Heat Rumors

Knicks To Waive Samuel Dalembert?

January 5th, 2015 at 4:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

4:45pm: The Knicks are actively trying to trade Dalembert prior to Wednesday to avoid facing the decision to retain or waive him on that day, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

8:48am: With the Knicks’ season in a seemingly hopeless freefall, having lost 11 games in a row, and their record currently sitting at a dismal 5-31 overall, the team is considering numerous options for altering its roster. One change that could happen by this Wednesday is the team possibly waiving center Samuel Dalembert, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports.

This coming Saturday, January 10th, is the NBA’s leaguewide contract guarantee date. All players with non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts still on team rosters on that date will have the remainder of their salaries guaranteed for the season. But in order for any franchise to clear undesirable or unwanted contracts off of its books, players will need to clear waivers in advance of this deadline. This means that any players, including Dalembert, would need to be placed on waivers by no later than 4:00pm Central time this Wednesday, January 7th. This would allow the requisite two days that players remain on waivers to pass prior to Saturday’s deadline.

The reason that Dalembert’s name has come up as a possibility to be waived is that only $1.98MM of his $4.05MM contract is guaranteed, Berman notes. So New York can save itself a cool $2.07MM by releasing the big man prior to the cutoff date. Waiving Dalembert would open up a roster spot for the Knicks to add a younger D-League player or sign a veteran who was waived by another team, Berman adds. One such player that the Knicks are possibly looking to sign to a 10-day contract is D-League point guard Langston Galloway, though New York is already painfully thin in the frontcourt, something releasing Dalembert and signing Galloway would not rectify.

New York is considering every option currently, Berman reports, which means that the Knicks could retain Dalembert and try to acquire an asset by trading him to a club looking to add a defensive big man for a playoff push, the New York Post scribe adds. There are numerous teams that are desperate to add a rim protecting big man, including Cleveland, Dallas, and Miami, though I’m merely speculating on their potential interest in Dalembert.

Dalembert certainly hasn’t been setting the league on fire with his performance for the Knicks, who were hoping that he could help replace the defensive presence of Tyson Chandler, whom the Knicks traded to Dallas prior to the season, in a deal which netted them Dalembert. In 32 appearances, including 21 as a starter, Dalembert has averaged an underwhelming 4.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.0 minutes per game. He hasn’t fit well into the triangle offense that the Knicks are attempting to implement, though judging by the team’s record, he’s hardly the only one.

For his part, Dalembert is currently in the dark about what the Knicks’ plans for him are, Berman notes. “Maybe you know more than me,’’ Dalembert said. “I love it here. I love the team we have. Unfortunately we’re going through what we’re going through right now. It’s a great organization. I would love for my career to finish here, but it’s business. A lot of times it’s beyond your control. I’ll still see how it goes and enjoy the time.’’

Team president Phil Jackson could soon decide the best thing for the Knicks’ long-term future is playing their younger players, which could also affect Amar’e Stoudemire ’s status, Berman also notes. Stoudemire missed his fifth straight game on Sunday night, and he could also eventually be waived to open up a roster spot, Berman opines. There is no immediate deadline to do so for Stoudemire, since the remainder of his $23,410,968 salary for this season is fully-guaranteed, though March 1st is the final date that players can be waived and be eligible to play in the postseason for another team.

Eastern Notes: Whiteside, Celtics, Young

January 5th, 2015 at 4:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The development of Hassan Whiteside this season has given the Heat hope for the future, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “He’s learning the game,” Dwyane Wade said. “Every time he steps out there, you can see him getting more comfortable. I think as teammates we are a lot more confident, especially on the defensive end when he’s in. He’s big for us.” Coach Erik Spoelstra credits Whiteside’s growth as a player to the his tireless work ethic, Winderman adds.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics have once again recalled James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This was Young’s eighth stint in the D-League this season, and in eight games with Maine he is averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 32.6 minutes per contest.
With the trade of Rajon Rondo, the Celtics are now in full rebuilding mode, and one issue that has cropped up is that the team now has 15 players with a legitimate reason to believe they should be playing more, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “I think everybody can make a case for having even a bigger role than they have,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “I guess that’s just part of it. I think they all have responded well, and they’re all playing hard and trying to make a case for themselves.”
It’s possible that the rotation picture will clear up once the February trade deadline passes and the players will feel a better sense of stability, notes Bulpett, but Gerald Wallace has a different take. “But I don’t think so even then because you’ve got a lot of players that are on the last year of their deal,” Wallace said. “So I think once the trade deadline passes, that’s going to probably amp things up more because guys’ lives are at stake, guys’ careers are at stake. They’re on the last year of their deal, and obviously those guys want to be able to play and want to go into the summer in a good position for contract talks. We’ll see.”

