Western Notes: Carter, Harper, Lee
Swingman Vince Carter appreciates the freedom the Grizzlies have allowed him to express himself on the court and off, which is a big reason why he decided to sign with the team in 2014, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. When asked what he looks for in an organization, Carter told Aldridge, “Like anything else, you just have to do your research. There’s a lot of guys in the league that I’ve played with that are now either young coaches or whatever. So you just have to do your research. We played year to year now. You see what’s going on. Now, I look for what fits right with my style. That’s kind of how I approach it. I think everybody’s approach is different, of course. For me, it’s just who will allow me to be me. I like to help the young guys do that. So I bring that to the table, and that’s what Coach has allowed me to do here, while still playing. One thing that I’ll never do is overstep my boundaries. I’m not trying to be the coach, be the voice. I’m just trying to make the game easier. As a player, you hear what the coaches say, but sometimes, when another teammate delivers it, it’s a little different. It makes sense, or hits home.”
Here’s more from out west:
- The 39-year-old’s contract is partially guaranteed for 2016/17, the final one in his current deal, and despite his love for helping younger players develop, Carter doesn’t envision himself making the jump to the coaching ranks when his playing career is over, Aldridge adds in the same piece. “I think I’d rather do some broadcasting, to be honest with you,” Carter said. “I think that’s where my passion lies. I enjoy coaching. I enjoying Coach allowing me to coach, or [offer] words of wisdom. I don’t know if it’s coaching. Just helping, being another coach on the floor, or just off the bench, or anything. Sometimes it’s easy to translate and relay the message he’s trying to portray, or make. So I think I enjoy that part of it. But I think I want to do some broadcasting.“
- David Lee signed with the Mavericks after agreeing to a buyout with Boston because he believed they were the best fit for him, a move that has paid off for both him and the team thus far, Adi Joseph of The Sporting News writes. “I saw the possibilities on paper, thought it’d be a great fit on both sides. But you know, you’ve just got to make it [happen],” Lee told Joseph. “It’s still, until you go out there and play, you never know how you’re going to feel with the guys and how things are going to work. But I think it’s been a tremendous fit here, and I’m just excited — excited to be here and excited to give it everything I have for them this year.”
- Justin Harper has rejoined the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate after the Pistons elected not to ink him for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day contract with the team expired, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets.
Grizzlies Sign Xavier Munford To 10-Day Pact
WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
TUESDAY, 6:18pm: The Grizzlies intend to sign point guard Xavier Munford to a 10-day deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Memphis applied for an extra roster spot via the hardship provision, which will presumably be approved by the league, according to Charania. The Grizzlies currently have 17 players on their roster, which is already two over the regular season maximum.
Memphis currently has nine players who are dealing with some sort of ailment, according to CBSSports.com, ranging from minor issues that could allow four of them to play in the team’s next game Wednesday against the Timberwolves to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending broken foot. The Grizzlies have already used 25 players through a combination of trades, signings and attrition this season. That’s significantly more than any other team, including the banged-up Pelicans, whom the league has also allowed to exceed the 15-man roster ship via hardship, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down earlier today.
Munford will join the team out of the D-League where he has appeared in 40 games for the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ affiliate. The 23-year-old is averaging 20.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists to accompany a shooting line of .490/.415/.817.
Grizzlies Near Record, Thanks To Injuries
The injury problem facing the Grizzlies is so profound that the NBA has allowed the team to carry 17 players, two more than the standard regular season limit. Nine players are dealing with some sort of ailment, according to CBSSports.com, ranging from minor issues that could allow four of them to play in the team’s next game Wednesday against the Timberwolves to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending broken foot.
