Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Heat, Smith, Kidd, Wiggins

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Heat were picked as the clear favorite to win the 2013/14 title in this year’s GM survey, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. There were a few dissenters with the Spurs and Pacers receiving 6.9% of the vote and the Bulls, Clippers, and Thunder also getting nods. LeBron James was the overwhelming pick to win the MVP trophy and Pelicans big man Anthony Davis was pegged as the breakout player of the year. Magic guard Victor Oladipo was picked to win the Rookie of the Year award and GMs feel that he’ll be the best player out of this class five years from now. Here’s more from around the Association..

Pistons forward Josh Smith spoke to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld about his decision to leave the Hawks this summer. “It wasn’t as hard as other people saw it,” Smith said. “It was time for me to experience a different thing in my life, a new situation, new opportunity and I’m happy where I’m at.” It also didn’t hurt that Detroit gave him a four-year, $54MM deal.
David Aldridge of NBA.com sat down with new Nets head coach Jason Kidd for a Q&A. The discussion covered his learning curve and former coaches that the point guard has apologized to now that he has discovered the difficulty of the job.
Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, Jabari Parker, and Aaron Gordon are all candidates to go No. 1 overall in next June’s draft, in Kyler’s view (Twitter link). Not everyone would agree with that assessment as Wiggins has long been viewed as the top talent in the 2014 class.

Bucher On Nets, Pacers, Stephenson, Jordan, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

In his first column for Bleacher Report, Ric Bucher writes that GMs from across the league are reporting that their owners have skyhigh/unrealistic expectations for the upcoming season. Bucher spoke to several execs and asked them about their chief concern for 2013/14 and Nets GM Billy King was the only one whose biggest concern centered on basketball. The expectation level of owners and front office turnover has changed the mindset of many execs who were once seeking the formula for success but are now zeroed in on survival. More from Bucher’s column..

The Pacers are a young squad with a payroll ($71.431MM) on the cusp of the luxury-tax threshold, but one opposing GM said that, for financial reasons, they will have a hard time ever fielding a team deeper in talent than this one. Danny Granger’s $14MM contract comes off the books next season, but that savings is wiped out by Paul George’s extension kicking in. The bottom line is that locking up free-agent-to-be Lance Stephenson will require stripping the roster of its current depth. “One thing I can tell you,” the exec said. “Indy is not paying the luxury tax.”
Some are skeptical of Clippers coach Doc Rivers‘ praise for center DeAndre Jordan and his effort, but Bucher hears that it’s legit. “He’s more engaged than ever before,” a scout said of Jordan, who clashed with previous coach Vinny Del Negro. “He’s constantly talking on defense, and that’s new.” Of course, Rivers will have quite a bit of say in personnel in L.A.
Several GMs say they have an aversion to free agent center Jason Collins – not because of his sexual orientation, but over the relentless media attention it will generate. “If it were just an initial blast and you knew it would settle down after that, it would be one thing,” said one executive. “But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy to say something a little off and it could really blow up. He’s still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide it’s just not worth it.” The Nets and Pistons were reportedly among the clubs with some level of interest in the free agent big man.
One GM who was polled said the shift from commissioner David Stern to Adam Silver is his biggest worry. “I don’t know how much he thinks about the integrity of the game,” the GM said. “He’s more about selling widgets.”

Clippers Waive Brandon Davies

October 21st, 2013 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially released undrafted rookie Brandon Davies, the team announced today in a press release. Davies’ contract had included a partial guarantee worth $50K, so the team will be on the hook for that amount, unless he’s claimed on waivers.

Davies, a 21-year-old power forward, played four seasons at BYU, averaging 17.7 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 36 contests during his senior year. He was picked up by the Clips shortly after this June’s draft, playing for the club’s Summer League squad and appearing in five preseason games.

With Davies no longer on the roster, the Clips are down to 15 players, meaning they won’t necessarily have to cut anyone else before opening night. Maalik Wayns‘ knee injury will likely ensure that he remains on the roster, as we explained last week. Louis Amundson is the only other Clipper on a non-guaranteed contract.

