Western Notes: Mavs, D-League, Iguodala
Mark Cuban was in the news today for his thoughts on the possibility of the NBA raising the age requirement for players entering the league. Cuban took it further, and believes that if the minimum age isn’t raised then the NBA D-League should work to convince players to play there instead of a single college season, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban stated, “I think what will end up happening — and this is my opinion, not that of the league — is if the colleges don’t change from the one-and-done, we’ll go after the one. The NCAA rules are so hypocritical, there’s absolutely no reason for a kid to go [to college], because he’s not going to class [and] he’s actually not even able to take advantage of all the fun because the first semester he starts playing basketball. So if the goal is just to graduate to the NBA or be an NBA player, go to the D-League.”
More from out west:
- Some of the more interesting trade scenarios are the ones that didn’t happen. This past offseason the Rockets tried to pry Dirk Nowitzki away the Mavs, writes Royce Young of CBS Sports.com. According to the article, Rockets GM Daryl Morey was nervous that the Warriors addition of Andre Iguodala would sway Dwight Howard to sign with Golden State. In response, Morey contacted Cuban to inquire on Dirk’s availability, which Cuban had taken as a taunt about the Mavs missing out on Howard, writes Young.
- Speaking of the Iguodala signing, Andy Larsen of SaltCityHoops.com details the role that the Jazz played in the Warriors inking the player this past summer.
- The Mavericks have sent Jae Crowder and Shane Larkin back to the D-League, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Both are expected to be in the Texas Legends lineup this evening.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes about the role reversal for the city’s two teams, the Clippers and the Lakers, in regards to free agent appeal.
Western Notes: Nash, Lawson, Mavs, Smith
Steve Nash worked hard to return to the court this season and eliminate the Lakers‘ ability to use the stretch provision, he reveals in a video at Grantland. Nash dispels the notion that he would consider joining the Clippers if the Lakers were to release him, saying, “It’s either back with the Lakers next year or this is it.” (Transcription via Bill Oram of Orange County Register on Twitter.) Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told Dan Barreiro of KFAN 100.3 that he’s confident coach Rick Adelman will complete this season with Minnesota (as transcribed by Andy Greder of St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter). Adelman contemplated leaving the Timberwolves prior to the season due to concerns over his wife’s health, and has spent time away from the team this year tending to her issues.
- The Nuggets aren’t planning to shut down point guard Ty Lawson for the season, coach Brian Shaw tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “Going forward, we’re pretty much out of the mix in terms of the playoffs, being realistic at this point. But you still want to see combinations of guys working together,” says Shaw. “Our young guys get a chance to have the focus a little more on them and play in combination with Ty, looking forward to the rest of the season and what possibly lies ahead for next season as well.” Lawson has battled multiple injuries this year, and is currently missing time due to a fractured rib while the Nuggets slide further out of contention.
- The Mavs have recalled Jae Crowder, Bernard James, and Shane Larkin from their D-League affiliate, while reassigning Ricky Ledo to the Texas Legends, reports Adam Wermuth of Mavs.com. This was the reversal of a one-game assignment/recall of the same players the Mavs made yesterday.
- Rockets center Greg Smith is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear, reports Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. A lengthy recovery could put the rest of his regular season in jeopardy. The second-year big man played in 70 games for the Rockets last year, but injuries and Houston’s acquisition of Dwight Howard have limited Smith’s role this season.
Los Angeles Notes: Marshall, Kupchak, Clippers
Aside from Danny Granger‘s official signing with the Clippers earlier today, a lot more is happening in Southern California. Here are some notes from L.A.:
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com says that the Clippers trade deadline was a success, although it appeared to have fizzled out at the time. After merely subtracting Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens from the roster during deadline week, the Clippers actually made room for buyout additions Glen Davis and Granger without giving up significant players or hiking up their team salary.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey was asked at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference who the best negotiator in the league is, and immediately named Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com (via Twitter).
- Kendall Marshall uses the criticism and disregard he’s received from media and teams as motivation to improve, he tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News: “I made a list of things in my phone and things that drive me that people said I couldn’t do. I recite those things to me every single day.” Marshall has already surpassed his totals from last season for games started, minutes, points, and assists in just 22 contests with the Lakers this year. The Suns traded him before the season to the Wizards as part of the Marcin Gortat deal. Washington promptly released him, making Marshall the rare early first-rounder who doesn’t make it to the second year of his initial rookie contract. “Part of it came with hitting rock-bottom and being out of the league. You can’t go anywhere but up from here. They already think you can’t shoot. So you’re either going to solidify what they think or you’re going to surprise them.”
