Eastern Notes: Anthony, Cavs, Bucks, Sixers
Celtics center Joel Anthony has a $3.8MM player option this summer that he is expected to exercise, but he’s still unsure of his decision, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Anthony said, “When the season’s over, I’ll talk with my agent and look to see what we’re going to do.” Anthony hasn’t seen much playing time, primarily because he is new to the system and the club wanted to play Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt, opines Washburn. But he also believes that Anthony could be a more useful asset next season when the Celtics move forward from rebuilding mode.
More from the East:
- The Cavs have assigned Sergey Karasev and Scotty Hopson to the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, the team announced. Karasev has appeared in 18 games for the Charge with averages of 13.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.0 SPG in 30.0 minutes per game. Hopson was signed on March 31st and has appeared in one game for Cleveland this season.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio looks at what issues the Cavs will have to address prior to next season.
- The Sixers are on their way towards securing the second worst record in the NBA. Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at what the team’s options would be if they secured the second pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Moore’s scenario is based on the Bucks selecting Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick.
- The reports that the Bucks might be sold as early as this weekend are premature, as Don Walker and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel detail. Steve Greenberg of Allen & Co., the firm that owner Herb Kohl retained to bring in new team investors, said, “The process is ongoing. There is a lot of speculation out there. There is an active and ongoing process with respect to the Bucks. But we are not going to comment on speculation.”
Spurs Sign Damion James To 10-Day Deal
THURSDAY, 10:13am: The deal is official, the team announced.
WEDNESDAY, 1:59pm: The Spurs are set to sign former first-round pick Damion James to a 10-day contract, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Nuggets brought him to preseason camp on a non-guaranteed deal, and while he seemed to play Jordan Hamilton to a draw, Denver opted to cut him and keep Hamilton’s guaranteed contract instead. James has spent most of the season in the D-League, splitting time between the Bakersfield Jam and his current team, the Texas Legends, which is the one-to-one affiliate of the Mavs.
The Mark Bartelstein client reportedly drew interest from other NBA teams soon after the Nuggets let him go, but no team had been identified as a suitor. His last official NBA action came last season on a 10-day contract with the Nets, the only team for which he’s played a regular season game. He started nine games for the team as a rookie in 2010/11, but he broke his right foot, and persistent trouble with that foot derailed his career. He appeared in only 34 games on his rookie scale contract.
The Spurs have been carrying an open roster spot, so they don’t need to make a corresponding move before their deal with James becomes official. The 26-year-old has been averaging 21.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in 14 games since joining the Texas Legends, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get significant minutes in a couple of games for the Spurs as they rest players in preparation for the postseason.
Western Rumors: Jackson, Redick, Franklin
If the Clippers beat the Suns tonight, they will clinch the Pacific Division title. Here’s more from out west:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes that Warriors coach Mark Jackson has a uniquely loyal roster in Golden State, and that Warriors brass ought to be very convinced his weaknesses are insurmountable before choosing to part ways with the third-year coach. Stein believes that the most important factor for an NBA coach’s success, other than a talented roster, is player buy-in. Star point guard Steph Curry is adamant that he supports Jackson, and Stein warns that there’s no guarantee a new coach with a winning pedigree could earn the same level of commitment from the Warriors locker room.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Jamaal Franklin from their D-League affiliate per a team release. The rookie has been sent back and forth between the NBA and D-League a handful of times this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per contest in his 19 games with Memphis.
- J.J. Redick is planning on returning for one of the Clippers next three home games, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Redick has been out with a bulging disc long enough to raise the question of whether he could miss the rest of the season.
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale told reporters including Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that Houston’s staff will miss Kelvin Sampson. “He’s had success wherever he’s been. We’ll all miss him. He’s been a great addition,” said McHale. Sampson was hired by the University of Houston and will leave the Rockets after tonight’s game. Sampson himself had no comment on his departure.
Seth Curry To Sign With Santa Cruz
Seth Curry is going to sign with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA D-League, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest is reporting (Twitter link). This will be his second stint with the team this season. This comes on the heels of the Cavaliers declining to sign Curry to a second 10-day contract. Curry only appeared in one game for the Cavs, contributing three points, two steals, and one rebound in nine minutes of action.