Odds & Ends: Rivers, Stan Van Gundy, Jazz

October 17th, 2013 at 11:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Clippers coach Doc Rivers sits down with Harvey Araton of the New York Times to discuss the scrutiny that accompanied his exit from Boston and his willingness to accept the responsibility if things don’t go well in Los Angeles: “But when (the opportunity to coach the Clippers) presented itself, I thought, ‘Wow, this would be a unique situation for me…If there’s a mistake, it’s my fault. I don’t want to blame someone else. I want to blame me.”

Rivers also commented on how the free throw shooting struggles of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin has been somewhat of an achilles’ heel for the team in the past: “Blake and D. J., they missed a couple, and their whole game changed…Blake would stop driving, stop attacking, because he didn’t want to get fouled. D. J. didn’t even want to touch the ball. Then he would take all that defensive energy he had and throw it out of the game.”

Here are the rest of tonight’s miscellaneous links:

Despite the tumultuous way in which their working relationship ended in Orlando, former coach Stan Van Gundy still thinks that the Magic should retire Dwight Howard‘s number, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel (Subscribers only).
Jazz camp hopeful Lester Hudson values his opportunity to stick in the NBA after being a career journeyman since entering the league (Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune). In another Utah-related piece, John Lucas III talks about being fueled to secure his NBA future after his international and D-League experiences: “Every time I step on the court, (I think), ‘I don’t want to go back to Italy. I don’t want to go back to Spain. Don’t want to go back to China (or the) D-League…I feel like I’m at home. I just have that in the back of my head all the time, so when I step on that court I give it everything I have” (Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston answered a few questions from his readers in his newest edition of “Celtics Mailbag.”
Bucks head coach Larry Drew spoke about the importance of having a veteran like Zaza Pachulia around the team, especially with their familiarity together stemming from their history in Atlanta (Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel).

Pacific Rumors: Wayns, Bogut, Suns, Kings

October 17th, 2013 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The left knee injury sustained by Maalik Wayns may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the young guard, who had been vying for a roster spot with the Clippers. As Steve Perrin of Clips Nation explains, players on non-guaranteed, non-summer contracts who suffer an on-court injury can’t be released while they’re recovering, or else their deals will become guaranteed.

As such, Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld tweets that Wayns now looks like a lock to make L.A.’s opening night roster. Wayns’ deal was already set to become fully guaranteed if he wasn’t waived on or before December 1st, so assuming his recovery extends into December, it appears he’ll earn a full salary for 2013/14.

Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe takes an in-depth look at Andrew Bogut‘s extension talks with the Warriors, noting that it’s very hard to pin down Bogut’s value, not just in terms of annual salary, but also on the trade market. Lowe attempts to brainstorm a few trade possibilities involving Bogut, but writes that the Warriors aren’t open to deals that would include Klay Thompson as a sweetener.
Asked by Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News for a comment on the Bogut extension talks, Warriors owner Joe Lacob was fairly noncommittal, but said the team likes him “a lot,” and that he hopes Bogut remains in Golden State “for a long time.”
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek spoke to Matt Peterson of Suns.com about the tough decisions ahead for a team that needs to cut its roster down from 18 players. Phoenix is also the only NBA team currently carrying more than 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, meaning at least one of the players released before opening night will still get paid.
The Kings have one potential opening on their roster, and while the team is still weighing its options, Hamady N’Diaye has a chance to grab that spot, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “I’m not sure what [GM] Pete D’Alessandro‘s plan for that last spot is right now,” said coach Michael Malone. “But I think ‘H,’ as we call him, has done a lot to showcase his abilities as to why he should be on this team.”

Odds & Ends: Wayns, Flynn, Akognon

October 16th, 2013 at 6:19pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

According to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, Clippers guard Maalik Wayns will undergo minor knee surgery, and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks. The second-year player appeared in just 37 minutes for Los Angeles last season after being waived by the Sixers in January. His deal is non-guaranteed.
After being waived by the Grizzlies a few days ago, Josh Akognon is drawing interest from Sichuan, a club in China, according to Evan Wang and Sportando. Akognon spent a brief period of time last season with the Mavericks.
From the same source, Sichuan’s decision to target Akognon comes on the heels of former NBA lottery pick Jonny Flynn injuring himself and having to leave the club.

