California Notes: Kobe, Jackson, Thomas
Merry Christmas from Hoops Rumors! There’s plenty of NBA action set to take place today, including an intriguing matchup between the Heat and Lakers. In the preseason, this game was billed as a would-be face-off in Los Angeles between LeBron James and a recently having-returned Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, Bryant finds himself sidelined once again and won’t be playing anytime soon. This will mark the first time time that Bryant has missed a game on Christmas since 1991. Let’s take a look at a few NBA notes from within the state of California..
- Ramona Shelburne over at ESPNLosAngeles.com examines how different the Lakers are without Bryant, and not just for his on-court heroics. She points to his strong leadership and work ethic that are missed by teammates and goes on to suggest that in his absence, the club has struggled to find its identity.
- Matt Barnes was a “big advocate” of Stephen Jackson signing with the Clippers, reports Eric Patten of Clippers.com. Barnes and Jackson are good friends and have a similar hard-nosed demeanor on the court. They were teammates in Golden State for several years but haven’t found themselves playing together since the conclusion of the 2007/08 NBA season.
- Ailene Voisin from the Sacramento Bee writes that despite being the last pick in the 2011 draft, Isaiah Thomas has outperformed all the other players who have competed to be the starting point guard for the Kings, including Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, Aaron Brooks, and Greivis Vasquez. Says Thomas: “I’ve always had to prove something… I still look at getting picked last as being disrespected. Some teams passed on me twice. The Lakers had four picks and passed on me four times. The questions, all that stuff, it just motivates me.”
Lakers Links: Nash, Marshall, D’Antoni
As the Lakers prepare to host the Heat in ABC’s marquee Christmas Day matchup, let’s check in on a few items related to the Kobe Bryant-less club:
- When the Lakers were finalizing their deal for Steve Nash in the summer of 2012, GM Mitch Kupchak jokingly asked Nash if he’d make the team look bad for giving him three guaranteed years. As Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News points out, that anecdote looks awfully ominous now.
- Kendall Marshall is still adjusting to life with the Lakers, and tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he has “no hard feelings” about being traded by the Suns, even though he had no idea the move was coming. Coro also spoke to former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, who says he looks back on his time in Phoenix as one of the highlights of his career.
- While the Lakers are typically regarded as one of the NBA’s biggest spenders, the team is currently relying on minimum-salary players like Jordan Farmar and Nick Young, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.
- We heard earlier today that the Lakers reportedly received a trade offer from the Grizzlies centered around Jodie Meeks and Jerryd Bayless.
Rockets Notes: Rosas, Howard, Canaan
The Rockets are in sixth place in the Western Conference after last night’s loss to the rival Mavericks, but Houston is regaining an asset it lost to Dallas in the offseason, as we detail:
- Former Mavs GM Gersson Rosas is rejoining the Rockets front office, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He’ll serve as executive vice president of basketball operations under GM Daryl Morey. Rosas worked nine years within the Rockets organization before departing this summer for Dallas, where he spent only a few months before leaving amid confusion over his role.
- Mike D’Antoni has presided over plenty of tough breaks in his time with the Lakers, but he doesn’t think there was any more the team could have done to persuade Dwight Howard to pick L.A. over the Rockets. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports has the details.
- Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle catches up with Isaiah Canaan, whose lengthy D-League assignment finally ended with a recall to the Rockets, paving the way for his NBA debut.
Grizzlies Propose Bayless-Meeks Deal To Lakers
The Grizzlies are “clearly looking to shake up their roster,” writes Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, who hears from a Lakers source that Memphis offered Jerryd Bayless in return for Jodie Meeks. Such a trade wouldn’t work under the NBA’s salary-matching rules, which would require the Lakers to put additional outgoing salary into the deal to come closer to the $3.135MM Bayless makes this season. Still, the proposal appears to indicate changes could be on the way for the disappointing 12-15 Grizzlies.
Memphis has added James Johnson and Seth Curry in recent days to bolster an injury-depleted roster that’s enduring the long-term absences of Marc Gasol and Quincy Pondexter. It appears the Grizzlies have no interest in a rumored trade that would send Zach Randolph to the Pelicans, Bucher says, though a report yesterday indicated that Memphis might be willing to move Randolph for the right offer.
The Lakers have had their own share of injury troubles, particularly among their point guards, and adding Bayless would help them shore up that position. He’s also a free agent after this season, so he wouldn’t clog up L.A.’s cap space this summer. Still, it doesn’t sound as though the Grizzlies’ proposal has gained any traction.
Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Warriors, Bledsoe
Here’s tonight’s look at the Pacific Division as the Lakers face the Suns, the Kings take on the Pelicans, and Andre Iguodala faces his old team when his Warriors meet the Nuggets..
- Iguodala says he didn’t see the Nuggets contract offer over the summer as more lucrative than the Warriors deal because of the non-guaranteed portions, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. The small forward inked a four-year, $48MM deal with Golden State in July while Denver reportedly made him a four-year, $52MM offer and also proposed five-year scenarios.
- The Eric Bledsoe trade that almost didn’t happen changed the future of the Suns, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “It was close [to falling through],” Suns president Lon Babby said. “But Eric is someone we had long pined for here, and we saw the opportunity. When we saw that we could formulate a scenario that would work for everyone, we really felt like we had to keep pushing for it and fortunately, it all worked out.”
- The Lakers have to be strong and not rush Kobe Bryant back this season, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Pacific Notes: Young, Lakers, Suns, Kings
Tonight’s look at the Pacific Division..
- Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld wonders if Swaggy P – also known as Nick Young – has found a home with the Lakers. Although each of the Lakers’ ten players set to be free agents at season’s end realize they could very well be playing for contracts with other teams, Young is a player in particular that could find himself being offered a favorable deal to stay. While the organization has yet to discuss future plans publicly, if paired with a defensive-minded presence, Young could be seen as someone that can provide exactly the type of support the Lakers will continue to need.
