Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Odom, Clippers, Kidd, Warrick

November 19th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

While there have been conflicting reports on how close the Clippers and Lamar Odom are to reuniting, it sounds like Clippers players are expecting the two sides to get something done. Asked by Sam Amick of USA Today whether he foresees Odom joining the Clips, Jared Dudley replied, “Oh, 100%.”

While Odom continues to work his way back into playing shape and the Clippers prepare for tomorrow night’s game in Minnesota, let’s check out a few odds and ends from around the Association….

The Nets are still trying to get healthy and to get all their offseason additions working together, but one offseason addition – coach Jason Kidd – hasn’t been impressive so far, a veteran scout tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout. “John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence [Frank] does all the defense…. I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”
In free agency, players typically like to secure longer-term deals, but that’s not beneficial when later seasons are non-guaranteed, writes Mark Deeks at The Score. As Deeks observes, a player like Omri Casspi could be stuck in no-man’s land next summer, since the Rockets will have until August to decide whether or not to guarantee the second year of his contract.
Deeks also reports (via Twitter) that free agent forward Hakim Warrick is in China, working out for the Sichuan Blue Whales. If the audition goes well, Warrick is expected to replace former Rutgers big man Herve Lamizana, according to Deeks.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along an Italian report suggesting that Justin Holiday, Jrue Holiday‘s brother, has turned down an offer from Italy’s VL Pesaro. Holiday was in camp with the Jazz after spending last season with the Sixers, and still appears to be searching for an NBA deal.

Lamar Odom Will Only Sign With Clippers

November 18th, 2013 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 9:30am: A source close to Odom tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the veteran forward is doing well and that there’s a “90% chance” he eventually signs with the Clippers. There’s no timetable yet, but no other teams are in the mix, according to Zwerling’s source.

This report sounds similar to Friday’s, though a Saturday update suggested that nothing is expected to happen quite yet.

SUNDAY, 2:06pm: This week, we got some encouraging news when it was reported that Lamar Odom is looking sharp in workouts and could conceivably return to the hardwood this season. Both Los Angeles teams have interest in the forward, but it now appears that he’s only interested in a return to one of them. Odom has said that the Clippers are the only team he would play for, NBA executives who are not authorized to speak on the matter tell Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Odom met with coach Doc Rivers for nearly two hours on Friday and Clippers players were left with the impression that he was on the verge of signing a deal, but that apparently wasn’t the case. The troubled forward has put in a month of encouraging workouts and while he had hoped for a second-half return, he could be ready to jump back in even sooner than that. Unsurprisingly, execs say that if Odom signs with the Clippers, it’ll be for the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum.

It’s been a rough year for Odom who was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence weeks before unnamed peers alleged that he was using hard drugs. Odom has played 12 of his 14 seasons in Los Angeles between the Clippers and Lakers.

Latest On Lamar Odom, Clippers

November 16th, 2013 at 8:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:53pm: Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLA.com tweets that Doc Rivers had a “good conversation, [but] not much more than that” with Odom.

1:36pm: Lamar Odom appeared on his way to rejoining the Clippers after meeting with the team Friday, but Dan Woike of the Orange County Register hears no deal is likely to happen anytime soon (Twitter link). The league will examine Odom’s personal problems before any signing would take place, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Last night’s reports didn’t indicate that an agreement was imminent, but it doesn’t look like there’s a definitive timetable, or that either the Clippers or Odom’s camp is speeding toward a resolution.

Executives who spoke to Turner believe the 34-year-old Odom could be physically ready to play basketball again “in a few weeks.” Perhaps of greater concern is Odom’s mental state after a summer that included a DUI charge and rumors of drug use, among other tabloid headlines. Odom’s meeting yesterday with Doc Rivers and Clippers executives was more of a check-up than a contract discussion, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Prior to that, the Clippers had made no recent contact with the power forward other than to make sure he was OK amid all the allegations against his personal character. The same had been true for the Lakers, the other team that reportedly maintains interest in Odom.

Odom nonetheless demonstrated to the executives who spoke to Turner that he’s in shape, having worked out on his own for the past month. The client of Jeff Schwartz and Excel Sports Management has been telling confidants that he’d like to sign with a contender, according to Turner, which would give the Clippers an edge over the Lakers.