Danny Granger Signs With Clippers
The Clippers have officially announced their signing of Danny Granger, who cleared waivers today after he agreed to a buyout with the Sixers on Wednesday. The former All-S
tar and five-time Pacers scoring leader is perhaps the most significant coup on the buyout market, and he strengthens a Clippers team already in championship contention. He joins Glen Davis as another key acquisition for the Clippers in the wake of the trade deadline, bringing the team’s roster to 14 players, which leaves room for one more.
Granger had also been considering the Bulls, Spurs, Heat, and Rockets, and the Mavs had been expected to make a run at him, too. He was traded to the Sixers from the Pacers at the trade deadline after spending the first eight-plus years of his career in Indiana, but was subsequently waived after negotiating a buyout. Terms and length of the potential deal being discussed are not yet known. Aaron Mintz of the Creative Artists Agency represents Granger, as our Agency Database shows.
The Clippers had the edge over the other teams, since they are able to offer the most playing time, perhaps making him a starter at small forward. Granger also has an offseason home in Los Angeles. He wanted to play for a contender, and with the Clippers’ record of 40-20, four games back of the Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference, they definitely fit that description.
The ninth-year veteran has struggled to regain his form after missing all but five games last season. Granger played in 29 games for the Pacers before being traded to the Sixers, and averaged 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 22.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any action for the Sixers, and last saw the court on February 19th, when he scored two points in 18 minutes versus the Timberwolves.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star originally reported that Granger had chosen to sign with the Clippers.
Bobcats, Ben Gordon Talk Buyout
3:36pm: The Thunder have interest in Gordon, who continues to pursue a buyout with Charlotte, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Unlike other clubs thinking of signing him, Oklahoma City is open to giving him a deal that would allow him to become a free agent this summer, Shelburne adds (Twitter links).
FRIDAY, 10:23am: The Bulls are not expected to have interest in Gordon unless they miss out on Jimmer Fredette, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. Fredette is reportedly “strongly leaning” toward Chicago.
FEBRUARY 27TH: Buyout discussions continue between Charlotte and Gordon’s representatives, but the Raymond Brothers client doesn’t want to hook up with any team that wouldn’t allow him to hit free agency this summer, as he’s currently scheduled to do. The Bulls, Clippers and Rockets are apparently dangling two-year offers (Twitter links).
FEBRUARY 21ST: 5:40pm: Gordon and the Bobcats are close to completing an agreement on a buyout, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
1:38pm: The Bobcats and Ben Gordon are in negotiations about a buyout of his bloated expiring deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Gordon is making $13.2MM in the final season of a five-year, $58MM contract. He was rumored to have been a part of discussions about the trade Charlotte made with the Bucks yesterday, but the 30-year-old shooting guard remains a Bobcat.
Gordon has seen action in just 18 games for the Bobcats this season, averaging 5.3 points in 14.4 minutes per contest. The career 40.2% three-point shooter has made a career-low 28.6% of his long-range attempts this year. Gordon has been in trade rumors since clashing with former coach Mike Dunlap last season.
The 10th-year veteran came to Charlotte from the Pistons in the summer of 2012 as part of a deal for Corey Maggette and a first-round pick that could become a lottery selection for the Bobcats this year. Buyout chatter has emerged surrounding Charlie Villanueva as well, meaning both key figures from Detroit’s 2009 spending spree may wind up ending their deals early.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Clippers, Granger, White
After years of futility and being seen as a less than desirable location to play, the Clippers have officially become a draw for players, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. With the recent signing of Glen Davis and the team possibly inking Danny Granger, it definitely is a departure from the past. The fact that a veteran player in pursuit of a championship ring would consider signing a minimum deal to join the Clippers over teams like the Spurs and the Heat is yet another example of how far the Clippers have come as both contenders on the court and in the minds of players as a destination franchise, opines Markazi. Doc Rivers, weighing in on the matter, said, “I don’t know if we’re going to make it THE destination, but we want it to be one of them. That’s our goal. Bringing in Big Baby when he could have gone to a lot of other places was a good thing. Darren Collison could have gone to a lot of other places and came here. At the end of the day we just have to keep being a good basketball team and the rest of the stuff will follow. I think the key to this is showing that we have a shot and we’re a good team. Players follow that. They’ll go anywhere for that.”