Western Notes: Wright, Burke, Griffin, Gasol

October 10th, 2013 at 10:58pm CST by Alex Lee

We already covered the East, now let’s check in on what is happening around the league out West tonight:

Brandan Wright sustained a small, non-displaced fracture to his left shoulder that is unlikely to require surgery, the Mavericks announced today. Wright, who re-signed with the team in July, is entering his sixth year in the league and third with the Mavs. No timetable has been set for his return.
Rookie point guard Trey Burke is concentrating on making a good impression on his opponents as the Jazz‘s preseason gets into full swing, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. Burke, who the Jazz took in June at No. 9, figures to run the point for a young but talented team in Utah.
Blake Griffin suffered a bone bruise in his left knee in a Wednesday night scrimmage while attempting to dunk, writes Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times. Griffin’s precautionary MRI showed no structural damage, reports Turner, but the All-Star forward is still likely to miss an undisclosed amount of practice and preseason time.
If Pau Gasol, more physically and mentally ready than he’s been in years, has the type of season he expects to have in Los Angeles, he believes the Lakers will want to re-sign him in the offseason, writes Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. However, Gasol is unlikely to be willing to accept a significant pay cut to stay in the purple and gold, per Medina. Gasol will make $19.3MM this year.

Western Notes: Burke, Clippers, Blazers

October 8th, 2013 at 9:36pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Western Conference.

Jazz rookie point guard Trey Burke will get the start in his first preseason game, and his coaches want him to put his struggles behind him. Burke’s starting his professional career in shooting slump that Utah can’t afford to see carry over into the regular season, writes the Salt Lake Tribune’s Aaron Falk.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes his team can be as good as any he’s ever coached, and that the group is already understanding the principles of his defensive system, writes Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner.
Now that rookie guard C.J. McCollum will be sidelined with a broken foot, it’ll be interesting to see who gets his playing time: Will Barton or Allen Crabbe, writes OregonLive.com’s Joe Freeman.

Clippers Waive Green, Farrakhan

October 8th, 2013 at 5:27pm CST by Michael Pina

The Clippers announced today that they have waived JaMychal Green and Mustapha Farrakhan, trimming their roster down to 16 players. The two combined for 11 minutes of play during Monday night’s preseason victory against the Trail Blazers.

Farrakhan has spent the past two seasons on several teams in the D-League, posting averages of 8.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.9 RPG. In 40 games with the D-League’s Austin Toros last season, Green averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG.

Farrakhan spent the 2012 preseason with the Bucks, while Green participated in the Spurs training camp.

Western Rumors: Rivers, Jordan, McNeal, Blazers

October 5th, 2013 at 3:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was an oft-repeated story this summer that Doc Rivers didn't want the Clippers to part with Eric Bledsoe as the team negotiated with the Celtics to bring Rivers to L.A. The Clippers wound up trading Bledsoe to the Suns in a separate deal, and now Rivers says he was worried that another Clipper would wind up in Boston. The coach wanted to bring Kevin Garnett with him to L.A., but not if it meant giving up DeAndre Jordan, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. There's more on Rivers and Jordan as we look at the latest from the Western Conference:

Rivers sees Jordan as a defensive player of the year candidate, as Markazi notes in the same piece. "[Jordan] is just too young and too gifted to let walk out your door, bottom line," Rivers said. "He's a game changer defensively. He can single-handedly change a game with his defense. There's five guys, and that number maybe too high, that can do that single-handedly with their size and athleticism and he's one of them. When you have one of those guys, you want to keep them."
Former Jazz shooting guard Jerel McNeal has signed with the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls in China, reports Kenya Brown of NiuBBall.com. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month that McNeal had an agreement with a Chinese team, but it was unclear whether it was with the Golden Bulls or the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.
The Trail Blazers have announced the hirings of Rob Werdann and Zendon Hamilton as assistant coaches for the Idaho Stampede. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com first reported the story (Twitter link). The Blazers control the basketball operations for the Stampede, who have a one-to-one affiliation with Portland.