Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Clarkson, Russell, World Peace

March 9th, 2016 at 10:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Clarkson said he wants to re-sign with the Lakers in restricted free agency this summer and continue to develop alongside D’Angelo Russell, confident that they can become one of the league’s best backcourts some day, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relays. The Lakers largely have control over Clarkson anyway, since he’s subject to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, as I detailed earlier this season, but his enthusiasm is an encouraging sign for the team, especially after Clarkson and Russell outplayed Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Sunday’s colossal upset of the Warriors.

“I don’t think early in the season they knew how to play with each other,” coach Byron Scott said. “They both were trying to find their way and neither one was deferring to one another. They both were just trying to figure it out. Now they’re figuring it out and having some success.”

The improved cohesion is coming as Scott has given them more time together since the All-Star break, Medina observes. See more on the Lakers:

The Lakers are prioritizing the development of Clarkson, Russell and the rest of their young players over any effort to retain their top-three protected first-round pick, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). They’re well-positioned to go into the second lottery slot, as our reverse standings show.
Metta World Peace hasn’t minded his inconsistent role this year for the Lakers and still plans to continue as an NBA player beyond the season, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times examines. World Peace is on a one-year contract. “I still want to get in the playoffs again. I want to do a couple more years,” World Peace said. “This year I didn’t play much so I kind of saved myself. I’m going to come back next year strong.”
Marcelo Huertas, also on a one-year deal, has struggled in his transition to the NBA this season, but his sterling performance against the Warriors showed value that Russell thinks has existed all along, Medina relays. “A lot of people try to give him a lot of crap. But that man is good,” Russell said. “They don’t see what we see in practice every day.”

Rockets Sign Andrew Goudelock

March 9th, 2016 at 10:36am CST by Chuck Myron

10:36am: Goudelock has signed, the team announced.

MARCH 9TH, 10:20am: The Rockets have finally received clearance from FIBA, a necessary step when players change countries, Feigen tweets. That was holding up the signing, which still hasn’t taken place.

3:28pm: The second year is a team option, tweets Feigen.

3:22pm: Goudelock’s contract is a minimum salary arrangement that covers the rest of the season and includes either a full or partial guarantee for 2016/17 that kicks in on August 1st, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter).

MARCH 2ND, 2:36pm: The Rockets and former Lakers shooting guard Andrew Goudelock have reached a contract agreement, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Goudelock has been playing for China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers, who just fell in the Chinese Basketball Association semifinals. The 27-year-old has been out of the NBA since 2013 but has a history with the Rockets organization, having played for their D-League affiliate for part of the 2012/13 season, when he won D-League MVP honors. Houston has a pair of open roster spots, so no corresponding move is necessary.

The Goudelock deal is reminiscent of Houston’s initial signing of Patrick Beverley, whom the team picked out of Russia in the middle of the season three years ago, though it would no doubt be a dream scenario for all involved if Goudelock develops the way Beverley has. In the meantime, Goudelock adds depth to a backcourt that the release of Marcus Thornton and the buyout deal with Ty Lawson have thinned. Goudelock averaged 22.1 points in 35.1 minutes per game with 41.6% 3-point shooting against relatively weak competition in China this season.

The details of the pact are unclear, but the Rockets have no more than about $900K to hand out to any one free agent this season, regardless of how much Lawson gave up in his buyout. Houston was about $524K shy of its hard cap before offloading Lawson.

L.A. Rumors: Jordan, Mbah a Moute, Durant

March 6th, 2016 at 7:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being the focus of the biggest free agent controversy in years, DeAndre Jordan tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he’s happy with how it turned out. Jordan initially committed to the Mavericks before changing his mind a few days later and signing a four-year deal to stay with the Clippers. The eighth-year center hasn’t gotten everything he asked for in free agency, but he’s content to be with a contender and in familiar territory. Jordan had hoped for a larger role in the offense and wanted a coach who would call more plays for him. But his offensive numbers are fairly similar to last season’s at 12.3 points and 6.5 shots per game.

“There is still more things that I want to do to better my game,” Jordan said. “But on certain teams, everybody has a role to help that team be successful. I know what mine is with this team. … I found my niche, I found something that I’m good at and want to be great at. But I don’t want to be labeled as [just a shot blocker and defender], I want to continue to get better all around. But for this team to be great, that’s what I’ve got to be.”

