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Northwest Rumors: Miller, Nuggets, Blazers

January 26th, 2014 at 4:20pm CST by Zachary Links

During last night’s game against the Pacers, the Nuggets honored Carl Scheer, the man who owned the club during their ABA days and helped position them for the big move to the NBA. “We were the outlaws to the NBA guys,” Scheer told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “We had small markets and no real television contract. We had to find ways to entertain people.” Scheer, the creator of the slam-dunk contest, was part of a group that also dreamed up red-white-and-blue basketballs and the three-point line. More on the Nuggets and other notes out of the Northwest..

One league official tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) that Nuggets guard Andre Miller will be a member of the Timberwolves or Kings before the February trade deadline. Recently, our own Chuck Myron examined the veteran guard as a trade candidate.
The best move the Nuggets can make is to not make one, argues Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Moving the disgruntled Miller, however, is a different story.
General Manager Neil Olshey deserves a great deal of credit for the job he has done with the Trail Blazers, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

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: Prigioni, Burke, Hinrich

January 19th, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pablo Prigioni should be returning to the Knicks lineup in time for Monday’s game with the Nets, and he may be starting alongside Raymond Felton, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York.com. This would shift Carmelo Anthony to the power forward position, and Andrea Bargnani to the bench. Last season, the Knicks went 15-1 when Prigioni started alongside Felton. Moving Bargnani to the bench will also help the Knicks’ depth, with both Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin sidelined for two weeks with ankle injuries, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.

More notes from around the league:

Coaching under Gregg Popvich, a future Hall-of-Famer, is a great start to securing a head coaching position in the NBA. Current Spurs assistant Ime Udoka is working his way towards that goal, writes Kerry Eggers of The Portland Tribune.
Trey Burke reflected on his brief time as a member of the Timberwolves. His stint as a member of that franchise lasted all of five minutes on draft night, before being traded for Shabazz Muhammad. Burke spoke to Jody Genessy of Deseret News, about his surprise at being drafted by a team that already had Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea on the roster. He also touched on his thoughts on how his rookie campaign is going so far with the Jazz, and how being passed over by the Pistons felt.
Kirk Hinrich says that while he expects to play next season, he’s just not sure where that will be. What he does know is that he wants to finish the season with the Bulls, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Hinrich’s contract is up at the end of this season and he has been the focus of trade rumors lately.

Odds & Ends: Pelicans, Burke, Clippers, Pistons

January 19th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Jonathan Nehring

The Pelicans may be looking to switch things up before the trade deadline according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. With things not going as planned for New Orleans this season it appears everyone but Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis are movable assets for the Pelicans. Sam Amico of FOX Sports points out (via Twitter) that list of movable assets would include Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans.

Other notes on the Pelicans and teams around the league.

When the Pelicans waived Lou Amundson it was believed the reason was to bring up Pierre Jackson from their D-League affiliate. It appears the recent acquisition of point guard Tyshawn Taylor squelches those rumors and the rumors of Jackson being allowed to seek a trade are more likely. Jackson told Gino Pilato of D-League Digest “it’s a business, and things happen like that. I’m just going to continue to do whatever I can here in the D-League to help this team win games.”
Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune asks fans to not look at Trey Burke as another “one that got away” because the Timberwolves would have never drafted him if they weren’t planning to trade him away. Minnesota had three point guards at the time (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour) and were drafting him purely to acquire Shabazz Muhammad from Utah. It is the belief that Ricky Rubio is the team’s future at point guard and drafting Trey Burke would have conflicted with that belief.
It appears the Clippers roster will remain intact for some time. Head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers told Arash Markazi of ESPN the Clippers aren’t “looking to make changes” right now. This is a team that Rivers likes and he would be fine ending the season with them plus Chris Paul added back from injury.
While the Clippers roster may be set, the Pistons are expected to be “really active” as the trade deadline approaches. Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News discussed (via Twitter) that he anticipates Detroit will make at least one trade prior to next month’s deadline.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Bosh, McCollum

January 18th, 2014 at 6:57pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Fallout from the two Nets trades earlier today continues into the evening. Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders provides his analysis to the trades. According to Brigham, the deal “makes sense for everyone involved”.

A few other notes around the league.

The famous trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics may have never happened if it wasn’t for Timberwolves‘ owner, Glen Taylor removing his demand for Rajon Rondo. Peter May of The New York Times writes that Celtics’ owner Wyc Grousbeck stayed firm on his offer and wasn’t willing to part with Rondo in any trade with the Timberwolves.
Regarding current trade possibilities, Chris Bosh has taken a note from Pau Gasol‘s book by trying to find interests outside of basketball when trade rumor volume increases each year. Bosh noted to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that he likes how Gasol can be “comfortable in who he is” and not let the constant rumors bother him.
C.J. McCollum revealed to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders his friendship with fellow Trail Blazer Damian Lillard extends long before becoming teammates this summer. Lillard was someone McCollum wanted to play like and began learning from the guard prior to his last season at Lehigh University.