More from the west:
- Speaking of Granger, he is expected to make a decision on Friday, and the Clippers are his likely destination, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- In a video for the Journal Times, Gery Woelfel says the Jazz were considering Nate Wolters for the 21st overall pick last summer. Wolters wound up going 38th overall and has been a mainstay for the Bucks this season.
- The Kings have been entertaining the idea of signing Royce White to a 10-day contract. Tom Ziller of SB Nation details the reasons why this pairing could work out, and also looks at some possibilities for why the Sixers traded for him this past summer.
- Rockets center Greg Smith is going to have surgery on his knee, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. It is unknown if and when he will return to the court this season.
- A scout claims the Timberwolves tried to trade J.J. Barea at the deadline because team executives want Ricky Rubio finishing games, writes Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). The scout also weighs in on why he thinks Rubio is overrated as a player.
Buyout Rumors: Bulls, Granger, Butler
The Bulls don’t believe adding a 13th guaranteed contract at this point will push the team into the luxury tax, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. I examined last month how the team’s proximity to the tax could affect its roster, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports did the same, noting how a bonus for Taj Gibson could push the team over the tax line. Deeks tweeted recently that the Bulls couldn’t sign anyone for the rest of the season until April 3rd, but judging from reports linking them to Jimmer Fredette, Danny Granger and Caron Butler, it appears they don’t have to wait that long. Here’s more on a bustling post-deadline market:
- Granger is having phone conversations today with the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Clippers and Bulls, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Those are the teams that TNT’s David Aldridge identified Wednesday as Granger’s preferred destinations.
- Deeks clarifies that the Bulls can sign two players for the rest of the season today and stay out of the tax if they’re confident Gibson won’t make an All-Defensive Team and trigger the bonus clause in his contract. If they wanted to play it safe in case Gibson does earn such an honor, they’d have to wait until April 3rd to hand out any contract for the rest of the season (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- The Bulls‘ best shot at landing a significant target is with Fredette, McGraw tweets.
- The Rockets are also interested in Butler, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who hears the Raymond Brothers client could make his decision on a new team today. The Heat and Thunder appear to be the favorites to land him.
- The Bulls don’t have interest in newly minted free agent Metta World Peace, and they wouldn’t pursue Ben Gordon, either, if he buys his way off the Bobcats, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
- The Thunder were linked to Granger last week, but they haven’t been since, and the end of their pursuit has led many in the NBA to believe they’re confident about their chance to land Butler, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- The contract that Glen Davis signed with the Clippers is a two-year deal for the minimum salary with a player option for next season, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Davis joined the Clippers after securing a buyout from the Magic.
Western Notes: Brooks, Nuggets, Granger
After a long, frustrating stretch to begin the season, Donatas Motiejunas is happy to be getting extended playing time for the first time, he tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. In his second NBA season, Motiejunas has continued to work and prove that he belongs: “It’s much harder when you get no attention when you’re working day-by-day really hard. That was happening for the most part of the season, almost half of the season. Right now, I get my chance. Whatever it takes, I try not to blow it away.” Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Aaron Brooks told Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com that he declined the deal that sent him to the Nuggets last week before changing his mind and waiving his no-trade clause: “I have a lot of family and friends in Houston. I was there almost five years total in my career. The connection I have with them was real close. It’s funny because I actually declined (the trade) at first and then went back and thought about it and OK’d it. Denver’s an up-and-coming team. They have talent and I thought it was a good opportunity.”
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post thinks the Nuggets made the right choice in keeping their roster mostly intact through last week’s trade deadline. Dempsey doesn’t think the team that has been ravaged by injuries could improve much through trades this season, and was wise to take more time to evaluate its young players through the summer and hope to add a difference maker with a lottery pick in the draft.
- Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reiterated that the Clippers and Spurs are the top suitors for Danny Granger following his buyout. Stein and Shelburne say the Clippers have the edge, since they can offer more playing time to Granger. The report also notes that Granger has an offseason home in Los Angeles.