California Rumors: Kobe, Pierce, KG, Warriors

November 16th, 2013 at 3:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

It might be awhile before Lamar Odom is back on the court, though it sounds like he’s moving toward a reunion with the Clippers. A much bigger L.A. star is also making progress toward playing again, as we detail here:

Kobe Bryant returned to practice today with the Lakers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, though there’s still no timetable for when he’ll make it into a game for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in April.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain in regular contact with Clippers coach Doc Rivers, but at one point this summer the ex-Celtics figured they’d both be following their coach to L.A., as Pierce and Garnett tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Garnett and Pierce also expressed doubt that they would have been pleased to play in Boston without Rivers around.
Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have made strides in turning the franchise into a team that didn’t have to make a sales pitch to convince Andre Iguodala to come aboard this summer, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines. Lacob and Guber may face their stiffest test yet as they seek to build an arena in San Francisco.
We covered more Lakers rumors earlier this morning in our roundup from the Pacific Division.

Clippers Nearing Deal With Lamar Odom?

November 15th, 2013 at 10:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:38pm: A source tells Stein that a deal doesn’t appear imminent, but that he’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen at some point. Odom has put in a month of encouraging workouts, speeding up his original plan to sign in the second half of the season (Twitter links).

9:36pm: Free agent Lamar Odom met for almost two hours with Doc Rivers and Clippers front office officials today after practice, leaving Clippers players with the impression that the team will sign him soon, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The players were “shocked” to see him, and the 34-year-old looks like he’s in shape, Spears also tweets.

A report just yesterday indicated the Clippers, as well as the Lakers, maintain interest in the troubled power forward. ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne wrote then that neither team had made recent contract with Odom other than to check on his well-being, but that appears to have changed after today’s Clippers meeting. The ESPN report indicated that Odom would have to prove he’s healthy both mentally and physically before either team would sign him, and that he was eyeing a comeback in the second half of the season. That timetable may have been accelerated.

The Clippers have an open roster spot and have reportedly been considering multiple options for filling it. They’re about $2.4MM shy of their hard cap for the season, but Odom isn’t likely to merit more than a minimum-salary deal.

A source tells Spears that Odom’s presence at the Clippers facility today was indeed shocking, but added that it was “good surprise” (Twitter link). It appears Odom, who faced personal and legal troubles this summer, including a DUI charge and rumors of drug use, could be back on the right path. He returned to Los Angeles last season after a tumultuous year in Dallas in which the Mavericks told him to stay away from the team for the last several weeks of 2011/12. Odom has played 12 of his 14 seasons for one L.A. team or the other, and though the Knicks, from his native New York, reportedly had interest over the summer, Odom seems committed to staying in the City of Angels.

Pacific Notes: Jackson, Henry, Hill

November 14th, 2013 at 8:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

When asked about already losing to the Clippers, Spurs, and Grizzlies – three teams considered to be among the league’s elite, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was straightforward: “Are those three elite? Then, we’re in the discussion…We’re a very good team that has continued to develop, continued to grow…I certainly like my team, when we’re at our best” (hat tip to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle for the Twitter links).

Here are more miscellaneous tidbits to pass along out of the Pacific Division:

Xavier Henry‘s breakout performance thus far is remarkable considering that his NBA career may have been hanging in the balance only several months ago. Hoopsworld’s Yannis Koutroupis gathered the former lottery pick’s thoughts on playing for the Lakers and how he’s handled his early success this season.
Jordan Hill not only provides badly-needed toughness but has played a pivotal role in helping the Lakers win four out of their first ten games, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
Bill Dwyre, also of the L.A. Times, suggests that Matt Barnes‘ ejection from last night’s game may have provided the impetus for turning the Clippers’ defense in the right direction. Eric Patten of Clippers.com writes that the team’s brilliant second half last night was proof that strides are being made on the defensive end.

Lakers, Clippers Still Considering Lamar Odom

November 14th, 2013 at 8:07am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers and Clippers would again have interest in signing Lamar Odom if he’s able to put his personal troubles behind him, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The teams remain wary of Odom’s alleged drug use and DUI arrest this summer, and haven’t had recent contact except to inquire about his well-being, but the 34-year-old’s “positive” history with the clubs keeps him in consideration.