Southeast Notes: Wade, Magic, Hawks, Porter

January 4th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are focused on landing a big-name free agent in 2016 when the team will have up to $50MM in cap space, but Dwyane Wade told Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald he isn’t fully on board with that strategy. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in 2016; 2016, to me, is so far away and I hope people aren’t waiting on it thinking we’re going to land this quote, unquote Big Fish because it might not happen for you,” Wade said. “No one knows if [team president Pat] Riley is going to wait until 2016. It’s all speculation.” Wade, who will become a free agent in 2016, took an $11MM pay cut last summer to create cap room, signing a deal worth $31MM for this season and next.

There’s other news from the Southeast Division:

The Magic can solve a lot of their problems by making Nikola Vucevic the focus of their offense, opines Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz offers several suggestions for the struggling franchise, but the main one involves getting more shots for Vucevic, who agreed to a four-year, $53MM extension with the team last October.
Former Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer has used San Antonio’s blueprint to build a winner with the Hawks, observes Jim Cavan of Bleacher Report. Cavan notes that Budenholzer has brought unselfishness and efficiency to a franchise long known for its isolation philosophy. He also credits the front office for getting the right players into the right roles. “I think that we have a system established here and we have a group of guys that understand the concept of teamwork and doing things as a team,” Al Horford said. “When you have a group of guys like that, it makes everything easier.”
After two games out of the rotation, Wizards forward Otto Porter returned to his regular role in Saturday’s loss to the Spurs, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Porter briefly lost time to Martell Webster, who returned to action recently after missing the season’s first 30 games rehabbing from back surgery. “I think Martell had a couple opportunities and he didn’t do well,” said John Wall, “and Otto came in and stayed ready. You never know what night your name is going to be called and I think with this team our guys are ready.” Porter is still on his rookie contract and is under the Wizards’ control through 2016/17.

Southwest Notes: Smith, Rondo, Cuban, Rockets

January 4th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The recent play of Greg Smith has the Mavericks convinced they can wait to add frontcourt help, reports Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Free agent Jermaine O’Neal remains the team’s primary target, Sefko writes, but he won’t commit to returning to the NBA until he is sure he’s physically ready. The 6’10” Smith, who has averaged 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in eight games since Brandan Wright was moved in the Rajon Rondo deal, has lessened the sense of urgency to find a big man. “Jermaine’s a great guy. I know him,” Smith said. “And if he comes here, that’d be great for us. But for right now, I got to hold the fort down and be the best backup I can be so if he does come, we can be a three-headed monster down there.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is defending Rondo in the wake of a controversial comment, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. After returning to Boston Friday for his first game since the December 18th trade that sent him to the Mavericks, Rondo told reporters, “I haven’t played defense in a couple years.” Ainge said he was referring to former backcourt mate Avery Bradley taking the tougher matchup. “The way I interpret it,” Ainge said, “is that now out in the Western Conference he’s going to have to be the guy that defends Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and those guys every night, where here he could rely on Avery to take a lot of that burden off of him.”
Mark Cuban turned around the fortunes of Mavericks basketball when he bought the team 15 years ago Sunday, opines Dwain Price of The Star Telegram. Price contends Cuban’s willingness to spend and his close relationship with players has made Dallas a perennial title contender.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes the Rockets improved greatly through two recent moves, writes Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Houston was able to add athleticism and experience by picking up Josh Smith on waivers from the Pistons and Corey Brewer through a trade with the Wolves. ““They are both long, versatile defenders,” Spoelstra said. “Corey Brewer is playing as well as he has ever played. He is shooting the ball great. He is playing with great confidence. He is disruptive. You can see why they pursued him so hard.”