There’s more basketball news out of L.A.:

Several changes, including the addition of Luc Mbah a Moute, have helped the Clippers build a defense that ranks among the league’s best, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Mbah a Moute, who signed with L.A. in September, has sparked a remarkable turnaround after a slow start in November and December. The Clippers surrendered 97.2 points per 100 possessions in their last 15 games, the best performance in the NBA over that stretch.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers seems unlikely to pursue anyone on the buyout market, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. “Overall, guys getting bought out aren’t guys that necessarily are going to change the destiny of your franchise,” Rivers said.
Despite being among a handful of teams that can afford two maximum-salaried free agents, the Lakers are a long shot to land Kevin Durant, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Three straight losing seasons have taken some glamour away from the franchise, and Pincus said leaving a contender in Oklahoma City to play with L.A.’s young core would represent a gamble for Durant. Although, if the Lakers do get Durant, they may trade some of the youngsters to build a veteran team around him.

Pacific Notes: Brown, Kings, Curry

March 5th, 2016 at 4:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The reputation of the Kings organization has suffered another blow in the wake of a flubbed D-League move. The D-League forced the affiliate of the Kings to forfeit a game because it played Duje Dukan, who was on assignment from Sacramento, during the All-Star break, report Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports and Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (All five Twitter links here). The D-League upheld a protest that the Suns affiliate filed after losing to Sacramento’s D-League team on February 16th, a game in which Dukan took part, according to Spears. NBA players weren’t allowed to play for D-League teams from February 11th through February 16th because of the NBA All-Star break, Reichert notes. So, the Reno win became a Bakersfield win instead, as Spears points out. The Sacramento front office under GM Vlade Divac has drawn criticism for its lack of knowledge about the finer points of rules governing personnel movement, though the Kings reportedly interviewed cap expert Bobby Marks on Thursday.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers rookie small forward Anthony Brown is expected to miss at least a month due to a stress reaction in his right foot, the team announced (Twitter link). Brown, 23, was the No. 34 overall selection out of Stanford in the 2015 NBA draft. He has appeared in 29 contests for Los Angeles, including 11 starts, and is averaging 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 20.7 minutes per game. Brown’s shooting line on the season is .310/.286/.850.
Brown, prior to his injury, was struggling to adjust to the NBA on offense, which frustrated the Lakers coaching staff, though head coach Byron Scott has praised the rookie’s acumen as a defender, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. “Defensively he has a world of confidence that he can guard most people he has to guard,” Scott said. “I want that to translate on the other end as well.” For his part, Brown seems to understand why his shot selection and accuracy has vexed his coaches, Oram adds. “Obviously, as a coach you want to be able to know what you’re going to get consistently from a guy offensively as well as defensively,” Brown said. “And that’s something I’ve got to continue to work on.”
Seth Curry hasn’t seen much action for the Kings this season despite being a solid defender, an area the team is poor in, which has the combo guard mildly frustrated, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “It’s tough,” Curry said. “I think mentally the toughest part is trying to stay involved and try to keep that competitive edge. It’s pretty easy to work out and keep your skills right, but I think mentally and being in good shape is the hardest part.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Texas Notes: Miller, Ginobili, Parsons, Lawson

March 2nd, 2016 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich had no shortage of praise for new addition Andre Miller, who signed Monday with San Antonio following his buyout from the Timberwolves, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News relays. Miller is just as glad to be with the Spurs as Popovich is to have him, McDonald notes.

“He’s one of those players you look at and say, ‘Boy, I could figure out how to fit him in,’” Popovich said. “He has been such a great player for several teams, and he does the same thing (everywhere). He’s just a pro, the consummate pro.”

See more on the Spurs amid news from the Texas triangle:

Manu Ginobili is progressing much more quickly in his recovery from a testicular injury than the Spurs thought he would, Popovich said Tuesday, as Express-News scribe Melissa Rohlin chronicles. The Spurs expected Ginobili would miss at least a month when they announced that he underwent surgery February 4th, but Tony Parker hinted Tuesday that Ginobili could return next week. It’s unclear what that means for the team’s reported pursuit of fellow wing player Kevin Martin.
Chandler Parsons thinks he’s playing the best basketball of his career, and it’s clear that he’s moved past the early-season struggles he went through as he recovered from a knee injury that prematurely ended his playoff run last spring, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examines. Parsons is set to turn down his player option this summer and entertain an aggressive pitch from the Magic, as well as interest from the Rockets, Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Nuggets and possibly Thunder, but the Mavs remain the favorites for him, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reported Tuesday.
Ty Lawson‘s failure to produce for the Rockets was a product of lost confidence, people around the team told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Houston waived Lawson in a buyout deal Tuesday.

