Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Lakers, Love, Shaw, Lee

January 25th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

The Star Tribune transcribed TNT analyst Charles Barkley’s recent input on Inside the NBA regarding when Kobe Bryant should return from his injury. “It’s not going to matter, [the Lakers] are going to stink with him or without him, it really doesn’t make a difference. They are not a good team, they are not going to be a good team. If he is thinking about the future and he wants to win another championship, they should try to get a great draft pick. He should get healthy for the rest of the season. I think he will make a big mistake coming back.”

Some other notes around the Western Conference.

With the Lakers losing 15 of their last 18 games, it came as a bit of a surprise to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin when Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak expressed “unbridled optimism” regarding his current roster. Kupchak thinks it is possible for the Lakers to be fun to watch if “they play hard and compete” but McMenamin disagrees and details why there is “no joy in Laker land these days”. McMenamin thinks it is time the Lakers realize their limitations and make personnel changes instead of sending their players out to continue to promise change in play soon.
Another team being urged to realize their limitations is the Timberwolves. Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune takes a critical look at what Kevin Love has brought to Minnesota. Love has achieved much individually while on the Wolves, but Souhan points out the team has never won more than 31 games since Love has arrived. Love isn’t all to blame, according to Souhan. Front office moves, aside from trading for Love on draft night, have been less than stellar. However, Souhan wonders when the Wolves front office will decide if Love is a player Minnesota can win with, as a team. They already know they can’t win without him, but Love needs to prove “he can carry a flawed team” soon.
If it weren’t for Pacers coach Frank Vogel returning a favor, the Nuggets may not have Brian Shaw as current head coach. According to Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com, after changes to the 76ers coaching staff, Vogel was without a job and Shaw encouraged the Lakers to hire Vogel as a scout. Six years later, Vogel intercepted Shaw en route to interview for an analyst job and convinced Shaw he was more coach than analyst. Shaw never completed his trip to interview with ESPN, and after two seasons in Indiana was hired by the Nuggets as their head coach.
Rockets head coach Kevin McHale told Jenny Creech of the Houston Chronicle he is happy with how recently traded guard Courtney Lee is fitting in with the Grizzlies. Lee has averaged 15.3 PPG in the nine games he has played for Memphis since being sent there from the Celtics in a three team deal earlier this month. McHale praised Lee as one of his favorite players who will play better as his role becomes more defined. According to McHale, Lee “will fit in nice” with the role Memphis has placed him in since arriving. Lee played one season under McHale on the Rockets.

Odds & Ends: Deng, Dwight, Union, Gay

January 22nd, 2014 at 3:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Luol Deng had a sarcastic response to a question about whether he’d consider returning to the Bulls in free agency this summer, poking fun at the team’s three-year, $30MM extension offer that he rejected, notes Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Still, Deng won’t rule out a Chicago homecoming.

“I have nothing against (anyone),” Deng said. “What happened, happened. I love Chicago. I’ve been there 10 years. There’s no bad blood or anything. What happened, happened. It is what it is. But for me to sit here and say, ‘I’m taking Chicago out of the equation,’ that’s stupid. I was there for 10 years.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Dwight Howard is returning to USA Basketball after a six-year absence with eyes on being a part of the Team USA squad in the basketball World Cup this summer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
A judge has dismissed the remaining charges in the lawsuit that former players union executive director Billy Hunter brought against Derek Fisher, and Hunter could be on the hook for Fisher’s legal fees, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com explains. The ruling doesn’t affect Hunter’s litigation claiming the union owes him $10.5MM.
A report last month indicated the Kings would engage Rudy Gay in extension talks if he performed well, and in spite of his improved play, the team and his reps at Octagon Sports have yet to have that discussion, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Gay scored a career-high 41 points last night.
The Grizzlies have no interest in trading for Pau Gasol, and the Lakers won’t compromise their cap flexibility in any Gasol swap, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who thinks the Spanish center will stay put through the deadline (Sulia link).
The extension that two-year NBA veteran Charles Jenkins signed with his Serbian team includes an escape clause in case he finds work in the NBA, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia tweets.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com details the convoluted maneuvers that have allowed the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks to acquire Fab Melo. The 2012 first-round pick signed a D-League contract last week.

Western Rumors: Randolph, Rockets, Davis

January 17th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Randolph has spoken many times about his affection for Memphis, and he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that he and Marc Gasol want to continue playing together. Both have contracts that end after next season, but Randolph’s deal includes a player option for 2014/15, and Z-Bo also tells Charania that he hasn’t decided what he’ll do with that option, worth more than $16.9MM. The RealGM.com scribe has more on the offseason ahead for the Grizzlies, as we share amid our look at the Western Conference:

