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Pacific Notes: Cousins, Nash, Clark, Kings

January 14th, 2013 at 10:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers and Warriors may be the only two Pacific Division squads in line for a playoff spot, but in terms of dramatics, they're getting upstaged by their closest neighbors. The Kings could be on their way out of town, while the way the Lakers have struggled this season is probably the most surprising development of the season. Here's more on the Pacific's most intriguing off-court teams.

In his report on a halt to trade talks involving Rudy Gay, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio also notes that the Kings never went further than exploratory discussions with other teams about DeMarcus Cousins, who'll likely remain in Sacramento while the future of the team's ownership is in limbo.
Steve Nash, who says his team's goal is merely to make the playoffs, pointed to the Lakers' coaching change as a stumbling block this season in his comments on the "Max & Marcellus" show on ESPNLA 710 Radio (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). "It's been a 180 degree difference from Coach (Mike) Brown's offense to Coach (Mike) D'Antoni's. … Big reason we've struggled," Nash said.
Earl Clark, a throw-in as part of the Dwight Howard trade, has suddenly become a contributor for the Lakers, and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News chronicles his journey to NBA relevance.
With an eye on the Kings' potential move, Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty takes a look back at the NBA relocation committee's rejection of the Wolves' plan to move to New Orleans in 1994.
Former Kings first-round pick Omri Casspi is among those who don't want to see the team leave Sacramento, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.

Teams Facing Disabled Player Exception Deadline

January 14th, 2013 at 6:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Plenty of teams have had to endure injuries to star players this season, as Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Love, John Wall, Eric Gordon and others have all missed significant time. Still, for a team to get any monetary relief from the NBA, a player must be out for the entire season. The league grants the disabled player exception to teams who'll be without a member of their roster for the entire season, and Tuesday is the last day for teams to apply for it.

As Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors spelled out when he looked at this exception, it gives the team an amount equal to half the injured player's salary that it can use to sign a replacement to a contract for the rest of that season. Teams can also use that amount, plus $100K, to bring in a replacement via trade, as long as the incoming player is in the final year of his deal.

The exception doesn't automatically show up in a team's ledger when a player goes down. Clubs must submit an application to the league, which considers whether to fulfill requests on a case-by-case basis. Ostensibly, this is to prevent teams from trying to replace players who might come back at some point later in the season. But, if the injured player surprises and makes it back before the end of the year, the team suffers no penalty.

We heard earlier today that the Lakers are exploring the idea of applying for the exception to replace Jordan Hill, who was ruled out for the season on Friday. Over the weekend, the Timberwolves made official news that's been expected since last month, announcing on their website that Malcolm Lee is done for the year. Yet for all the players suffering injuries this season, only a handful of players appear to be definitely out for the season. We'll round them up here, with amount the exception would be worth in parentheses.

Channing Frye, Suns ($3MM): There's no real need for Phoenix to pursue the exception, since they're already more than $3MM under the salary cap.
Brandon Rush, Warriors ($2MM): The W's might be hesitant to add salary this season, since they're already a taxpaying team, and they're about $3MM below their hard cap, which the disabled player exception would not excuse them from.
Malcolm Lee, Timberwolves ($381,098): The amount of this exception would be tiny, so it would be of little use in signings, but it could allow the Wolves a little bit of flexibility in trades.
Jordan Hill, Lakers ($1,781,800): Luke Adams looked at the Lakers' case earlier today, noting that the Lakers already have more than $1.5MM available as part of their mid-level exception, so it seems unlikely they'd need the DPE.
Elliot Williams, Trail Blazers ($721,440): The Blazers have already obtained the exception for Williams, though they have yet to use it.

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

T-Wolves Planning To Sign Mickael Gelabale?

January 14th, 2013 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves appear close to reaching a deal with French forward Mickael Gelabale, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota doesn't currently have an open roster spot, but the team may add Gelable on a 10-day deal when Lazar Hayward's 10-day contract expires.

