Western Notes: Rockets, Kerr, Nuggets
The Rockets had quite a difficult offseason. From being spurned by Chris Bosh, losing Chandler Parsons to the Mavs in free agency, and dealing away Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik for essentially nothing in return, as far as the current roster is concerned, it’s been a rough few months in Houston. In his training camp preview, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle looks at the main questions facing the franchise.
Here’s more from out west:
- Steve Kerr spent time over the summer building relationships with his Warriors players, and he says he isn’t concerned that the widespread support for Mark Jackson within the locker room last year will be a factor, as he tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Kenneth Faried, J.J. Hickson, and Darrell Arthur will all play major roles in any success the Nuggets have this season. Demetrius Jacobs of NBA.com breaks down the power forwards on Denver’s roster and what each brings to the court. Jacobs also looks at the Nuggets’ centers in a separate article.
- In a subscriber’s only piece, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal breaks down the Grizzlies‘ power forwards, and believes Jon Leuer‘s production as Zach Randolph‘s backup will be a key factor this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Grizzlies Officially Sign Beasley, Five Others
The Grizzlies formally announced the signings of Michael Beasley, Patrick Christopher, Earl Clark, Luke Hancock, Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside via press release. The moves had been expected for all six, since each was reported to have come to terms on a deal with the team.
All six are on non-guaranteed contracts. The Grizzlies have the capacity to give more than the rookie minimum to Chrisopher, Hancock and Lucas, but it’s likely they’ve received minimum-salary arrangements just like the veteran additions for camp.
Beasley probably has the inside track for joining the team’s 14 players on fully guaranteed pacts for opening night, though Clark plays the same positions and looms as a threat should Beasley falter.
Grizzlies Sign Michael Beasley For Camp
THURSDAY, 2:30pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 6:53pm: Michael Beasley has reached an agreement on a non-guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Beasley spent this week working out with Memphis, according to Wojnarowski, who writes that the former No. 2 overall pick has chosen the Grizzlies because of the opportunity to make the team as a backup power forward. The Memphis roster now stands at 20, but with only 14 fully guaranteed deals Beasley figures to have a reasonable shot to break camp with the team. The Grizzlies are limited to giving him the minimum, since the sliver of their mid-level exception that they have remaining exceeds the amount of the rookie minimum, but not the minimum for a player with the six years of experience that Beasley has.
The talented but troubled Kansas State product, still only 25 years old, was drafted by Miami in 2008 and spent time with the Timberwolves and Suns before returning to the Heat for a second term last season. The Jared Karnes client auditioned for the Spurs last week, had a pair of workouts with the Lakers earlier in the offseason and had reportedly drawn interest from a few other teams. Beasley would have liked to have re-signed with the Heat, but concerns over his defense and maturity persuaded the team against bringing him back, we heard earlier this month.
Beasley has averaged 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds over six years in the league. Last season, on a loaded Miami team, he posted career-low averages in points (7.9), rebounds (3.1) and minutes (15.1). He will be competing against fellow non-guaranteed camp invitees Earl Clark, Patrick Christopher, Luke Hancock, Kalin Lucas and Hassan Whiteside for the Grizzlies final roster spot.
Western Notes: Warriors, Harris, Grizzlies
Dennis Rogers of Clippers.com solicited the help of four national writers to preview the Pacific Division for 2014/15. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com says that the offseason move that will probably have the most impact will be replacing coach Mark Jackson with Steve Kerr. How the Warriors respond to losing a popular coach is critical to how the division will shake out, Shelburne opines. More from the Western Conference..
- Mavericks guard Devin Harris says his squad believes that they’re even better than last season, according to Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram (Twitter links). The Mavs had an active offseason which included adding Chandler Parsons and trading for Tyson Chandler.
- While the Grizzlies are certainly a team worthy of respect, they did not do enough this summer for Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders to expect significant improvement. While Hamitlon likes some of their moves, like re-signing Zach Randolph to a two-year, $20MM extension, the Grizzlies could be leapfrogged by the Pelicans in his estimation.
- The Grizzlies shook up their front office this summer but General Manager Chris Wallace decided to more or less stay the course, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today Sports. Still, Memphis brought in Vince Carter to replace Mike Miller as the veteran swingman off the bench, and the team drafted two productive college players in Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes.
Grizzlies Sign Kalin Lucas To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 18TH: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make a formal announcement.
SEPTEMBER 16TH: The Grizzlies and former Michigan State standout Kalin Lucas have struck a deal, as the agent for Lucas tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia (Twitter link). Presumably the arrangement will be for camp, perhaps with a diminutive guarantee involved. The Grizzlies have a sliver of their mid-level exception left to pay a bit more than the minimum salary, but it seems unlikely they’ll make that commitment in this case.
Lucas was briefly in camp with the Bulls last autumn, but it appeared they signed him specifically so they could reach the roster threshold necessary to ink others to Exhibit 9 contracts and reduce their liability. The Bulls cut him just as camp began to avoid running the risk that he’d be injured and they’d have to keep him on the roster and pay his salary during the regular season. The Grizzlies already have at least 14 non-Exhibit 9 contracts on the books, so Lucas will likely get a legitimate shot to participate in the preseason with Memphis.
The 25-year-old point guard averaged 8.3 points and 1.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game with the Grizzlies summer league team in July, and he spent much of last season with the D-League’s Iowa Energy. Otherwise, he’s played overseas, with stops in Greece and Turkey, since going undrafted in 2011.