The Rockets are still in the market for a floor-stretching forward, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who also passes along a few of James Harden‘s comments about his recruitment of Dwight Howard.
Ed Davis didn’t reach a deal on an extension with the Grizzlies before the October 31st deadline, but he nonetheless views the negotiations as a sign the team views him as key cog, as Charania notes in the same piece. Davis admits to Charania that he feels frustration when his minutes drop, but the big man understands he falls behind Randolph and Gasol in the pecking order. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a deal done, but it wasn’t a big thing because I’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer,” Davis said. “Hopefully, we’ll get something done this summer and I’ll be back.”
Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson doesn’t seem eager to make a deal before the February 20th trade deadline, observes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You never say never, but we do like the team,” Nelson said. “With nine new faces we’re not looking for reasons to change. But that being said, if an opportunity presents itself that can take us over the top we certainly have to look at it.”
Leandro Barbosa‘s 10-day contract with the Suns expires after tonight’s game, one he may miss with a right shoulder sprain. That could prompt Phoenix to wait until he’s healthy to give him another 10-day deal, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
The Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic to the D-League, the team announced. It’s his third trip to Santa Cruz, but he’s only appeared in a single D-League game, scoring two points in a 16-minute stint.

Southwest Notes: Andersen, Calderon, Gay

January 17th, 2014 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets might have preferred not stopping for halftime last night against the Thunder. Houston put up 73 points in the first half but followed with only 19 after the break, setting an NBA record for the largest point differential between halves. The strong initial performance was not enough to outweigh the later thud, as Oklahoma City prevailed, 104-92. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Former Rockets and Pelicans center David Andersen says agent Leon Rose told him that NBA teams would be interested in him if an injury created a need, but the former second-round pick thinks it’s more likely he winds up signing in Europe next month. Roy Ward of The Age has the details.
Many of Jose Calderon‘s numbers aren’t any better than the ones Darren Collison put up last year, but part of the reason the Mavs prioritized an upgrade at point guard this past summer was to fix their crunch-time woes, notes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Dallas is better in the clutch this year, and there’s no reason to believe the team is rethinking its decision to bring in Calderon, McMahon writes.
With the approaching one-year anniversary of the Grizzlies‘ Rudy Gay trade, Gay is grateful for his time in Memphis, where he learned plenty about NBA life that he’s putting into practice now with the Kings, as he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

Players Eligible To Be Traded As Of Today

January 15th, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s been an active season for trades in the NBA. We’re still more than a month away from the deadline and we’ve already seen five swaps, including today’s three-teamer between the Warriors, Celtics and Heat. The door to the action opens just a little bit wider today, as seven more players become eligible to be included in trades. It’s not quite a landmark sort of occasion like December 15th, when most free agents signed in the offseason, along with a few others, become fair game for trades, but the arrival of January 15th nonetheless represents one fewer obstacle to player movement.

Players who received a raise of better than 20% this summer when they re-signed via Bird or Early Bird rights with a team that was over the cap weren’t eligible to be traded until today, as long as they were making more than the minimum salary last season. That narrow distinction applies to the following players:

Tony Allen, Grizzlies
Chase Budinger, Timberwolves
Timofey Mozgov, Nuggets
J.R. Smith, Knicks
Tiago Splitter, Spurs
Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves
Brandan Wright, Mavericks

The Wolves are the only team with two players on that list, but J.R. Smith seems far and away the most likely trade candidate, and he’s uncertain about his future in New York, as we passed along this morning. It doesn’t seem as though there’s much of a market for him, but if a team wants to engage in talks with the Knicks about the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, collective bargaining agreement rules won’t forestall a move any longer.

ShamSports, RealGM, and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Grizzlies, Bynum

January 13th, 2014 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Two reports on Friday indicated New Orleans was shopping Eric Gordon, but the Pelicans were quick to tell the shooting guard and Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune that they aren’t pursuing any such deals. Gordon doesn’t appear concerned with the chatter, and even though his field goal attempts and scoring average are down for the third straight season, he’s been uncharacteristically healthy this year, having played in all but three games. Backcourt mate Jrue Holiday is sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right leg, so I’d be surprised if a Gordon trade happens anytime soon. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

James Johnson‘s improved conditioning and maturity has turned him into an asset for the Grizzlies just a month after he signed a minimum-salary deal with the team, as Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines. One Western Conference scout tells Herrington that he laments that his team passed on the former 16th overall pick while he languished in free agency.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com weighs the chances that Andrew Bynum could be a fit for the Mavericks, pointing to owner Mark Cuban’s comments about Samuel Dalembert and the state of the team’s centers. “Depends on which Sam we have,” Cuban said. “If we have the Sam of [Friday] night, we’re good. If we have the Sam that isn’t as on key as he was [Friday] night, it’s different. Again, we’re always being opportunistic. Wherever we can improve our team, we will.”
USA Today’s Sam Amick looks at the way NBA teams are connecting with the coaches of their D-League affiliates, noting that Nevada Smith, who beat out 34 other candidates for the head job at Rockets affiliate Rio Grande Valley, has become the “darling” of the D-League coaching circle.

D-League Notes: De Colo, Franklin, McCallum

January 12th, 2014 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at today’s D-League assignments and recalls..