We heard yesterday that Gelabale's team in Spain has granted him permission to travel stateside to negotiate an NBA deal. The 29-year-old has an NBA out in his contract that must be exercised by the end of the month — otherwise, he'll head back overseas and finish the season with Valencia.

According to Zgoda, Timberwolves president David Kahn confirmed before yesterday's game that the club maintains its interest in Gelabale, and said the Wolves are "working on some things," though he didn't confirm whether an agreement was in place. As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Hayward's deal is set to expire this Thursday, so Minnesota will have an open roster spot at that point.

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has reported multiple times that Gelabale is seeking a 20-day guarantee to come to the NBA, so if he signs a 10-day contract with the T-Wolves, it's possible it will be followed by a second 10-day deal. A 2005 second-round pick, Gelabale hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2007/08 season, with the SuperSonics.

Kyler On Dwight, Hornets, Beasley, Gay, Magic

January 12th, 2013 at 3:34pm CST by Sean Highkin

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com answered some questions from his Twitter followers on Saturday regarding various free agency and trade rumors.

Just as they plan to make a run at Chris Paul (link below), the Hawks will aggressively pursue Dwight Howard as well, Kyler says.
Hornets GM Dell Demps tells Kyler he wants to give his roster more time to play together, so New Orleans is unlikely to be active at the deadline.
The Lakers almost traded for Michael Beasley last year, but Kyler can't see them doing so again (Twitter links).
Kyler speculates that the Wizards are the most logical destination for Rudy Gay.
The Magic, who possess a trade exception worth more than $17.8MM from the Dwight Howard deal, aren't likely to use it for a "splashy" move.
If the Magic deal away J.J. Redick, he'll look to sign with a contender as a free agent this summer.

Earlier updates:

Kyler tweets that the Hawks intend to make a strong push for Chris Paul this summer. The Bobcats will also attempt to lure him, but Kyler does not think he will leave the Clippers.
Kyler says that Andrew Bynum will be seeking a max contract on the open market, although there is some doubt that he will get such an offer. He points to the Rockets as one team willing to take a gamble.
The Magic value J.J. Redick highly, and it would cost several draft picks for them to move him.
Kyler sees the Grizzlies' recent Rudy Gay trade discussions as an attempt to understand roster value.
If Derrick Williams continues his strong play, Kyler thinks the Timberwolves may opt to move Kevin Love instead.
The Celtics may be open to trading Paul Pierce, Kyler writes, if the return makes them more competitive right now.

Wolves Turned Down Trade Offer For Gay?

January 11th, 2013 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported that if the Grizzlies and Timberwolves had discussed a Rudy Gay trade, talks had been very casual. Now, Wolfson says that the Grizzlies did make Minnesota an offer involving Gay, but that Wolves president David Kahn "said no immediately."

According to Wolfson, the Timberwolves were very interested in Gay when he hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2010, and had planned to meet him face-to-face to discuss an offer sheet. However, Gay agreed to re-sign with Memphis before meeting with Kahn and the T-Wolves. The Wolves maintain interest in the 26-year-old, however, and are worth monitoring as the trade deadline approaches, despite their reluctance to take on the money remaining on his contract.

Wolfson speculates that the Grizzlies' offer to the Wolves included at least one of Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic, and suggests that three- or four-team scenarios may have been briefly discussed as well.

The Suns, Kings, Celtics, Warriors, Raptors, Nuggets, and Cavs are among the other clubs that have linked to Gay and the Grizzlies to varying degrees within the last few days.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Lillard, Thunder

January 10th, 2013 at 9:23pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest links and updates in the Northwest Division on Thursday:

Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press praises Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams for taking advantage of the opportunity created by Kevin Love's latest hand injury.
Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes that Oakland native Damian Lillard is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year with the Blazers.
Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports that Eric Maynor has no interest in a D-League assignment despite falling out of the Thunder's rotation as backup point guard.
Mayberry also has a quote from Nick Collison, who cites his ability to take a lesser role as a major reaso he's been able to stay relevant in the NBA.

