New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Gordon Pans Pelicans' Roster Instability; Frazier Returns Early

December 16th, 2016 at 11:19pm CST by Austin Kent

Eric Gordon is enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his nine-year career and while he may not top some of the scoring outputs he registered with the Pelicans and Clippers now that he’s been slotted in as the sixth man of his new club, he’s playing a vital role on a Rockets team in contention for the Western Conference title.

On Friday, Gordon matched up against the Pelicans with whom he played five seasons. Prior to the meeting he was up front and honest about his displeasure in New Orleans, citing roster instability as one of the biggest problems.

”I’m not really worried about what’s going on down there,” the Pelicans guard told John Reid of The Times-Picayune, “but I just know my role changed year by year. We really had only one good year (2013/14), it’s just been tough.'”

Too often the victims of unfortunate injuries, the Pelicans got a taste of the opposite Friday. Despite being initially ruled out for seven to 10 days, per ESPN’s Justin Verrier, backup point guard Tim Frazier opted to return early. According to Jennifer Hale of Fox Sports, Frazier decided to suit up in front of his hometown fans on Friday night and play through a wrist sprain.

Frazier To Be Sidelined At Least A Week

December 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans point guard Tim Frazier will be sidelined with a contusion on a bone in his wrist, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Frazier estimates his recovery time at a week to 10 days.

Gentry On The Hot Seat?

December 14th, 2016 at 10:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Alvin Gentry will find himself on the hot seat if the Pelicans continue to struggle, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes. New Orleans has won just 38 games since he took over the team, but the lack of success isn’t entirely his fault. Gentry hasn’t been able to implement complicated offensive sets because of a rash of injuries since taking over the job. He’s been forced to use 55 different starting lineups over the last two seasons and Deveney argues that Gentry deserves more time because of the instability.

Omer Asik Remains On Trade Block

December 12th, 2016 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Nearly a year after the Pelicans first reportedly made Omer Asik available, he remains on the trade block in New Orleans, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. A league source tells Blakely that Asik is “very much available” once again this season.

The news doesn’t come as a real surprise, since Asik was the subject of trade rumors last year as soon as he become eligible to be dealt on December 15. Although his name surfaced again several times before the 2016 deadline, the veteran center ultimately stayed put, with his pricey five-year contract negatively impacting his trade value. A year later, following the NBA salary cap’s jump from $70MM to $94MM+, Asik’s long-term deal may be a little more palatable.

Asik is currently in the second year of a five-year contract that is fully guaranteed through 2018/19. His cap hit for this season is about $9.9MM, as he continues to play a modest role in New Orleans, contributing just 3.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 17.5 minutes per contest.

As Blakely notes, the Celtics are among the teams that have had interest in Asik at various times in the past. However, a league source tells the CSN scribe that Boston is unlikely to make a move anytime soon unless it drastically improves the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run. In other words, the first priority for GM Danny Ainge is to land a star — if that’s not possible, he may circle back to a secondary piece or two closer to the deadline.

While Ainge may be prioritizing an impact player, acquiring a solid rim protector and rebounder would help balance the Celtics’ lineup in the second half of the season. The team has also been linked to Andrew Bogut, though the Mavs aren’t shopping the former No. 1 pick at this time.

Pelicans Sign Reggie Williams

December 10th, 2016 at 12:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

DECEMBER 10: The Pelicans have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 9: The Pelicans freed up a roster slot earlier today by waiving Anthony Brown and it appears the team will fill that opening by signing Reggie Williams, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The details of the arrangement are unknown, but it is more than likely a minimum salary pact that includes little or no guaranteed salary.

The 30-year-old, who was waived by the Thunder during the preseason, last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, when he joined the Spurs during the middle of the campaign. He previously played with the Thunder, signing a 10-day contract with the team during the 2013/14 campaign. The forward only saw a total of 17 minutes of action and OKC didn’t re-sign him once the deal expired.

Williams has been playing for the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA D-League, appearing in 11 games and averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 33.3 minutes per night. His shooting line is .462/.419/.727.

Gentry Not Worried About Job Security

December 9th, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pelicans are off to a 7-16 start to the campaign, but coach Alvin Gentry isn’t concerned about his job status, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relays. “I really don’t give a [expletive] about my job status,” Gentry said. “I’m gonna work hard, and I’m gonna coach until the day they tell me I’m not the coach here anymore. It doesn’t matter. I don’t ever worry about that. That isn’t anything that I spend five seconds worrying about. My worry is how do I get the guys in the locker room to play at the level that I want them to. That’s where all my effort goes. It doesn’t go anywhere else.”