Nando De Colo was recalled from the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced. The guard, who has been assigned to Austin five times this season, has appeared in eight D-League contests, averaging 23.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.75 steals in 37.1 minutes. He has appeared in 12 games this season for the Spurs, averaging 1.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 7.0 minutes.
The Grizzlies announced they have recalled guard Jamaal Franklin from theirD-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Franklin has averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.3 minutes in three games through two assignments with Fort Wayne.
Kings rookie guard Ray McCallum may have set a new record for quickest D-League assignment and recall. After being assigned to the Reno Bighorns this afternoon, he’s already back up and available for Sacramento’s game tonight against the Cavs.
The Thunder announced that Andre Roberson has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers. Roberson was sent down on Friday after he put up five points and six boards against the Nuggets the night before.

Western Notes: Gasol Trade Options, Lee, Miller

January 11th, 2014 at 10:53pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

As the trade deadline approaches Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times thinks the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol while they can still get something in return for him. Gasol in the last year of his contract and the Lakers with little financial flexibility after extending Kobe Bryant seem to be parting ways after the season according to Bolch. Bolch suggests a few trades the Lakers should look into. First, the Nets to see if they can acquire injured Brook Lopez for Gasol. Next, the Grizzlies to pair Pau with his younger brother Marc Gasol in exchange for Zach Randolph. If neither are interested, Bolch suggests contacting the Rockets for Omer Asik. Finally, Bolch states the Hawks have coveted Gasol for some time and he thinks they may be willing to part with Paul Millsap in order to fill the gap created by an injured Al Horford. If all else fails, Bolch prompts the Lakers to at least get draft picks for Gasol and avoid “a bleak future”.

A few other notes around the Western Conference.

Although Andre Miller is one year removed from being called one of George Karl’s all-time favorite players, Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune believes we have seen the last of Miller in a Nuggets jersey. With a new coach in town and the Nuggets resurgence since Miller’s departure, Luhm thinks it is inevitable Miller’s absence will soon become permanent.
Courtney Lee didn’t need to prove anything to the Grizzlies front office for them to want to trade for him says Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal. Lee had already done that five years prior when training for the draft with his former agent Jason Levien and his former development coach Stu Lash. Levien, now the CEO of the Grizzlies, and Lash, now the Grizzlies director of player personnel and basketball development, both admired Lee’s hard work ethic and defensive prowess when they represented him five years ago, prompting them to bring him to Memphis.
While no one hopes for injuries, they have proven beneficial to Jodie Meeks‘ playing time and wallet. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times writes that Meeks is halfway to hitting bonus incentives in his contract that will pay him $200K. Meeks has playing time bonuses that are triggered for averaging both 20 minutes and 25 minutes a game. With Lakers players down with injury, Meeks has been averaging 31.6 MPG so far this season.
Not every wise transaction has to involve athletes, as John Canzano of The Oregonian points out. Canzano inspects the transactions Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has made regarding GM Neil Olshey, president Chris McGowan, and head coach Terry Stotts. In fact, Canzano predicts Allen will extend Stotts’ head coaching contract before the All-Star Game. Stotts contract has a team option for next year but nothing beyond that.

D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, Shengelia

January 11th, 2014 at 4:09pm CST by Charlie Adams

Here are a few points pertaining to the NBA’s D-League:

The Jazz are expected to recall rookies Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark from the D-League this weekend, tweets Jody Genessy of Deseret News. The duo spent time playing for the Bakersfield Jam but should rejoin the Jazz sometime today or tomorrow.
Tornike Shengelia has been recalled by the Nets, the team announced. Shengelia, who had been playing with the Springfield Armor, has played sparingly throughout his career after being selected late in the 2012 draft by the 76ers. So far for this season, Shengelia has averaged 8.4 MPG in 15 contests for Brooklyn.
Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times takes a look at how a couple of former D-League players, Jon Leuer and Ed Davis, have been able to be productive for the Grizzlies. With Marc Gasol sidelined, the two big men have gained valuable experience by playing more minutes than they would have otherwise.
Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks had officially signed James Nunnally to a 10-day contract. Nunnally caught Atlanta’s attention after a strong showing in this year’s D-League Showcase where he earned a spot as a member of the All-Showcase Second Team.

Amick’s Latest: Outlaw, Miller, Grizzlies

January 10th, 2014 at 6:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sam Amick’s latest NBA A to Z column for USA Today leads with a look at NBA coaches, all of whom stand at least decent chances of keeping their jobs through the end of the season after a summer of record turnover. Amick also passes along a few noteworthy revelations from around the league, as we detail:

Sacramento’s insistence that Travis Outlaw be a part of any deal for Andre Miller has appeared to gum up the conversation between the Kings and Nuggets. Miller could return to Denver’s lineup soon, so it seems momentum toward a trade has slowed considerably. The Kings are hoping to garner at least a second-round pick in return for Jimmer Fredette, another player rumored to be involved in the Miller talks.
Amick also says the Grizzlies got $1.1MM in cash from the Thunder as part of the three-team deal that brought Courtney Lee to Memphis this week. Reports at the time of the trade indicated the Celtics received cash from Oklahoma City in that deal, so it looks like OKC sent money in two directions.
The Clippers indeed have interest in Bobby Brown, who’s starring in the Chinese league. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com mentioned the Clips as a possible fit for the point guard, who won’t be able to return stateside until the Chinese season is over.