renee, and her children, who are seeking to take control of the teams after his death. Those two doctors will jointly name a third physician and all will evaluate Benson, Grimm adds.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- In a statement released by Benson via the Saints Twitter feed, the embattled owner declared his intention to spare no expense in defending his control of the team and mental state. Benson also noted that he has instructed his attorney Phil Wittmann to make public the results of his medical evaluations as soon as possible.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Jarnell Stokes and Russ Smith from the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This concludes the fourth trek of the season to the D-League for both players.
- Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers said that the team would wait until after the All-Star break to bring in another player to bolster its roster, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register relays. The reason behind the wait is the upcoming All-Star break, since the team wouldn’t be able to maximize the amount of games it would receive from a player signed to a 10-day contract until the end of the break, Woike notes. Rivers wouldn’t say if the team was looking to bring in a big man to replace the injured Blake Griffin, or to sign another guard, Woike adds.
- Sources close to the situation say many of the Nuggets players George Karl coached in Denver still text Karl after games and ask his advice on matchups and style of play, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes. Multiple Kings players have reportedly expressed concerns over the franchise hiring Karl.
Clippers Notes: Allen, Depth, Options
The Clippers are less than $1.2MM below their $80.829MM hard cap, which could make acquiring a player who can play significant minutes problematic. Los Angeles has spoken with Sebastian Telfair about a potential deal and would have interest in Kevin Garnett or Amar’e Stoudemire if either player agrees to a buyout with their current clubs.
Here’s more on the team that, for now, resides in seventh place in the Western Conference:
- Doc Rivers has spoken to Ray Allen recently, but he doesn’t know if the Clippers are in the mix for the shooting guard, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The Warriors, Wizards, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Hawks are among the teams that have been linked to the 39-year-old.
- The Clippers‘ lack of depth may cause them to fall in the standings during Blake Griffin‘s time away because of injury, opines Jon Hamm of The Oklahoman. Hamm examines how the Clippers built their team around stars and compares the team to the Thunder, who drafted all of their stars and were able to remain in the playoff hunt after a rash of early season injuries.
- The Clippers have a few options to fill Griffin’s void, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines in a video. Spencer Hawes is the best candidate on the roster to step up and keep the team afloat during Griffin’s absence. Kennedy adds that If Hawes isn’t able to elevate his game, free agency might be the team’s best option to add talent due to the team’s lack of resources. The Clippers lack the young talent that many teams desire in return for productive players and the next first-rounder that the team can promise to a trade partner is its 2021pick. Check out our Draft Pick Tracker to see which teams will get the Clippers’ future picks as well as which picks will be on the move for the rest of the teams in the league.
Western Notes: Malone, Howard, Clippers
Former Kings coach Michael Malone made a second visit to Minnesota to speak with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor after Flip Saunders invited Malone to observe the team for a while last month, as TNT’s David Aldridge reports amid his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Aldridge speculates that Saunders, serving in a dual role as coach and president of basketball operations, is eyeing Malone as a potential replacement as coach for whenever Saunders decides to concentrate on his executive role. Malone is also a rumored candidate for the Magic’s head coaching job. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Dwight Howard says he was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for recovery from the right knee swelling that’s kept him out of action since January 23rd, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets announced this past Wednesday that he’d miss at least a month, though team doctor Walt Lowe says there isn’t a specific time frame for his return, other than that he’ll be back this season, Creech writes.
- The Clippers are unlikely to make a 10-day signing before the All-Star break, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register hears (Twitter link). The team has reportedly spoken with Sebastian Telfair about a potential deal.
- The Rockets have recalled rookies Clint Capela and Nick Johnson from the D-League, the team announced (on Twitter). It was assignment No. 4 for Capela and the third D-League stint for Johnson, as our assignments/recalls log shows. Johnson is averaging 10.7 minutes per game in 17 NBA appearances, while Capela has seen only 18 total minutes with the big club.
- Al-Farouq Aminu has given the Mavericks the best dollar-for-dollar production of any player on the roster, opines Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, arguing that the minimum-salary signee has excelled doing many of the same duties Shawn Marion did last year.
And-Ones: Wizards, KG, Stoudemire, Cavs
The Wizards are looking at free agents from overseas and players who will buy out their contracts before turning to the trade market, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). The Wizards don’t want to sacrifice their long-term flexibility, so free agents are more attractive to them at this time (link). An attractive trade offer could change that, but that hasn’t come up yet (link).