Central Notes: Bynum, Alexander, Gibson
Will Bynum, who is now the longest-tenured member of the Pistons, couldn’t be happier with the arrival of Stan Van Gundy, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. “Stan is straightforward with me and in return I’m the same way,” he said. “I’m all business, all work when we’re here. I’m trying to be the first one in everything that we do, every single day, I’m the one challenging, talking, keeping the guys motivated and I’m trying to take on the leadership role. I’ve been here the longest. My character fits a leader because I’m always going to be the one that works the hardest. That’s what Stan is. Stan’s a worker. He’s a basketball guy, he’s on the court, and I’ve learned a lot just in the short amount of time being here.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- E’Twaun Moore is expected to provide the Bulls with backcourt depth, Adam Fluck of NBA.com writes. “E’Twaun is a young guard who we really like and he’s got a lot of potential,” said Chicago GM Gar Forman. “He’s shown that he’s got some versatility given he can play at both the one and two. He can also shoot the ball. We feel he’s absolutely our kind of guy—he’s a worker and we are confident he’ll be a good fit with our roster.” Moore also considered the Cavs and the Grizzlies before choosing the Bulls, Fluck notes.
- With the signings of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic the power forward position is getting crowded in Chicago. Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders believes the Bulls should consider dealing Taj Gibson since he might be more valuable as a trade asset since his minutes and production are likely to decline this season.
- Former Bucks lottery pick Joe Alexander has auditioned for a number of NBA teams, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter link). Alexander has been out of the NBA since the 2009/10 season when he appeared in eight games for the Bulls.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Grizzlies Sign Hassan Whiteside To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 18TH: The Grizzlies have signed big man Hassan Whiteside to a non-guaranteed deal for training camp, a source tells Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).
Whiteside spent parts of two seasons with the Kings but has been out of the NBA since 2011/12. Sacramento liked the potential of the 7-footer when they took him with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2010 draft, but he was too raw to stick on the roster.
Since being waived by the Kings in the summer of 2012, Whiteside has had stints in the D-League and with multiple clubs in Lebanon and China. The 25-year-old hooked on with China’s Jiangsu TX earlier this year and finished the season averaging 29.6 points per contest, making him one of the top scorers in the league.
In 19 games for the Kings between 2010/11 and 2011/12, Whiteside averaged 1.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 5.8 minutes per contest.
Southwest Notes: Marion, Gentile, Clark
Shawn Marion said it was difficult to decide where to sign this summer and cited his continued longtime friendship with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, but he also told KRLD-FM in Dallas that the presence of his newborn son, who lives in Chicago, influenced his choice. “It wasn’t about the money,” Marion said, as the Dallas Morning News transcribes. “I got offered more money from different teams. It’s with just a matter of what I’m comfortable with. And also, from Cleveland to Chicago is not that far. It’s driveable and a quick flight.”
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Alessandro Gentile isn’t interested in playing in the NBA for now, and he’s uncertain that he’ll ever do so, as he told the Italian newspaper Leggo, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Rockets acquired the NBA rights to the Italian-born small forward, this year’s 53rd overall pick, in a draft-night swap, but he signed a new deal with Italy’s Olimpia Milano in July.
- The pact between the Grizzlies and Earl Clark is non-guaranteed, as Eric Pincus writes for the Los Angeles Times.
- A member of the Spurs staff will be shadowing Livio Jean-Charles, last year’s 28th overall pick, throughout the season as he plays for ASVEL Villeurbanne in France, as Jean-Charles tells Frédéric Dussidour of BeBasket (translation via Jesus Gomez of Pounding the Rock). It continues San Antonio’s practice of keeping close tabs on its draft-and-stash prospects, as Gomez examines.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Grizzlies Sign Earl Clark To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 16TH: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an official announcement.
SEPTEMBER 14TH: Earl Clark has agreed to a training camp deal with the Grizzlies, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). This brings Memphis’ roster count up to 17, with 14 of those deals being guaranteed. The combo forward will compete for a roster spot with Jon Leuer, Jarnell Stokes, and Quincy Pondexter. The Spurs had also shown interest in the 6’10”, 26 year-old forward out of Louisville, and had him in for a workout almost two weeks ago.
Clark appeared in 45 games for the Cavs last season, averaging 5.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG. He was traded back in February to the Sixers in the the Spencer Hawes deal, and was promptly waived by Philadelphia. Clark was then picked up by the Knicks, but wasn’t re-signed after his back-to-back 10-day deals expired. In nine games for New York, Clark averaged 2.6 PPG and 1.8 RPG.
In his free agent stock watch entry for Clark, our own Chuck Myron noted that Clark performs best in an up-tempo attack, and that the player has struggled on the defensive end, as well as when paired with a strong inside presence like Dwight Howard. How he fits into a Memphis team that features Marc Gasol and a slower-paced, half-court brand of basketball that emphasizes defense remains to be seen.
Grizzlies Sign Luke Hancock For Camp
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The deal is official, as the Grizzlies have followed up with a formal announcement.
SEPTEMBER 11TH: Memphis has yet to make an official announcement, but the Grizzlies and Hancock put pen to paper last week, as the RealGM transactions log shows. Hancock’s deal is without a guarantee, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
AUGUST 31ST: Luke Hancock has agreed to a one-year, minimum salary deal with the Grizzlies, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
Hancock began his collegiate career at George Mason University before the departure of coach Jim Larrañaga led him to transfer to Louisville. In 2013, Hancock was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament as he helped lead the Cardinals to a National Championship.
Hancock auditioned for the 76ers, Pistons, Bucks, Jazz, Rockets, and Celtics prior to the draft but wasn’t selected in June. The Pedro Power client averaged 10.1 PPG and shot ~37% from downtown in his two seasons with Louisville.