Magic To Aggressively Target Chandler Parsons

March 1st, 2016 at 8:30am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic loom as the most significant threat to the Mavericks to sign Chandler Parsons to a new contract this summer, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Parsons is a virtual lock to turn down his $16.023MM player option for next season with the salary cap moving sharply upward, and he’s expected to receive a maximum-salary contract, MacMahon writes. Sources who spoke with MacMahon anticipate an aggressive pursuit from Orlando and expect the Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Rockets and Nuggets to come after the 27-year-old, too. The Thunder, would also have interest if Kevin Durant bolts, MacMahon adds, pointing to the presence of Billy Donovan, Parsons’ college coach, in Oklahoma City.

The Mavs realize they’ll need to once more put on a recruiting effort for the versatile small forward they signed to a loaded offer sheet in 2014, but they nonetheless appear to be the favorites for him again this summer, according to MacMahon. That’s because of the loyalty he feels toward owner Mark Cuban and teammate Dirk Nowitzki, as well as the fondness Parsons has for Rick Carlisle, having advocated for the five-year extension the team gave the coach earlier this season, the ESPN scribe writes. The relationship between Parsons and Carlisle is nuanced, MacMahon explains, with Parsons wary of whether Carlisle fully trusts him on the court, but Carlisle this week referred to Parsons as “a franchise-caliber player in the making” in a message to MacMahon.

The Magic opened enough cap flexibility in trades last month to sign two players to max contracts this summer, with only about $36MM in guaranteed salary on next season’s books against a projected $90MM cap. Orlando and soon-to-be free agent Al Horford reportedly have mutual interest, and Horford went to the University of Florida, just as Parsons did.

Parsons is in his fifth season, so he’ll be eligible for the lowest of the three maximum salary tiers, likely with a starting salary approaching $21MM. The Mavs will have only his Early Bird rights this summer, though they’ll function essentially as full Bird rights would for Parsons because his projected max is within 175% of his nearly $15.362MM salary for this season. The only difference will be that the Mavs can only offer four years instead of the five that they could with full Bird rights. Dallas will still have the opportunity to give him 7.5% raises instead of the 4.5% that the Magic and others will be limited to. That would mean a difference of some $4MM over the life of a four-year deal. Still, Parsons will value comfort and on-court opportunity over money as he decides where to sign, sources familiar with his thinking tell MacMahon.

In any case, the Mavericks appear committed to doing what they can to keep Parsons. Cuban indicated as much about a month ago to MacMahon, referring to Parsons and Wesley Matthews as a “crushing tandem on the wing.”

And-Ones: Len, Brown, Cavs, Roberts

February 29th, 2016 at 11:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns interim head coach Earl Watson has no qualms about pairing up centers Alex Len and Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Watson wants to utilize Len as the team’s primary offensive target the rest of the season and foster his development, Coro continues. “Who’s playing two 7-footers any more?” Watson explained to Coro. “We have this trend of playing small ball and we know the greatest small ball team is the Warriors. We’re not going to catch them. Let’s create a new trend. Let’s let Alex Len get experience.”

In other developments around the Western Conference:

Swingman Jabari Brown, who played with the Lakers last season, is joining the team’s D-League D-Fenders after returning from China in recent days, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Brown, who appeared in 19 games with the Lakers as a rookie, was the last player cut in training camp when the club decided to keep veteran Metta World Peace.
A coaching change that’s produced only an 11-6 record so far and the inability to land Joe Johnson are among the problems that ail the Cavaliers, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Internal carping from players about their respective roles, shots and ability to mesh on the court with LeBron James has also been a factor, Aldridge hears.
Point guard Brian Roberts, whom the Trail Blazers recently acquired from the Heat, believes he’ll land an NBA job next summer when he enters the free agent market, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders reports. Roberts passed through the Heat organization via the Hornets after he was included in the three-team deal that sent Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies to Charlotte. “I feel like I’m a guy that whatever opportunities I get I’m going to make the most of it,” he told Brigham. “I’m reliable, and that’s what it comes down to in this league. If you can be dependable every night, you’ll have a job.”
Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson will be a prime target for the Mavericks in free agency, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor would make him a very good fit but he’ll be in heavy demand, Sefko notes.
The Grizzlies recalled rookie power forward Jarell Martin from the Iowa Energy, the D-League club tweets. Martin, a first-round pick, averaged 18.3 points over three games in his latest assignment there. He made his fourth appearance with Memphis on Monday night.
The Bucks recalled small forward Damien Inglis from the D-League’s Westchester Knicks, Milwaukee announced through its website. Inglis played 13 games for the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.4 minutes.