- The Clippers would be interested in Amar’e Stoudemire or Kevin Garnett if they became available on the buyout market regardless of Blake Griffin‘s status, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
- The Cavs announced that they have recalled guard Joe Harris from the Canton Charge. Harris has played in six games for the Charge this season, averaging 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. The 23-year-old guard has played in 36 games (one start) for the Cavs this season, averaging 2.8 points in 10.8 minutes per game.
- Bismack Biyombo‘s MRI shows that he’ll miss at least two more weeks of action, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The Hornets youngster was mentioned in trade rumors prior to the season and the latest diagnosis means that he’ll be sidelined through the trade deadline.
- The best move the Pistons could make at the deadline is not making one, opines David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons merely are on the edge of playoff contention, nothing more, and with so many roster holes after this season, they shouldn’t trade away key pieces for the future to complete the run.
- Expect the 76ers‘ core to be intact after the deadline, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Clippers Considering Sebastian Telfair
The Clippers are considering free agent guard Sebastian Telfair, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). The two sides are discussing a potential deal.
Earlier today, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters, including Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) that he’d probably sign someone to a 10-day deal, adding that it might even be a guard. Rivers doubted that something would get done before Monday night’s game against the Mavs.
“We may even bring a guard in and just go small. We just need another player for sure… I doubt we could have it by tomorrow,” Rivers said, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter).
The Clippers have two games left before the All-Star break, but 10-day contracts must cover a minimum of three games, so if the Clips make a 10-day signing before Wednesday’s first half finale, it’d run more than 10 days. It was widely expected that the Clippers would sign a big man following Blake Griffin‘s injury, but Rivers apparently isn’t afraid to go small.
In 16 games for the Thunder earlier this year, Telfair averaged 8.4 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.9 RPG in 20.4 minutes per contest. After he was let go by OKC, Telfair signed on in China.
Blake Griffin To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Blake Griffin is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a staph infection in his right elbow, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Griffin will undergo surgery on Monday to drain the elbow. Shelburne adds that he could return sooner than four weeks but in typical cases of staph infections, it’s best to be conservative (Twitter link).
Griffin’s injury leaves the Clippers with a clear void in the frontcourt. The power forward was playing 35.3 minutes per game while scoring 22.5 points per game. The Clippers have an experienced backup big man in Spencer Hawes, whom the team spent the valuable full mid-level exception on last offseason. Hawes has played some minutes at the four spot but he may be an awkward fit next to center DeAndre Jordan for extended periods of time.
The Clippers are only six games ahead of the Pelicans, who currently reside in ninth place in the Western Conference. With the competitiveness of the conference, Los Angeles could be forced to make some sort of move. The Clippers have two open roster spots but are less than $1.2MM shy of their $80.829MM hard cap. The team was reportedly interested in obtaining a wing player, with Wilson Chandler being named as a possibility. With the news of Griffin’s injury and the Clippers’ lack of assets outside the team’s core, the franchise could switch its focus to finding a big man.
Western Notes: Rondo, Johnson, Davis
The Mavericks still haven’t ruled out surgery for Rajon Rondo, who suffered orbital and nasal fractures earlier this week, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). For now, the point guard will miss at least the next three contests, and Dallas is hoping that a prolonged rest will abate the need for any invasive procedures, and a longer period of inactivity as a result, Stein adds.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Lakers swingman Wesley Johnson has signed with Jeff Austin and Omar Wilkes of Octagon Sports, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter link). Johnson was previously represented by the Landmark Sports Agency. The 27-year-old, who is making $981,084 this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Ed Davis has also left Landmark Sports and will now be represented by Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News reports. Davis will reportedly turn down his player option with the Lakers worth $1,100,602 for 2015/16 in order to pursue a long-term deal in free agency.
- Former Clippers point guard Jordan Farmar‘s contract with the Turkish team Darussafaka Dogus calls for him to make $800K for the remainder of the season, Can Pelister of TrendBasket.net reports (Twitter link; hat tip to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com). Since Farmar’s new contract is for less than the $816,482 one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Los Angeles will not be able to recoup any of the money it owes Farmer through set-off rights.
- Ivan Johnson has been waived by the Texas Legends, the Mavs‘ D-League affiliate, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). The reason for the release is likely because Johnson has secured an overseas deal, Pilato adds. In seven D-League appearances this season, Johnson has averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game.