Curry also spent time in the NBA this season on a non-guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies, until Memphis waived him. Curry only saw the floor once in Memphis as well.
In 36 games with Santa Cruz, Curry has averaged 19.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 5.9 APG in 35.3 minutes per game.
Warriors Sign Armstrong To 10-Day Contract
4:38pm: The Warriors have officially announced the signing.
11:20am: The Warriors have signed Santa Cruz center Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day contract, bringing him back to the team at a time when they are short on big men heading into today’s game against the Knicks, reports Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group. Armstrong, 29, played in eight games for Golden State this season and will be on his third stint with the team. He previously was signed in December before being waived later that month. In February, he signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors and returned to Santa Cruz after it expired and the team chose not to re-sign him.
Starting center Andrew Bogut was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Saturday after suffering a pelvic contusion the previous night in a win against Memphis. and power forward David Lee is also questionable to face New York due to a strained right hamstring suffered eight days ago in a loss to the Spurs.
Armstrong averaged 12 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 32 appearances for Santa Cruz and had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a loss at Los Angeles on Saturday. For the year, Armstrong has averaged 0.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 4.4 minutes per contest with Golden State.
Kings Sign Willie Reed
FRIDAY, 11:26am: The Kings have signed Reed to a deal for the rest of the season, the team announced. The team’s statement doesn’t make mention of it being a multiyear arrangement, as had previously been reported, so perhaps it only covers the balance of 2013/14. In any case, the team has also assigned Reed to the D-League, as Pilato reported they would.
THURSDAY, 6:24pm: The move was made in part to help the Reno Bighorns (Sacramento’s NBDL affiliate) as they make a late season push for the playoffs, reports Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest. As Pilato explains, there is a rule that states that if an NBA team assigns any player called up within 21 days of the end of the NBA regular season or at any subsequent point during the NBDL regular season or playoffs, the player will return to the D-League team that he was previously playing for.
The Kings barely made the deadline to sign Reed with the option of sending him to their own affiliate, and that’s exactly what the team plans on doing, a source tells Pilato.
9:08am: The Kings are signing D-Leaguer Willie Reed for the rest of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement. Charania’s full story indicates that the deal includes a team option for 2014/15, though I suspect that’s simply a non-guaranteed season, since team options are rare outside of rookie scale contracts.
Reed also inked a multiyear deal with Memphis in mid-April last year, but he never made it into a game, and the Grizzlies cut him and his non-guaranteed contract in training camp this past autumn. Reed appears to represent Plan B for the Kings, who were reportedly set to sign Chris Johnson on Wednesday before the deal fell through.
The 6’9″ Reed has been playing with the D-League affiliate of the Nets this season, averaging 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per contest. Rebounding is his most significant area of improvement over last year, when he averaged 7.8 per contest in similar minutes for the same D-League club.
The Kings gave Reed his first NBA contract in 2012, but he failed to make the team out of camp. Still, Sacramento is high on his activity and athleticism, Charania notes, though most of the team’s management has changed since Reed’s first stint with the Kings.
Northwest Notes: Rubio, Love, Nuggets, Crabbe
With the Timberwolves’ loss to Memphis last night, Minnesota appears to be all but officially eliminated from playoff contention. Hollinger’s Playoff Odds at ESPN.com now have the team making the postseason 0% of the time in 5,000 simulations of 2013/14’s remaining schedule. Here’s more on the Wolves and the rest of the NBA’s Northwest Division:
- Ricky Rubio wants to remain in Minnesota, but he also wants to take part in the playoffs, as he tells Nacho Albarran of As.com (translation via HoopsHype). Rubio, who’ll become eligible to sign an extension in the offseason, predicts that 2015 free agent Kevin Love will stay with the Timberwolves.