Still, Memphis is in fifth place in the Western Conference and seven games up on the ninth place Jazz, meaning the Grizzlies are closing in on a remarkable distinction. They’re poised to become the first team in NBA history to make the playoffs in a season in which two dozen or more players appeared in a game, according to Grizzlies spokesperson Ross Wooden (Twitter link). Memphis has used 25 guys through a combination of trades, signings and attrition. That’s significantly more than any other team, including the banged-up Pelicans, whom the league has also allowed to exceed the 15-man roster via hardship. Only the Suns, with 22 players, come close.
Here’s a look at the number of players who’ve played in a game for each team this season, in descending order of volume from the Grizzlies on down. Note that it doesn’t correspond with the number of players who’ve appeared on each team’s roster, since some haven’t made it into games.
- Grizzlies, 25
- Suns, 22
- Nuggets, 19
- Wizards, 19
- Clippers, 18
- Heat, 18
- Pelicans, 18
- Rockets, 18
- Sixers, 18
- Cavaliers, 17
- Hawks, 17
- Hornets, 17
- Jazz, 17
- Magic, 17
- Pistons, 17
- Spurs, 17
- Bucks, 16
- Bulls, 16
- Knicks, 16
- Mavericks, 16
- Nets, 16
- Raptors, 16
- Thunder, 16
- Timberwolves, 16
- Trail Blazers, 16
- Warriors, 16
- Celtics, 15
- Lakers, 15
- Pacers, 15
- Kings, 14
Pacific Notes: Jones, Russell, Chalmers, Grizzlies
Tyus Jones has already played in more games since the All-Star break than he played before it, as the Timberwolves have decided it’s time to let last year’s 24th overall pick learn on the court. Ricky Rubio, a subject of deadline trade talk whom Jones is trying to eventually replace as Minnesota’s starting point guard, sees “great things” ahead for the rookie, observes Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune.
“He can really score the ball. I think he’s learning how to control, and play in this league,” Rubio said. “It’s not like college. He’s learning how to play and he’s not afraid. That’s one of the main things you ask of a rookie. Don’t be afraid.”
See more from the Western Conference:
- Much consternation has surrounded the limited playing time Lakers coach Byron Scott has given No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell this season, but the combo guard is seeing 31.4 minutes per game since the All-Star break compared to 27.1 minutes per game before it, and he’s upbeat about the future, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “It’s all about the opportunity,” Russell said. “Everybody has a different route toward reaching their potential. Some people bloom early and some people bloom late. If I’m a late bloomer and I’m around this league for a long time, I would prefer that.”
- Mario Chalmers was popular within the Grizzlies organization, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who believes his early-season acquisition was a plus for the team, writes in his Pick-and-Pop column. Chalmers cleared waivers after tearing his Achilles tendon last week.
- The Grizzlies have filled gaps in their roster with such wizened veterans as Gilbert Arenas, Jason Williams and Keyon Dooling in past years, so the recent signings of Ray McCallum, Alex Stepheson and Briante Weber represent a shrewd pivot toward finding stopgaps with potential future value, Herrington argues in the same piece.
Western Notes: Wolves Sale, Martin, Walton, Noah
A dispute in the Grizzlies‘ ownership group may prevent a planned sale of the Timberwolves, as Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com examine. Steve Kaplan was set to sell off his share of the Memphis franchise and purchase 30% of the Wolves, with an opportunity to become Minnesota’s controlling owner. However, Kaplan and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera have been embroiled in a months-long dispute, as Windhorst and Lowe detail, advancing earlier reports. Their disagreement was recently settled through a confidential agreement when Kaplan threatened arbitration, but the delay has imperiled Kaplan’s deal with Wolves owner Glen Taylor, Windhorst and Lowe write.
Windhorst and Lowe also cite unidentified sources who say Pera has become “distant” from the Grizzlies and has prevented minority owners in having a say in important decisions. Kaplan fears that once word spreads about these practices, it will be difficult for him to sell his 14% share of the team. Sources tell the ESPN scribes that he has been asking for $100MM, while estimating the Grizzlies’ value at about $700MM. Windhorst and Lowe also mention sources close to Taylor who claim he is reconsidering his desire to sell, given the complications in Memphis and the Wolves’ stockpile of talented young players.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Wolves elected to stretch Kevin Martin‘s contract over the next three seasons when he agreed to a buyout, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Martin’s cap hit for Minnesota will be $1,229,584 next year and $1,229,583 in each of the following two seasons.
- Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post believes Luke Walton is the favorite to take over as head coach of the Lakers if Byron Scott gets fired this summer. Bontemps cautions that L.A. isn’t certain to dismiss Scott, whose salary is guaranteed for next season, but Walton’s history with the franchise and success as an assistant with the Warriors make him a natural successor. In assessing the Lakers’ future, Bontemps said they need to establish a new identity with the retirement of Kobe Bryant and re-emerge as a force in the free agent market.
- Joakim Noah is a realistic option for the Mavericks in free agency this offseason, and although he would provide Dallas with an upgrade at the center spot, he wouldn’t give the team the personnel to compete with the top frontcourts in the league, opines Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Wade, Chalmers, Green, Hawks
Mario Chalmers is getting help from a former Heat teammate as he begins the long recovery process from a ruptured right Achilles tendon, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Chalmers suffered the injury, which will keep him out for the rest of the season, during Wednesday’s game. Upon hearing the news, Dwyane Wade called Chalmers and contacted Dallas’ Wesley Matthews, who went through the same thing a year ago. Wade and Chalmers had spent more than seven seasons together in Miami before Chalmers was shipped to Memphis in a November 10th deal.
To create a roster opening to add another player, the injury-depleted Grizzlies decided to waive Chalmers. He will be a free agent this summer, but the move means Memphis will no longer own his Bird rights. “When a team makes a decision, it’s fine to everybody.” Wade said. “But when a player makes a decision, everybody goes crazy. So I guess it’s the business decision they were supposed to make. I don’t know their business and what they had to deal with, so I can’t comment on it.”
There’s more news about the Heat and the Southeast Division:
- Gerald Green had a missed opportunity in Saturday’s loss to the Raptors, Winderman writes in a separate piece. The 30-year-old swingman, who will be a free agent this summer, shot just 1 of 9 from the field in nearly 22 minutes of playing time. The extended minutes came with Wade sitting out, and Winderman says Green won’t have many more chances like that this season, especially if Tyler Johnson can return from a shoulder injury.
- Wade’s asking price this summer will go a long way in determining whether the Heat can afford to re-sign center Hassan Whiteside, Winderman adds in the same story.
- The Hawks‘ Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson should prepare for extended stays in the D-League, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Coach Mike Budenholzer called their latest assignments “long term,” as he plans to finish the season with a 10-man rotation. Tavares has made 10 trips to the D-League this season, while Patterson has gone five times. “I think it’s going to be good for them to play multiple games and practice and be more settled,” Budenholzer said. “I don’t know exactly how long it will be, but to say it’s a long-term outlook is fair.”
Southwest Notes: Matthews, Gordon, Stephenson
The Mavericks are not worried about the long-term value of Wesley Matthews‘ four-year, $70MM deal and owner Mark Cuban revealed that the shooting guard received interest on the trade market prior to the deadline, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com passes along (ESPN Now link). Cuban added that the team was not looking to trade Matthews.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- It’s unlikely that the Pelicans will go to great lengths to re-sign Eric Gordon in free agency this summer, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid examines Gordon’s five years with New Orleans and believes it would be best for both parties if the shooting guard signed elsewhere.
- New additions Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston are giving the Grizzlies a new dimension as the team embraces the stretch run toward the playoffs, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. Stephenson has averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game since arriving in Memphis. Hairston is scoring 7.4 points and 0.5 steals in 22.9 minutes per game since coming to town.
Grizzlies Sign Ray McCallum To 10-Day Deal
2:29pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. It will be a 10-day pact for McCallum, per the official announcement.