- Sam Amick of USA Today looks at how the Suns went from being picked as cellar-dwellers to the NBA’s biggest surprise.
- Steve Weigand of the Sacramento Bee makes the case for a new arena in Sacramento for the Kings.
Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Jazz, Lakers
With all but six teams around the league in action today, it has been a busy day on the hardwood. Off the court news has also been in abundance. Here are a few notes:
- Prior to Al Jefferson facing his old team, the Bobcats center spoke (Twitter link) with Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune regarding his exit from the Jazz last year. Jefferson told Falk he knew the Jazz were likely going to move on from him and Hawks forward Paul Millsap. According to Jefferson he gave the Jazz “the first option” to sign him but knew with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter coming up in the Jazz organization that it would likely be time for him and Millsap to move on.
- Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News he wishes Richard Jefferson hadn’t stated his intentions for next summer when the Jazz are still “trying to be a championship-contending team” this season. Corbin said Jefferson has been a great player for the Jazz this year but wishes the forward who will be “hunting” to play for a championship team in free agency would have discussed the championship push this year’s team is trying to make.
- While we asked you guys what the Nets should do now that Brook Lopez is out for the year, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN (Insider piece) thinks the Nets should try to get a trade together with the Lakers to trade away Lopez himself. Doolittle thinks the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol‘s expiring contract in return for two years of a healthy Lopez when they will be trying to chase two final titles for recently extended Kobe Bryant. He also argues that Gasol could help the Nets continue to try to get a championship this year.
Pacific Links: Young, Marshall, Nedovic
All five Pacific Division teams are in action tonight, and the slate includes a matchup between the Lakers and the disappointing Warriors. Golden State could fall to .500 with a loss, despite preseason thoughts of challenging for the Western Conference title. Here’s the latest from the Pacific:
- The injury-hit Lakers haven’t had much to celebrate, but Nick Young is nonetheless having fun in purple-and-gold, and he tells Tracy Weissenberg of SLAM Online that the experience is better than the half-season he spent with the Clippers in 2011/12. “The Clippers got a lot of hype with all the highlights they do. Obviously, they got a better record than us right now, but Lakers is tradition,” Young said. “I grew up being a Laker fan. The city always being Lakers fans. I remember going to the Laker parades after winning championships. It’s nothing like being a Laker. It changed my view of the NBA right now, being a Laker.”
- Kendall Marshall has longstanding connections to a few Lakers, and that had him keeping a close eye on the team before he signed with L.A. this week, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “They look like they really enjoy playing together,” the former Suns lottery pick said of his new team. “Any team that plays together, you want to be a part of.”
- The Warriors have recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the D-League today, just one day after sending him down, the team announced. The rookie scored 29 points for the Santa Cruz Warriors last night, and he’ll be back with Golden State in time for tonight’s tilt with the Lakers. The Warriors are keen on one-day assignments, as I noted earlier this month.
Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Carroll, Kobe
It’s a lighter-than-usual Friday night slate in the NBA, with only nine games this evening, but it’s been plenty eventful off the court the past couple of weeks. Hoops Rumors readers have pegged Kyle Lowry as the most likely centerpiece of the next major deal, and as we wait to see whether that will be the case, here’s more from the Association:
- Richard Jefferson wouldn’t retract Thursday’s comment that he’ll have “no loyalty” as he seeks to play for a contender, but he told reporters Friday that he’d be “more than ecstatic” to remain with the Jazz, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Jefferson will be a free agent at season’s end.
- Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll was surprised that he and the Jazz couldn’t work out a way for him to return to Utah this summer, but he’s still fond of the organization, Falk observes in a separate piece.
- Kobe Bryant‘s latest injury has turned his extension into a disaster of a deal for the Lakers, who seem unlikely to have what it takes to lure LeBron James this summer, as Mark Heisler opines for Forbes.com.
- Stephen Graham has signed with the Venezuelan team Guaros de Lara, the club announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Francisco Vega of El Impulso first reported the story (on Twitter). The six-year NBA veteran was in camp this fall with the Bucks.
- The Warriors have sent Nemanja Nedovic to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the third assignment to Santa Cruz this season for the 30th overall pick this past June.
Lakers Sign Kendall Marshall
2:00pm: Marshall’s deal with the Lakers is a two-year pact, tweets Pincus. That doesn’t necessarily mean Marshall will have a multiyear stint in Los Angeles, since the contract is non-guaranteed, but it gives the team the flexibility to keep him around if he impresses.
FRIDAY, 12:58pm: The Lakers have officially signed Marshall, who inked his contract after shootaround today, says Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 9:00pm: As expected, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports the deal is non-guaranteed.
7:54pm: Marshall’s agent Jeff Austin has confirmed the signing via text message, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
7:37pm: The Lakers have agreed to sign former Suns point guard Kendall Marshall, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. This signing comes following news that Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash both expect to miss extended time for a team that was already without guards Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar.
Marshall, 22, has yet to see NBA action this season. He was acquired by the Wizards in October as part of the deal that sent Marcin Gortat to Washington, but he was promptly waived and signed on with Delaware 87ers of the D-League. Mike D’Antoni acknowledged earlier today that the club would need to sign a point guard, and the Lakers opted to take a flier on the former lottery pick out of the University of North Carolina.
In seven games for the 87ers this season, Marshall posted 19.4 PPG and 9.6 APG in 37.6 MPG. The deal figures to be non-guaranteed, as Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak suggested might be the case earlier today. The Lakers will have the option to waive Marshall’s contract before it becomes fully guaranteed, but in the meantime, his presence will help aid the ailing backcourt in Los Angeles.