- The Nuggets are another Northwest club set to miss the postseason, but coach Brian Shaw is excited for what his squad will be capable of next season now that they understand the system he’s putting in place, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. “Everybody now has an understanding of exactly what I expect of them, how we want to play and what we want to do going forward,” said Shaw. “I’ve said that this is going to be a year of discovery to really understand what it is that we have to work with“
- The Blazers have assigned Allen Crabbe to the D-League, the team announced. It will be Crabbe’s second such assignment this season. The rookie has averaged 2.1 points in a meager 5.1 minutes per contest this season for Portland, but he’ll be in line to see more playing time for the D-League’s Idaho Stampede.
- Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune thinks that Jazz fans should blame coach Tyrone Corbin for Utah’s lack of overall enthusiasm in recent weeks. The club has won just four of its last 19 games and figures to finish the season near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Josh Boone Signs With Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League have signed center Josh Boone, the team has announced. Boone had previously signed a contract to play in the Philippines with Bangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, but only appeared in two contests for the team. In an unusual move the Kings signed former NBA player Kevin Jones to take Boone’s place before he had even appeared in his first game for the team, writes Carlo Pamintuan of Yahoo! Sports.
Boone was the 23rd overall pick by the Nets in 2006. The former Connecticut Husky averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG in his four years with the Nets. He played for the Wizards summer league team before they cut ties with him prior to this season.
Boone appeared in two games for the Energy last season, averaging 16.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG before an injury ended his season. Boone will wear number 33 and will available for tonight’s game.
Cavs Rumors: Curry, Edwards, James
It’s been a tough few seasons for the Cavaliers organization. No team has a worse record since 2010/11, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer points out, Cleveland is 90-209 in that stretch, good for just a .301 winning percentage. Let’s look at the latest on the Cavs:
- Cleveland signed Seth Curry to a 10-day contract yesterday, and the young guard is excited for the opportunity he’ll have to prove he belongs in the NBA, reports Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. With five players sidelined for tonight’s game versus the Rockets, Curry will likely receive ample opportunity to showcase his abilities.
- An official team announcement confirmed that Shane Edwards has re-signed with the D-League affiliate of the Cavs, the Canton Charge. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio was the first to report that the forward would return to Canton, where he’s spent most of the season, if the Cavs decided not to retain him. Cleveland terminated his 10-day contract Friday to make room for Curry.
- LeBron James is surprised at the Cavs’ lack of success in 2013/14, but he doesn’t think it’s fair for him to judge the club, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Who am I to say they should play better or not? I’m not there with them every day,” said James. “I’m not coaching them. I’m not playing. From the beginning of the season, I think we all would say they’d be in better contention in the East.” A rumored offseason reunion between James and Cleveland has been one of the most discussed topics this season, but he doesn’t sound overly impressed with the team as it stands.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Buss, White, Mekel
The Lakers ownership and decision making has been complicated since the passing of Jerry Buss, but Jeanie Buss has stated emphatically that she’s the “boss”, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. In an interview on the “Mason and Ireland”show, Buss said, “I am responsible ultimately for anything with the team and decisions that are made. In my position, I empower people that are in positions to do their jobs. [Executive vice president of player personnel] Jim Buss and [general manager] Mitch Kupchak are responsible for all basketball decisions. They are empowered to do that. My job is to make sure, as a boss, that I provide them the tools to do the job successfully. But it’s up to them to make the day-to-day decisions on how they operate their area of the business.”
More from out west:
- Royce White may finally achieve his dream of playing in the NBA tonight when the Kings take on the Spurs, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. White has had a tumultuous career since being taken 16th overall by the Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft. Mental health issues have taken their toll and kept him off the court. In regards to those issues, White said, “I think (the issues) kind of resolved themselves over time. Just me being in the league for a year and a half and having things be on the table with the league and the union and discussing it put this organization in a better position to handle things. It’s been so good we haven’t even had a discussion about anything. That’s exciting.”
- The Mavericks have recalled Gal Mekel from the NBA D-League, the team announced. In 31 appearances for the Mavs, Mekel has averaged 2.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 9.4 minutes per game.
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to Santa Cruz in the D-League, the team announced. Kuzmic has compiled averages of 6.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG in 21.4 minutes per game over nine games for Santa Cruz this season.