New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Evans, Jazz, Nuggets

October 5th, 2013 at 9:53pm CST by Spencer Lund

New Pelicans wing Tyreke Evans landed hard on his left ankle tonight during their preseason game against the Rockets. John Reid of Times-Picayune reports that he was helped off the court.

Fellow Times-Picayune beat reporter Jimmy Smith tweets that X-Rays were negative on Evans' left ankle. But the team will do an MRI later tonight to be sure there's no structural damage. Evans signed with the Pelicans after a three-team trade involving the Blazers and Kings in July.

Here's more from around the West as preseason games started today…

Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Jazz guard Ian Clark has been underwhelming in training camp. The undrafted rookie performed spectacularly for the Heat and Warriors in summer league, winning the summer league championship MVP in Vegas.
The Jazz signed Clark to a partially guaranteed two-year minimum deal with the Jazz. Still, he's been pressing, Oram adds in a tweet. Though the Salt Lake Tribune scribe doesn't believe he'll be waived (Twitter).
Oram continued to update on the Jazz training camp roster tonight, tweeting that with Marvin Williams and Brandon Rush hurt, many believe the Jazz will keep 15 on their roster with Scott Machado or Lester Hudson likely to claim one of the remaining spots for opening night.
JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried must improve their one-on-one defense as stressed by new Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, writes Benjamin Hochman in his mailbag column for the Denver Post.

Western Notes: Kobe, Carney, Blazers

October 5th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Spencer Lund

Kobe Bryant didn't inform Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni of his latest trip to Germany for a blood-spinning procedure on his right knee, and at least one other NBA coach sees that as a sign of disrespect, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.

Here's more from around the Western Conference…

The Pelicans announced today in a press release they've waived 6'7" forward Rodney Carney. A product of Memphis, the 29-year-old Carney has been in the league for five seasons, playing in the past for the Sixers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Timberwolves with career averages of 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.4 MPG.
Nicolas Batum told CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes today was the first day Blazers coach Terry Stotts let the projected starting lineup of Batum, Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez play together. He said they played great (Twitter).
After suffering a minor injury to his left leg during Blazers practice on Wednesday, Aldridge tells Mike Tokito of the Oregonian that he's feeling better after sitting out Thursday's practice. He was back on the court Friday.
After coming aboard as the Blazers' GM 16 months ago, Neil Olshey has blossomed into a leader and the voice of a Blazers franchise that needed both, writes Joe Freeman at the Oregonian.
Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside believes Perry Jones III could use another season in the Development League before being called up to the Thunder.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post

Southwest Rumors: Carter, Howard, Pelicans

October 4th, 2013 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest news out of the Southwest Division..

Even though Vince Carter is closing in on his 37th birthday and is in the final year of his contract, he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. He won't talk about a timetable, but he says that his body is telling him he's got a few years of basketball left in him. Carter averaged 13.4 PPG last season off of the bench in just 26 minutes per night.
Dwight Howard spoke to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report about the importance of coach Kevin McHale in his free agent decision. "I feel like me and Kevin just have a special relationship already, from just the first time we’ve talked until now," the Rockets center said. "He said he watched almost all my games. It was just a shock. You got Kevin McHale, one of the greatest players to play the game, our coach, dissecting my game and all my tapes."
The Pelicans have an unprecedented amount of depth this season, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Point guard Jrue Holiday says the 2011/12 Sixers are the only team he can remember being on with similar strength off the bench. "I think our first team, and our second team, if that's what you want to call it, are starters," Holiday said. "They're just as good as the first team. That definitely makes practice more competitive. It makes the starters better and the second team better, too."

Southwest Notes: Calderon, Grizzlies, Evans

October 2nd, 2013 at 8:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Southwest Division.

When the Mavericks signed free agent point guard Jose Calderon, they did so because they think he will shore up their inconsistent crunch time offense, writes ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins writes about Grizzlies newcomer Nick Calathes—who was drafted out of the University of Florida in 2009 but has yet to play a minute in the NBA—as a possible solution for the team's recent woes with backup point guards.
Pelicans head coach Monty Williams revealed his plans to use Tyreke Evans as an offensive weapon off the bench, writes NOLA.com's John Reid.

Odds & Ends: Gasol, Evans, Stern, Beaubois

October 1st, 2013 at 9:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Pau Gasol is in his walk year and while he has yet to discuss a new deal with the Lakers, he's made it clear that he wants to come back, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "It's nice to be here in the last year of my contract," Gasol said. "I'd love to continue to play with the Lakers [next year]. We've been through so much together. Mostly amazing moments and some hard moments too. It's like a relationship. If you're still together, it shows improved strength and consistency and how solid the relationship is. Hopefully we'll see if we can extend it." Here's more from around the Association..

Offseason acquisition Tyreke Evans says that he would like to fill a "Manu Ginobili kind of role" for the Pelicans, writes Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Evans was also asked about why things didn't work out in Sacramento, but he took the high road and concluded that it was "just time for a change."
As David Stern enters his final season as commissioner, he says that he is most proud of the game's international growth, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.
In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com focuses on free agent guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who looked like a promising up-and-coming prospect three years ago, and now can't find NBA work.
More and more teams are stashing picks overseas, according to a recent numbers crunch from HoopsHype. This year, there was a record-setting eight stash picks in the draft.
Forward Jeff Green had high praise for new Celtics coach Brad Stevens today, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.