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Bosh, Mirotic, Hawks

January 3rd, 2015 at 10:42pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers have played as well as expected this season and Tom Moore of Calkins Media wonders if Joel Embiid is the only star-caliber player on the roster. He admits that Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and even Tony Wroten are serviceable NBA players, but none are likely to lead a team deep into the playoffs. At 4-27, Philadelphia currently owns the worst record in the league, which would guarantee the team a top four draft pick. You can follow our reverse standings to see which teams have the inside track to the top picks in the 2015 draft.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Chris Bosh didn’t foresee the Heat struggling this season but believes he can lead the team into the playoffs, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “I wanted to see if I [was] able [to] have that increased role and still be successful. It’s out there in front of me and it’s out in front of this team. I just have to make sure I do my part in making sure we don’t lose track of what’s important,” Bosh said. The 11-year veteran has missed eight games this season due to injury and Miami is 11-14 with him in the lineup.
Bulls fans can thank the sign-and-trade that sent Carlos Boozer to the Bulls for having Nikola Mirotic on the team, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune explains. The Jazz agreed to send a second-round pick to Chicago for allowing them to make Boozer’s departure a sign-and-trade. Then, the Bulls parlayed that second-rounder into the draft rights of Mirotic during the 2011 draft.
The uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the Hawks hasn’t impacted the team on the court this season, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The current owners of the Hawks have agreed to sell 100% of the team. Meanwhile, on the court, Atlanta sits atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-8.

Southeast Notes: Durant, Marble, Wizards

January 3rd, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There has been much speculation already about Kevin Durant returning home to play for the Wizards when he becomes a free agent in 2016. Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who is also a native of the Washington, D.C. area, said he spoke with Durant recently about the possibility of the Slim Reaper eventually donning a Wizards uniform, Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com reports. “I’ve talked to him about it, but I probably can’t tell you what he said,” Lawson said. “We talked about it. Everybody going home and playing for their respective cities. It would be cool, especially playing with the people you grew up with. I grew up with KD. It would be fun to play with them on one team.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Lawson can also become a free agent in 2016, but the Wizards appear to be set at the point for years to come with John Wall, Standig notes. As for his own thoughts on returning home to play, Lawson said, “Now, playing away, it’s cool. I haven’t really thought about coming home to play. Think about it more during free agency, but I haven’t really thought about it. But being away, makes you want to come back even more sometimes.“
Devyn Marble said that he approached his recent D-League assignment with the Erie BayHawks as an opportunity to regain his timing and confidence, John Denton of NBA.com writes. Marble ultimately thinks that the two-game stint will better prepare him to get back into the Magic‘s rotation this season, Denton adds. “It felt good and I had a lot of fun. I was able to play a lot of minutes and get some time that I hadn’t been getting,’’ said Marble. “I always look at everything as an opportunity and look at the positives. So I didn’t have a bad attitude at all while I was there. I wanted the opportunity to play and to work on my game and I was able to do that.’’
The Heat organization’s ability to develop young big men and turn them into useful rotation pieces has dried up in recent years, but Hassan Whiteside‘s progress this season offers some hope for the future, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “I’m very pleased and encouraged by how much he has grown in the last five weeks since he’s been with us,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It has been a specific, detailed plan. He’s embraced the work.”

Emeka Okafor To Delay Return Until 2015/16?

January 3rd, 2015 at 8:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

With numerous teams around the league seeking frontcourt help, the pool of available players may just get a tad thinner. Veteran center Emeka Okafor is giving strong consideration to delaying his comeback from a neck injury until next season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein’s sources say that Okafor, who missed the entire 2013/14 campaign after he suffered a herniated disk in his neck, could wait until this summer before inking a deal with a new team in order to give himself more time to continue strength and conditioning work.

According to Stein, numerous teams with a need for a rim protecting big man, including the Cavs, Mavs, and the Heat, have interest in signing Okafor if he decided to play this year. Prior to the season, nearly half of the teams in the league reportedly had interest in the services of the 32-year-old veteran out of Connecticut. Okafor had reportedly auditioned for the Clippers back in August, but the two sides did not reach a contract arrangement.

Okafor’s last action came during the 2012/13 season when he averaged 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per contest for the Wizards. Prior to the beginning of the 2013/14 season, the Wizards dealt Okafor to the Suns for Marcin Gortat. Both sides were aware that Okafor was likely to miss the entire season with his injury, but Phoenix was interested in Okafor’s expiring $14.5MM contract to use as a potential trade chip, though no deal involving Okafor ever came to fruition for the Suns.