SATURDAY, 11:29am: The signing is expected to be announced today, Charania tweets. It’s unclear if it will be a 10-day arrangement or cover the remainder of the season.
THURSDAY, 9:09pm: Free agent point guard Ray McCallum is en route to Memphis to meet with the Grizzlies and the team is likely to sign him, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports. The Grizzlies currently have 15 players on their roster, provided Briante Weber was indeed signed to a 10-day deal. Weber’s signing took place Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though Memphis has made no official announcement regarding the move.
It is unclear if Memphis has been granted a hardship exception by the league that would allow them to add a 16th player, which McCallum would be if the Weber signing is indeed official. The move to add McCallum is in response to Mario Chalmers being lost for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The team waived Chalmers earlier today in an effort to clear roster space. Marc Gasol is also done for the season, while Jordan Adams, Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are all out for indefinite periods with maladies of some kind.
McCallum has had contract discussions with the Knicks and the Rockets since the Spurs waived him last month, Charania notes. McCallum is eligible to appear in the playoffs for the Grizzlies since he was released on February 29th, one day before the cutoff for postseason eligibility, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. The 24-year-old has appeared in 31 games this season and is averaging 2.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes per outing.
Grizzlies Sign Alex Stepheson To 10-Day Deal
2:28pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
11:48am: The Grizzlies intend to sign power forward Alex Stepheson to a 10-Day contract today, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team will add the big man via hardship exception, Charania notes. Memphis also plans on inking point guard Ray McCallum today, which would give the Grizzlies a roster count of 17 players. The plan to add the two likely means the NBA has granted, or will grant, two extra roster spots to the team.
There should be no issue with the Grizzlies securing the extra slots given the plague of maladies that has befallen the team’s roster. In addition to Mike Conley being lost for approximately a month due to Achilles woes, the team is already without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year, and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a serious shoulder issue, Zach Randolph has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury of his own. Vince Carter left Friday’s win against the Pelicans with a left calf strain and is questionable for tonight’s game.
Stepheson, 28, just completed his second 10-day contract with the Clippers, who apparently declined to sign him for the remainder of the season. He made four appearances for Los Angeles and averaged 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds in just 3.0 minutes per contest. He’ll almost assuredly see more burn for the Grizzlies given how thin they are in the frontcourt.
Mike Conley Out 3-4 Weeks With Achilles Woes
Mike Conley is expected to miss three to four weeks of action due to Achilles tendinitis, the Grizzlies announced today. The point guard has missed the team’s last two contests with left foot soreness, and a followup examination Friday revealed the tendinitis, according to the team’s official statement.
Memphis has been slammed with injuries this season and this latest news certainly won’t improve the team’s roster situation. The Grizzlies are already without Marc Gasol for the rest of the year, and backup center Brandan Wright is liable to miss another seven weeks, which would finish him for the season. Fellow big man Chris Andersen is dealing with a shoulder issue, Zach Randolph has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Jordan Adams is out indefinitely with a knee injury of his own. Vince Carter left Friday’s win against the Pelicans with a left calf strain and is questionable for tonight’s game. The team had an update on Andersen, noting that an MRI revealed he suffered a left shoulder subluxation during a contest against the Suns on March 6th. He remains out indefinitely.
Beyond the effect it may have on the remainder of Memphis’ season and the playoffs, Conley’s injury certainly comes at an inopportune time for the 28-year-old who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Achilles injuries are some of the most difficult for players to recover from, especially for guards who rely on making quick cuts and moves to the basket. It’s unclear how this would affect the market for Conley if the injury were to linger into the summer. I’d speculate that it increases the chances Conley would re-sign with Memphis, though there will likely be suitors lining up regardless, given the additional cap space teams will have to work with this offseason.
Conley has appeared in 56 games this season and is averaging 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 31.4 minutes of action per contest. The point guard’s career numbers since entering the league in 2007 are 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game to accompany a slash line of .440/.373/.806.