And-Ones: Durant, Harden, Most Improved, Hawks

February 28th, 2016 at 10:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant has a shot at the largest contract in league history when his free agency officially arrives this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Durant will have plenty of options to choose from, starting with the Thunder, who would love to keep him and Russell Westbrook together through the prime of their careers. The Warriors are believed to be the front-runners if Durant decides to leave Oklahoma City, and his hometown Wizards will surely be calling, along with the Lakers, who will need a star to replace Kobe Bryant. Or Durant could sign a one-year deal with OKC, maximize his earning power as a 10-year veteran and put off the larger decision until 2017. “Everybody’s going to ask me, so of course I’m going to have to think about it now,” Durant said. “To tell you one thing, it’s great to feel wanted, I guess.”

There’s more news from around the world of basketball:

James Harden says he feels unfairly targeted for the bad situation in Houston, Washburn writes in the same piece, particularly the rumored rifts with Rockets center Dwight Howard and former coach Kevin McHale. “All the time,” Harden said when asked if he feels he’s being singled out over team disunity, “but I don’t really pay attention to it. I can’t focus on negativity because that drains you. I focus on what I can do, what I can control, and go out there and just compete at a high level.”
The Blazers‘ C.J. McCollum is almost certain to win this season’s Most Improved Player award, according to Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders. McCollum, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension this summer, has become a full-time starter and has raised his scoring average from 6.8 points a game last year to 21.1 points this season. Saar’s other candidates for the award are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder and the Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry.
The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares and guard/forward Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has averaged 10.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in 14 D-League games, while Patterson’s averages are 15.6 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds in seven games with Austin.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, whom the Pelicans cut in training camp, will be rejoining the D-League’s Texas Legends, who are the affiliate of the Mavericks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

L.A. Rumors: Bryant, Paul, Griffin, Rivers

February 28th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Byron Scott’s new motion offense is the latest sign that the Lakers are ready to move past the Kobe Bryant era, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Scott drilled the team this week on the new philosophy, which maximizes the talents of guards D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson and represents a departure from the isolation game that Bryant favors. Bryant announced months ago that he will retire after this season, opening up $25MM in cap room, and the Lakers appear ready to turn the team over to their younger players. “It’s something that I think will help us in the long run,” Scott said. “I was going to wait until next year to do it, but then I said, ‘Why wait?’” However, Scott may not be around next season, as the front office is reportedly divided over whether to let him keep his job past April.

There’s more news from Los Angeles:

The Lakers still haven’t recovered from the blocked trade for Chris Paul in 2011, contends Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. The three-team deal with New Orleans and Houston would have seen L.A. ship out Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Then-commissioner David Stern stopped it, citing “basketball reasons,” as the league was running the New Orleans franchise due to the financial distress of its former owner.
Bryant said he feels like he needs to play every game to satisfy fans who paid to see his retirement tour, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “I always feel terrible when I can’t get out there and play,” he said. “I feel disappointment for the fans when I can’t. If I feel like I can try and give it a go, I think the fans deserve that effort from me.”
Clippers star Blake Griffin has been shooting for about a week, but his return still seems far off, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Coach Doc Rivers confirmed Griffin’s activity, but didn’t suggest a date when he might play again. Griffin, who will have a four-game suspension to serve once he returns from his broken hand, hasn’t played since December 25th.
Austin Rivers, who was expected to be out of action four to six weeks after breaking his left hand February 5th, hopes to be ready for Wednesday’s game, Woike tweets.

Lakers Mull Early End To Season For Larry Nance Jr.

February 23rd, 2016 at 7:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are thinking about having Larry Nance Jr. miss the rest of the season to allow soreness in his surgically repaired right knee to heal, coach Byron Scott said, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The plan for now is to evaluate the knee and see whether he can play in the team’s next game Wednesday, Holmes writes, noting that the Lakers took him out of Monday’s game for what Nance described as precautionary reasons. He’s missed nine of the last 12 games because of the knee.

It’s too late in the season for the Lakers to apply for a disabled player exception, which the team could otherwise receive if Nance had a season-ending injury. The 23-year-old is the only Laker dealing with a serious ailment for now, so a hardship exception for a 16th roster spot, a provision the NBA granted an injury-racked Lakers team late last season, isn’t in play.

The Lakers are in position to worry far more about lottery position and retaining their top-three protected first-round pick than the playoffs, so the greater concern would appear to center on Nance’s long-term health. He tore the ACL in his right knee during the 2013/14 season when he was a junior at the University of Wyoming but recovered well enough to play 31 games as a senior and become the 27th overall pick this past June. The power forward plays a highly athletic style, so any serious knee issue is liable to compromise that. He started 22 games this season before knee trouble flared up last month.