Pelicans Waive Anthony Brown

December 9th, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have waived Anthony Brown, tweets Justin Verrier of ESPN.

The second-year swingman played nine games for New Orleans, putting up averages of 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per night. He was signed November 21st in an effort to improve the Pelicans’ depth in the backcourt.

The 24-year-old out of Stanford was selected by the Lakers with the 34th pick of the 2015 draft. He spent his rookie season in L.A., averaging 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 29 games, but was waived before the season started.

The move leaves New Orleans with just 14 players, so another roster move may be coming soon.

And-Ones: Rockets, Parsons, Sixers, Stern, Cavs

December 8th, 2016 at 8:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Coach Mike D’Antoni said there’s “always an open door” in regards to Donatas Motiejunas playing for the Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle passes along. “We can’t wait to have him if that works out,” D’Antoni said on Wednesday. “He will definitely be a positive. No negatives there.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Chandler Parsons, who signed a max contract with the Grizzlies over the summer, is the biggest disappointment in the league this season, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders contends. Parsons has been limited to only six games this season because of a knee injury and he’s averaging a pedestrian 7.7 point per contest.
The Sixers should deal Nerlens Noel, whom Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors profiled as a trade candidate recently, to the Bulls for Nikola Mirotic, Brigham argues in the same piece. The scribes believes Noel could anchor Chicago’s bench unit and Mirotic could turn his season around with more playing time in Philadelphia.
Former commissioner David Stern said he never canceled the proposed 2011 trade of Chris Paul from New Orleans to the Lakers because the GM at the time, Dell Demps, wasn’t authorized to make it, RealGM.com relays via Sports Business Radio. The league had assumed control of the New Orleans franchise, called the Hornets at that time and now the Pelicans, giving Stern the authority to nix it. “The GM was not authorized to make that trade,” Stern said. “And acting on behalf of owners, we decided not to make it. I was an owner rep. There was nothing to ‘void.’ It just never got made.”
John Holland, whose rights are owned by the Cavs’ D-League franchise in Canton, has returned to D-League, international journalist David Pick tweets. The 6’5” swingman was one of Cleveland’s final training camp cuts in October.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/7/16

December 7th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

11:41 pm

The Bulls have recalled R.J. Hunter, Doug McDermott and Paul Zipser from their D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Zipser and Hunter were assigned to the Windy City Bulls just hours ago, so the duo presumably joined Chicago’s affiliate for practice.
The Nets have recalled Chris McCullough from the Long Island Nets, the team’s D-League affiliate, per a team press release. He scored 19 points and 13 rebounds in Long Island’s game today.

12:21 pm

Rookie forward Cheick Diallo, who had been assigned to the Austin Spurs, has been recalled from the D-League by the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. New Orleans doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so Diallo has been playing for San Antonio’s D-League squad, averaging 12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in nine games for Austin.
The Hornets have sent Aaron Harrison and Christian Wood back to the D-League on assignments, according to a press release issued by the club. Harrison and Wood, who have played very sparingly for Charlotte, should get a chance to suit up and see some action for the Greensboro Swarm in Wednesday night’s game.
The Nets have once again assigned Chris McCullough to Long Island, according to a team release. The Nets’ D-League affiliate plays this afternoon, so McCullough could be recalled after the game for Brooklyn’s Wednesday evening contest against Denver.
R.J. Hunter and Paul Zipser have been assigned to the D-League, the Bulls announced today in a press release. Chicago’s affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, doesn’t play until Friday, so it’s not clear how long Hunter’s and Zipser’s assignments will last.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/2/16

December 2nd, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Clippers recalled forward Diamond Stone from the D-League earlier today, the team announced. Stone appeared in four games for the Santa Cruz Warriors, where he was sent via the flexible assignment rule, and averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 17.0 minutes of action per outing.
The Sixers sent Nerlens Noel to their D-League affiliate in Delaware earlier today in order for the big man to participate in the 87ers’ practice, the team announced. The center was subsequently recalled this afternoon, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
The Hawks have recalled small forward DeAndre’ Bembry from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Bembry’s stint in the D-League was spent with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate, since Atlanta does not possess an affiliate of its own. The 2016 first-rounder has appeared in seven games for the Hawks this season, averaging 1.3 points on 33.3% shooting.
Chris McCullough has been assigned to the Nets‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. McCullough has averaged 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 29.1 minutes per contest in six games on assignment with Long Island this season.
The Pelicans sent rookie forward Cheick Diallo to the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League via to the flexible assignment system, the team announced. Diallo has appeared in six games with Austin already this campaign, averaging 14.3 points on .553 shooting from the floor, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.