Fallout From Warriors/Celtics/Heat Trade

January 15th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat made initial inquiries about Kyle Lowry prior to today’s three-team trade with the Celtics and Warriors, but those talks with the Raptors went nowhere, Grantand’s Zach Lowe reports. Lowe predicts the Heat will cut either the newly acquired Toney Douglas or Roger Mason Jr. to open a roster spot for Andrew Bynum. Regardless, the trade is a “no-brainer” for Miami, Lowe believes. We’ve roundup up more news and reaction in the wake of today’s deal below:

Even if the protected first-rounder the Celtics acquired turns into a pair of second-round picks after next season, the trade still provides Boston with a “small bounty,” Lowe writes in the same piece, as teams around the league are valuing second-rounders more highly.
The departure of Joel Anthony prompts Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel to wonder if Udonis Haslem might be the next to go as the Heat continue to pursue a strategy of freeing money to keep their three stars and supplementing them with bargains.
The Warriors are still “thrilled” to have essentially passed on Jarrett Jack in favor of Andre Iguodala this summer, even though Douglas proved ineffective as a replacement at backup point guard, forcing today’s move, notes Sam Amick of USA Today.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com figures the depature of Crawford, who was developing into a serviceable point guard, strengthens the chances that the Celtics will keep Rajon Rondo long-term (Twitter link).
Today’s trade means the Heat have cut their projected luxury tax bill by more than 50% since the start of July, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com explains (Twitter links).
The Timberwolves weren’t among the teams interested in Jordan Crawford, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Crawford played point guard for the Celtics, but he’s otherwise been a shoot-first gunner, and Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group believes he’ll benefit the Warriors most as a pure scorer.

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.

Odds & Ends: Love, Spurs, Lee, Thunder

January 13th, 2014 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

With the Wolves struggling and Kevin Love‘s frustration level rising, clubs are likely salivating at the chance to land him via trade. However, Sam Smith of NBA.com hears that Love, a free agent in the summer of 2015, favors the Knicks and Lakers. In Smith’s mind, there really isn’t a point to trading for the forward if he isn’t willing to extend his deal or re-sign with your club. More from around the Association..

The Spurs announced that Danny Green will miss about four weeks with a broken left hand, but the team isn’t likely to sign a replacement, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Michael Cohen of the Commercial Appeal chatted with new Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee and those who helped shape his game. “He’s a system guy. He’s not Paul George. He’s not this alpha male-type player. You put him in a specific role on a good team with good players, and that’s where he’s really strong. That’s what we see in him here,” said Stu Lash, Grizzlies director of player personnel and basketball development.
Thunder GM Sam Presti told a local sports radio station that while he’ll do his “due diligence” on the trade market, he’s happy with where the team is currently, tweets Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
Jerryd Bayless can do more for the Celtics than just help their finances, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg.

D-League Notes: Harris, Jazz, Muhammad

January 13th, 2014 at 5:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Manny Harris, fresh off his second D-League Performer of the Week award, is drawing interest from the Hawks and Lakers, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. NBA interest is nothing new for Harris, who also spoke with Thunder management about a week ago. Here’s more from the D-League..

The Jazz today officially announced their recall of Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert from the D-League. Jody Genessy of the Deseret News first reported the move yesterday.
The T’Wolves announced that they have recalled Shabazz Muhammad from the Iowa Energy. The rookie forward is expected to practice with Minnesota today. The UCLA product averaged 24.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in four games. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (on Twitter) notes that Flip Saunders said this would be the plan all along.
The Pistons announced that they have recalled rookie guard Peyton Siva and rookie forward Tony Mitchell from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Siva averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.6 steals in five games (four starts) with Fort Wayne. In six games (five starts) with the Mad Ants, Mitchell averaged 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game.
The Kings announced that they have assigned rookie guard Ray McCallum to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. McCallum was assigned yesterday and recalled just a few hours later.
The Raptors announced that they have recalled Dwight Buycks from the Bakersfield Jam. Buycks has appeared in 12 games for the Raptors this season recording a total of 41 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds and six steals in 121 minutes.
The Delaware 87ers of the D-League have claimed guard Vander Blue, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel waived the former Marquette shooting guard just before the New Year.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Rumors: Nuggets, Turkoglu, Spurs

January 10th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a chance, albeit a slim one, that Andre Miller will return to the Nuggets’ lineup before the team finds a trade for him, a source tells Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Miller has not rejoined the team since being suspended for a confrontation with coach Brian Shaw last week, and while the Nuggets continue to explore deals, they’ve been unsuccessful so far. One stumbling block has been the Kings‘ insistence on including Travis Outlaw in any such swap, as USA Today’s Sam Amick wrote earlier this evening. As we wait to find out when, or if, a Miller trade will happen, here’s more on the Nuggets and the rest of the Western Conference:

Hedo Turkoglu impressed during his workout with the Clippers today and the team is interested in signing him, Doc Rivers told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Still, Rivers didn’t say when a signing might happen. Rivers is wary of change, as the coach also said in noting his reticence to consider Andrew Bynum, Markazi tweets.
Gregg Popovich explains that the “scary” effect midseason trades can have on team chemistry generally helps dissuade the Spurs from making such moves, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News observes. The Spurs are reportedly taking an “unusually aggressive” approach to trade talks this season.
The insurance on Danilo Gallinari‘s contract will pay the Nuggets 80% of his salary for any games he misses over the remainder of the season, Dempsey notes, amending his earlier report that said the insurance would cover 50%. The team will save about $99K per game.
Ricky Rubio was supposed to represent one of the Timberwolves’ notable draft successes in recent years, but his lack of development is making 2009’s haul, which included Jonny Flynn, look even worse, opines Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.