Pelicans Add Rodney Carney To Camp Roster

October 1st, 2013 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

After signing Lazar Hayward yesterday, the Pelicans have added another player to their camp roster, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. Eichenhofer tweets that free agent swingman Rodney Carney will join New Orleans for training camp.

Carney, 29, was selected 16th overall in the 2006 draft, and spent five NBA seasons with the Sixers, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies. The Memphis product displayed decent scoring and shooting prowess during his time in the league, including a 44.7 3PT% in 2010/11, but hasn't appeared in a regular season game since before the lockout. Carney participated in camp with the Heat last fall before joining Antalya in Turkey, where he averaged 16.6 PPG in 10 contests.

With the addition of Carney, the Pelicans increase their preseason roster to 17 players, including four without fully guaranteed contracts. Since New Orleans could have two roster spots up for grabs, Carney figures to receive consideration for one of those openings.

Pelicans Sign Lazar Hayward

September 30th, 2013 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the only NBA teams still carrying just 15 players, the Pelicans have added at least one more name to their training camp roster. Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com reports (via Twitter) that Lazar Hayward will participate in camp with the club.

Hayward, 26, was a first-round draft pick in 2010, but has yet to make a real impact in his limited NBA action. In 72 total games for the Timberwolves and Thunder, the 6'6" swingman has averaged 2.9 PPG and a 9.0 PER.

The Pelicans may not be done adding players to their camp roster, since they still have four available spots on the roster. At the moment, the team has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Lance Thomas on a partially guaranteed deal, and Hayward and Arinze Onuaku on non-guaranteed pacts.

Western Notes: Aldridge, Kanter, Gallinari, Pau

September 26th, 2013 at 7:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge relays a portion of the transcript from a radio interview between Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and John Canzano of 750 AM The Game as it relates to trade rumors surrounding LaMarcus Aldridge. Wojnarowski believes that while the circumstances could change, he can't imagine Aldridge leaving Portland in the foreseeable future and adds that the team hasn't shopped him. He's also not sure if the market is currently presenting anything worth trading for and doesn't think Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is likely to deal the 6'11 big man for pennies on the dollar. Here are more miscellaneous notes out of the Western Conference tonight, including a handful of injury updates:

Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that while the Mavericks could be okay this year, he's concerned about two to three years down the line when the team might not have any young stars to build around.
In a piece for The Oregonian, Canzano says that he wants someone from the Trail Blazers to step up and guarantee a playoff berth.
Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jazz big man Enes Kanter has looked great in workouts, has had no issues with his shoulder, and participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages today for the first time since his injury (Twitter links).
Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wouldn't commit to any projected recovery timetable for injured forward Danilo Gallinari, saying that it isn't "anything that anyone can determine at this point" (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post).
Mark Medina of InsideSocal passes along an injury update from Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who looks to be fully healthy heading into this season after a summer of much-need rest and rehab.
In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Ben Golliver made note that Rockets guard James Harden believes that he is a top-10 player (hat tip to Comcast Sportsnet Houston): "For sure. Last year I got a chance to prove it, I kind of broke out of the shell a little bit. Even though it was my first year (as a starter), I've got a lot more to prove. I've always kind of been the underdog, always been looked over, so it's nothing new."
Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com provides season previews for the Thunder and Jazz with help from Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune, respectively.
Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continued his list of reasons to be excited about training camp in New Orleans, listing a fresh start for Tyreke Evans at number five.

Lakers Rumors: Odom, Paul, Kobe, Fisher

September 26th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, ESPNLosAngeles.com published another excerpt of Jeanie Buss' updated memoirs, "Laker Girl." In this piece, Buss says that she was less-than-involved in the 2011 trade that jettisoned Lamar Odom from L.A. According to Jeanie, her brother Jim notified her of the trade via text, writing, "Traded Odom to Dallas for first-round pick. I think it might make it easier to make a big trade. Will keep you posted. Have a good night." That wasn't the only significant storyline that Buss touched on, however. Here's more from Buss' memoirs and other items of interest on the Lakers..

Buss went on to describe the events that led to Chris Paul being traded to the Lakers and the deal being called off shortly thereafter. In Buss' mind, the timing of the deal rubbed the small-market owners the wrong way as they all just got done ratifying a CBA that was supposed to ensure a more even playing field for all teams. Had the Hornets and Lakers waited, say, two days to pull the trigger, it's possible that the deal never would have been reversed by David Stern.
In an interview in Dubai, Kobe Bryant told Jessica Kahawaty of Yahoo (video link) that he would like to be reunited with a longtime teammate. “My all-time favorite teammate has always been Derek Fisher. He’s been my favorite teammate, I would love to see him back in a Lakers uniform so we could kind of finish out together," Bryant said of the veteran guard.
General Manager Mitch Kupchak is out there searching for diamonds in the rough, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Western Notes: Spurs, Jackson, Johnson

September 24th, 2013 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

A few notes from the Western Conference.

The Spurs have named Ken McDonald the head coach of the team's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first had the story (Twitter link).
Pierre Jackson, whose NBA rights are held by New Orleans, has left his team in France to return to America, according to a report from Le Progres (translation via Sportando). It's not clear whether the Pelicans could fit Jackson into their plans immediately, so he may end up playing elsewhere this season.
Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell writes about new Lakers forward Wesley Johnson, and what sort of impact the former lottery pick should have on the team this season.