Odom has begun training with an eye on returning for the second half of the season, and he must prove he’s in basketball shape as well as in a healthy mental state, Shelburne and Stein write. The 6’10” forward has played all but two seasons of his 14-year career with one L.A. team or the other, and spent last season with the Clippers, who, along with the Lakers, had interest in Odom this summer until his personal problems surfaced.

The Clippers have an open roster spot, and as Shelburne and Stein report, they’re considering several options for filling it. They’re a tax team with about $2.4MM left underneath their hard cap, part of the reason why they began the season without a full complement of 15 players. The Lakers already have 15 guys, but four of them have contracts that contain no more than $100K of guaranteed salary, as our list of non-guaranteed contracts shows. Neither L.A. team would be able to sign Odom for more than the minimum salary.

Pacific Links: Nash, Malone, Rivers

November 11th, 2013 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The 2013/14 NBA season is less than two weeks old, but the early leaders in the Northwest and Southwest look about right, with the Thunder and Spurs sitting atop their respective divisions. The same can’t be said about the Pacific though, where the 5-2 Suns are the surprise leader out of the gate. Phoenix will get to enjoy its spot in first place until at least Wednesday, when the club will face a tough challenge in Portland. As we look forward to seeing how long the Suns can keep up their solid play, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Pacific….

Steve Nash was forced to exit Sunday’s game early due to back pain and is scheduled to meet with a specialist on Monday for an evaluation, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. Nash recently expressed his intent to play out the remaining two years on his current contract, but Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni is “concerned” with the health of his 39-year-old point guard, who is also still dealing with nerve issues related to last year’s broken leg.
In the past, the Kings may have replaced a coach who wasn’t on the same page as his players, but new coach Michael Malone has the support of the front office and ownership, writes Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee. If someone on the current roster is unable to coexist with Malone, it will likely be the player, rather than the coach, who is shipped out, says Contreras.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the Clippers are adjusting to their first season under head coach Doc Rivers.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Morris, Lakers

November 10th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a quick look at the Pacific Division..

The new look Clippers looked sharp in last night’s win over the Rockets, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. New starter J.J. Redick had a strong game, scoring 22 points off of 8-15 shooting, including 3-7 from beyond the arc.
In his third season, Suns forward Markieff Morris is proving the club’s scouting department right, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. In that draft, the Suns front office went with Morris, the power forward with complete-game potential, over Kenneth Faried, known for energy and rebounding.
New Los Angeles D-Fenders coach Bob MacKinnon spoke with Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside about his relationship with the Lakers and the future of the D-League. “The biggest thing is that your players know that the way things are done are the ‘Lakers Way’. We’re trying to be a mini-model of the Lakers and I think that’s attractive for players who want to achieve their dreams.“

Odds & Ends: Aldridge, Blazers, Redick, Henry

November 8th, 2013 at 11:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

LaMarcus Aldridge hasn’t told coach Terry Stotts that he wants to remain in Portland long-term, but he hasn’t said he wants to get out, either, so the coach tells Jim Rome of CBS Sports Radio that he isn’t worried about a player he believes is content playing for the Blazers. Ben Golliver of Blazer’s Edge has a transcript of those comments, as well as the coach’s remarks on the contributions of new acquisition Robin Lopez toward what Stotts perceives as a changed culture on the team. Here’s more on other new additions around the Association:

Doc Rivers arrived in L.A. this summer with J.J. Redick atop his list of targets within the Clippers‘ price range, and he convinced Redick over dinner to come to the team, finally landing the player he’d sought multiple times while with the Celtics. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.
Xavier Henry didn’t perform nearly as well in New Orleans as he is with the Lakers, and while Pelicans coach Monty Williams takes responsibility for his role in that, Henry doesn’t blame him, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Lester Hudson is headed to play in China for the third straight season, inking a deal with Xinjiang, agent Brad Ames tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Hudson’s first trip East in 2011/12 resulted in late-season NBA stints with the Cavs and Grizzlies.
The Thunder have lost plenty with the departures of James Harden and Kevin Martin the past two offseasons, but Jeff Caplan of NBA.com thinks this could be the most complete Oklahoma City team yet, thanks to the team’s youthful bench.
Steven Adams, a member of that Thunder bench, has seen more minutes than starter Kendrick Perkins this year, but Caplan passes along Perkins’ praise for the rookie, and coach Scott Brooks isn’t concerned that Perkins will pout, The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry notes.