Heat Re-Sign Josh Harrellson

January 10th, 2013 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

Three days after being released by the Heat, Josh Harrellson has rejoined the team, according to Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Richardson reports that Miami has re-signed Harrellson to a 10-day contract.

The Heat opened up two roster spots earlier this week by cutting Harrellson and Terrel Harris before their non-guaranteed contracts became guaranteed for the season. However, the club didn't waste much time in filling those spots. Besides Harrellson, Jarvis Varnado also signed a 10-day contract with Miami yesterday.

The pair of signings means that, for now, there's no room on the Heat roster for Chris Andersen, who worked out for the team this week. However, Miami will have the opportunity to reevaluate their frontcourt options in 10 days, when Varnado's and Harrellson's contracts expire.

Before Harrellson re-signed with Miami, he was in contact with the Timberwolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).

Kevin Love Breaks Hand, Out 8-10 Weeks

January 9th, 2013 at 2:26pm CST by Michael Pina

WEDNESDAY, 2:26pm: Love is expected to undergo surgery on his broken hand next week and then miss an additional eight to ten weeks, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 4:23pm: According to a tweet from the Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda, Kevin Love has re-fractured the third metacarpal in his right hand. Love will see a hand specialist in New York City this week, and his return to action is pending whether or not the doctor decides surgery is needed, tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger.

The injury occurred Thursday night against Denver. It's the same hand he infamously broke before the season while doing knuckle push-ups. Minnesota is currently 15-14 fighting for their first playoff appearance in nine seasons. Already rumored to be an active team before the trade deadline, Love's injury could have a major impact on whether or not they become sellers or buyers.

Raptors Seriously Interested In Rudy Gay

January 9th, 2013 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

A flurry of Rudy Gay rumors on Tuesday suggested that the Suns and Grizzlies were discussing a possible deal for Gay that could include Jared Dudley, and that the Warriors, Kings, and Celtics were among the other teams that had at least preliminary talks with Memphis. With six weeks still to go before this season's trade deadline, it's unlikely that the Grizzlies make a move this early, but the reports continue to pour in, so we'll round up today's Gay-related rumors right here, with the latest added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Nuggets also spoke to the Grizzlies about Gay, but those discussions appear to be fruitless, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick adds that the Mavericks aren't currently pursuing Gay.

Earlier updates:

The Raptors are seriously interested in making a run at Gay and are believed to be dangling young big man Ed Davis and Jose Calderon's expiring contract, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Toronto previously made a run at Gay, offering packages headlined by Calderon and their No. 8 pick in last year's draft, which eventually became Terrence Ross.
The Grizzlies haven't made a decision one way or the other yet on whether they'll trade Gay, says Stein, who adds that some rival GMs believe Memphis could wait until the summer to make a move. According to Stein, the Grizzlies don't intend to just move Gay's salary if it significantly weakens the team in the process.
Responding to Stein's report, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun expresses uneasiness about the Raptors parting ways with Davis, and suggests that Ross may make more sense as a target for the Grizzlies (all Twitter links).
At least eight teams have expressed some interest in Gay, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler adds in a second tweet that the Grizzlies are "geniunely torn" on whether or not to move the veteran forward.
If the Grizzlies have contacted the Timberwolves about Gay, it was a very casual conversation, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Finding a big man is the more pressing concern for Minnesota, according to Wolfson.

Injury Updates: Rose, Gasol, Varejao, Shumpert

January 8th, 2013 at 11:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

While injury news may not be part of our main scope at Hoops Rumors, we have a handful of updates to share this evening:

Kevin Love will travel to New York on Wednesday in order to determine whether or not he'll need surgery on his broken right hand, according to Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
Derrick Rose should be cleared for full-contact practice within the next two weeks, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Subscribers only). Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times provided another look at the superstar's return to practice today, noting that Rose looked good in "predictable contact" drills.
Kevin Ding of the OC Register (via Twitter) notes that Dwight Howard's injury is actually a separated shoulder (not a torn labrum) and that he hopes to return after a week of recovery. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets that Dwight's injury will not require surgery.