- Shelburne also says that the Clippers are not a lock since Granger wants to keep the process open, although Granger’s representatives were present at the Clippers/Rockets game to meet with Los Angeles officials (Twitter links). Shelburne adds that the Rockets’ push to sign Granger could have something to do with his representatives’ presence.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers said that he would take part in recruiting Granger, per a tweet from Arash Markazi of ESPN LA.
Sixers Reach Buyout Deal With Danny Granger
10:38pm: Granger’s representatives were present at the Clippers/Rockets game to meet with Los Angeles officials, per Shelburne (Twitter link). Shelburne adds that the Rockets’ push to sign Granger could have something to do with the appearance.
5:05pm: Stein and ESPN.com colleague Ramona Shelburne suggest in their full story that the Clippers are the favorites, and add that Granger is seeking a championship contender as well as playing time.
4:09pm: The Sixers and Danny Granger have reached agreement on a buyout, the team has announced, and Philadelphia has placed the 30-year-old on waivers. David Aldridge of NBA.com first reported the news. The Clippers have emerged as front runners for Granger, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Aldridge names the Clippers, Rockets, Bulls, Heat and Spurs as Granger’s preferred destinations, reiterating his report from earlier today. Marc Stein of ESPN.com casts it as a battle between the Clippers and the Spurs (Twitter link).
“Given Danny’s future goals and his desire to pursue them, we worked to fulfill his requests and have come to a resolution that we feel is mutually beneficial to both Danny and our organization,” Sixers GM Sam Hinkie said in a statement. “We wish Danny the best in the next phase of his career.”
The Pacers traded Granger to the Sixers at the deadline, but Granger was upset upon hearing the news. The Sixers hesitated as they pondered retaining the former All-Star for a possible sign-and-trade in the summer, but they wound up acquiescing to his desires. It’s not clear how much money Granger is forfeiting from his more than $14MM salary.
The Creative Artists Agency client figures to be the prize of the buyout market, even though one GM told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that he thinks the ninth-year veteran is “done” after injuries that have plagued him the last two seasons. Chris Mannix of SI.com reiterates Stein’s report that the Spurs and Clippers are the front runners, having heard that from executives with other clubs (Twitter link).
Sixers, Granger Nearing Buyout
10:12am: There isn’t quite as much interest in Granger as other reports have suggested, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who hears from one GM who says that he has no interest at all and that Granger is “done” (Twitter link). Still, I’d be surprised if Granger doesn’t receive multiple attractive offers once a buyout is done.
WEDNESDAY, 7:59am: The buyout should be done today, TNT’s David Aldridge hears, identifying the Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Rockets and Spurs as teams in the hunt for the 30-year-old (Twitter link).
10:55pm: It’s also being said that Granger is weighing all of his options right now, including staying with Philadelphia for the remainder of the season, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. However, if Granger should complete a buyout soon enough, Stein tweets that the Spurs and Clippers will be in a two-team race for his services.
TUESDAY, 4:35pm: Granger appears to be limiting his interest to realistic title contenders, rather than mere playoff teams, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
MONDAY, 6:30pm: Coach Brett Brown told reporters, including Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter), that the club might have an announcement regarding Granger in the next 24 hours. There’s no nameplate on Granger’s locker and he won’t be in action for tonight’s game against the Bucks.
SATURDAY, 12:06pm: League sources tell Charania that Granger would likely choose between the Heat, Clippers, Bulls, Spurs, and Mavs as a free agent should the buyout happen (Twitter link).
11:55am: In initial discussions regarding a buyout for recently acquired Danny Granger, the Sixers have been cooperative with the shooting guard, a league source tells RealGM.com’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
Despite reports that Granger was unhappy with being traded and immediately wanted a buyout, it appears there is no animosity between him and the Sixers organization. Earlier in the day, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Granger was undergoing a team physical, but adds that the physical does not mean that the former All-Star isn’t interested in a buyout (Twitter links).
Granger was traded to the Sixers from the Pacers at the trade deadline after spending the first eight-plus years of his career in Indiana. A knee injury has limited Granger’s athleticism and impact over the last two seasons, when he has been moved to the bench and averaged under 23 minutes and 10 points per game for the first time since his rookie season.