In nine seasons, Okafor’s career numbers are 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. His career slash line is .512/.000/.584.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Jefferson, Magic, Hawks

January 1st, 2015 at 12:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Doomsday predictions for the Heat in the wake of losing LeBron James are starting to come true, and Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post reports that players are searching for answers. “I just don’t even know what the point of this season — I don’t know. I have no idea,” Chris Bosh said after Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers. After four straight trips to the NBA Finals, Miami is struggling through a season beset by injuries and adjustment to life without its former superstar.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets coach Steve Clifford told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer that the decision to shut down Al Jefferson came midway through Monday’s loss to the Bucks. “At halftime we spoke and agreed that we were going to sit Al down and say, ‘We appreciate you want to play, but…’” Clifford said. “It’s great that he wants to be out there and is team-first and wants to play. But he just can’t move.” Jefferson has been diagnosed with a strained adductor muscle in his left groin and is expected to be out of action for at least four weeks.
Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy likes Orlando’s roster but warns there will be some tough choices ahead, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. “Like everybody, you get to the point in all of these projects where then you have to make decisions on money, and that’s actually in some ways tougher than assembling a lot of guys to begin with,” said Van Gundy, now coach and president of basketball operations for the Pistons. “Who are you going to pay and how much and how are you going to put the whole thing together?” Orlando’s decisions will start in July when Tobias Harris and Kyle O’Quinn are set to become restricted free agents.
The Magic have recalled Devyn Marble from the D-League, Robbins tweets.
The Hawks are among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report opines that they have a chance to be in that position for a long time. Atlanta has slightly more than $41MM committed in salary for next season, with Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll, Elton Brand and John Jenkins as expiring contracts. The Hawks also can exchange first-round draft picks with the Nets as one of the lingering benefits of the Joe Johnson trade, and they have an extra second-rounder coming from the Raptors.

Cavaliers Notes: James, Irving, Blatt

January 1st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

“Outlandish” was the word LeBron James used Wednesday to dismiss rumors that he might be leaving the Cavaliers again, reports Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I’m here to build, build something great in the present and the future, and that’s the reason I’m back,” said the four-time MVP. “I’ve got no other reason to have to continue to talk about things that’s so outlandish. So, I’m here, this is where I’ll be, and this is where I’m comfortable.” Rumors of unrest in Cleveland have accompanied a disappointing 18-14 start and have fueled reports that James is looking elsewhere. He has a two-year, $42.1MM contract with a player option after this season, but he has stated many times that he signed the short deal to maximize his market value.

There’s a lot more from Cleveland:

Some of those rumors stemmed from a video of a conversation between James and former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade after their Christmas Day game, but Wade tells Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel that they weren’t talking about basketball. “It had nothing to do with [reuniting],” Wade said. “It was about bigger and better things later.”
Despite the dysfunction in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving says it’s still better than not being in contention, according to Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I’d rather be in this position right now than [where] I was last year,” he said. “We’re just in a great mental place and I’m in a great mental place.” Irving signed a five-year, maximum-salary extension in July.
It’s up to owner Dan Gilbert to settle the team’s coaching situation, opines Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein contends the Cavaliers made a mistake by hiring David Blatt, who had no experience as an NBA head coach, before they knew if James was returning. He says Gilbert needs to either fire Blatt and take the heat for the move or demand that James throw his full support behind the coach, although he admits the second option is hard to picture considering James’ immense power in the organization.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Granger, Heat

December 30th, 2014 at 7:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs‘ big men have left quite a bit to be desired in their performance thus far this season. Cleveland currently ranks 22nd in blocks per game, 26th in rebounds, and 22nd in overall defense. It’s for these reasons that the Cavs have been searching for a rim protecting center all season, and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders runs down ten possible targets for GM David Griffin to try and bolster his frontcourt with, including Timofey Mozgov (Nuggets), Brandan Wright (Celtics), Jordan Hill (Lakers), and Samuel Dalembert (Knicks).

Here’s more from the East:

Danny Granger never expected to retire as a member of the Pacers and he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the franchise despite being dealt to the Sixers last season, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “I didn’t think I would,” Granger said of eventually retiring with Indiana. “I mean, the time I spent there was very unusual. I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the fact that I could have possibly been there my whole career. I knew that I wanted to. But I knew that the way the NBA is, and the type of business it is.“
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has done his best to juggle Miami’s rotation in light of all the injuries that the team has had to deal with but this season has quickly become humbling for the proud franchise, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “We’re 30 some games in. It’s enough talking,” Chris Bosh said. “We’ve talked enough. It’s about getting the job done. We’re not doing it right now. It’s been up and down for the whole season. It’s not going to change until each person makes it change. Coach has a bunch of decisions to make. He has to do his job and figure things out just like we have to do our job and figure things out. He’s going to put the best group he feels needs to be out there. We have to respond as players. We haven’t done a very good job of that.”
James Anderson signed an extension that includes a raise with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Anderson, who started 62 games for the Sixers last season, inked a one-year deal with Kaunas over the summer. That deal included an escape clause, but he decided against triggering it to sign the extension, which covers the rest of the season, Pick tells Hoops Rumors.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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