Southwest Rumors: Mavs, Ajinca, Rockets
Southwest Division teams have been at the center of headlines this weekend, as the Grizzlies have added the younger brother of Stephen Curry while news about the Rockets‘ attempts to trade Omer Asik continues to leak. Here’s the latest from the Southwest:
- Point guard Devin Harris suffered another toe injury and won’t return for at least a couple more weeks, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the team isn’t looking to add a replacement, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News observes.
- The Pelicans are optimistic about Alexis Ajinca‘s upside after signing him this week, but the 25-year-old acknowledges he has to deliver on his promise soon to have a lengthy NBA career, writes Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune. “This is my second chance,” Ajinca said. “I know there is not going to be a third chance. I know for sure that it is going to have to happen this year or next year. I’ve been working real hard overseas to get back here. Now I can’t wait to have that opportunity to be on the court and show the world that I have been improving those couple of years.”
- Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley will miss four to six weeks with a broken hand suffered last night against the Pistons, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes via Twitter. Even though Jeremy Lin appears ready to return from back spasms, the team plans to call up Isaiah Canaan from the D-League to bolster its depth, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). Canaan has been on D-League assignment for more than six weeks.
Southwest Notes: Asik, Rockets, Ajinca
Daryl Morey hinted on SportsTalk 790 radio in Houston that an owner’s veto was to blame for the end of trade talks involving Omer Asik.
“We were definitely trying to move [Asik],” Morey said, according to Alex Kennedy’s transcription for HoopsWorld. “It was trending towards something happening, but sometimes when you get to those last approvals and the owner, I think as Houston fans know from past deals that didn’t come off that looked like they were done, they don’t happen. … You’re obviously never going to do a deal that doesn’t help the team or keep you at least even. And those didn’t present themselves.”
There’s more from the Rockets GM’s radio spot amid the latest from the Southwest Division:
- Morey seemed to suggest that Asik could remain with the Rockets past the league’s February 20th trade deadline, even though that would be a surprising outcome. “It’s pretty likely that Omer is here for quite a long time,” Morey said. “A lot of the dynamics that went into things not working out don’t change, in terms of the contract and things like that. We did feel like we owed it to Omer to give a strong look at it, but nothing ended up materializing.”
- New Orleans wasn’t a latecomer in scouting Alexis Ajinca, as Pelicans coach Monty Williams said GM Dell Demps and the team’s front office “have been talking about him for a while,” observes Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. The team officially announced its signing of Ajinca earlier this evening.
- Ajinca’s deal is for two seasons, agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to John Reid of The Times Picayune.
Trade Candidate: Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson has played some of the best basketball of his career this season. Injuries to Anthony Davis and others have left the Pelicans short on big men at times, so Anderson is seeing 36.1 minutes per contest, much more than he ever has. Anderson is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game after returning from a chip fracture in a toe on his right foot that cost him the first two weeks of the season. Still, his name has been coming up in Omer Asik trade rumors since the summer, and the latest dispatch links him to the Grizzlies in a proposed swap for Zach Randolph.
The Pelicans don’t appear willing to go along with either deal, indicating that rival teams have much more interest in trading for Anderson than New Orleans has in letting him go. GM Dell Demps committed a four-year, $34MM contract to the 6’10” power forward as part of a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2012, just days after the Pelicans drafted Davis. There has been plenty of skepticism since then about the ability of Anderson and Davis to coexist on the floor, since they both seem to fit best at the four spot.
The pairing shared the floor for just 11.4 minutes per game in contests for which they were both active last season, per NBA.com, and opponents outscored the Pelicans by 10.3 points per 100 possessions with Anderson and Davis both in the game. That stat has pulled a 180-degree turn this season. Not counting the Unibrow’s comeback appearance on Tuesday after breaking his hand a few weeks ago, New Orleans has outscored other teams by that same margin of 10.3 points per 100 possessions with the two in the lineup. Anderson has only shared the floor with Davis for a total of 136 minutes over eight games this year thanks to their injuries, but that works out to an average of 17.0 MPG together, a higher rate than last year.
The 6’10” Anderson is a much different player than Davis is, perhaps suggesting their games can complement each other. Anderson led the league in three-pointers made and attempted in 2011/12, when he won the Most Improved Player of the Year award with the Magic. Davis has attempted just six three-pointers in his career, missing all of them. Almost half of Davis’s shot attempts last season came within three feet of the rim, according to Basketball-Reference.com. The Pelicans have been a significantly better defensive team when Anderson has been on the bench the past two seasons, as NBA.com shows, and Davis, drafted as a defensive whiz, is ostensibly around to make up for that.
Coach Monty Williams clearly has some reservations about playing Anderson and Davis together, since it’s not a combination he uses too often. Still, considering the commitment the team has made to both and its reluctance to trade Anderson, it appears as though the plan is for them to share the floor a lot more often. Until the team sees how they mesh in significant minutes together, I’d be surprised if New Orleans traded Anderson. It nonetheless appears there are other clubs that might be high enough on the sharpshooting power forward to make an overwhelming offer to Demps, judging by Anderson’s continued appearance in rumors.
The Pelicans are by no means a finished product, and they have holes at center, unless Williams slots Davis into that position, and small forward. Presuming that Davis returns to the starting lineup at power forward once he’s 100%, that would leave the team with about $20MM tied up in Anderson and Tyreke Evans, both of whom would be reserves. That sort of roster imbalance is difficult to overcome.
Sixers small forward Evan Turner and center Spencer Hawes have been in trade rumors of late, so perhaps there’s a Philadelphia option for the Pelicans. Turner and Hawes are both in contract years, and it might be difficult for Demps to relinquish an asset under team control through 2015/16, as Anderson is, for a pair of soon-to-be free agents. Still, the Pelicans would have the right to match offers for Turner, and they’d have full Bird rights on both players. Hawes, a 43.6% three-point shooter this season, could replace some of Anderson’s floor spacing. The Nuggets, once Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee return from injury, might make sense as a trade partner, too, given their glut of frontcourt players and the possibly expendable Wilson Chandler. Still, such ideas are just my speculation.
The Pelicans are certainly in no hurry to rid themselves a player who’s continually improving, so It will probably take an offer that clearly benefits New Orleans to entice Demps to make a deal. Still, the Pelicans are just 11-13 after beginning the season with aspirations of a playoff spot. If the return of Davis can’t spark a turnaround by the February 20th trade deadline, Demps could have the motivation necessary for him to fix a flawed roster. There’s no guarantee that Anderson would be the centerpiece of any significant discussions the Pelicans might have with other teams, but it seems there would be plenty of executives around the league willing to listen if that were the case.
Pelicans Sign Alexis Ajinca
FRIDAY, 5:21pm: The Pelicans officially announced the signing, via press release.
TUESDAY, 4:48pm: Former first-round pick Alexis Ajinca is on his way back to the NBA, according to Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of Catch-and-Shoot (French link). Pantel-Jouve writes that Ajinca’s club in France announced that the 25-year-old will be leaving Strasbourg to sign with the Pelicans.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com confirms with league sources that Ajinca is in the process of finalizing a buyout with Strasbourg and will ink a two-year deal with the Pelicans. According to Berger, the deal is expected to be fully guaranteed, and will be worth the minimum. New Orleans will also pay $575K to Ajinca’s team in France, the standard buyout amount under NBA rules.
Ajinca, who was selected 20th overall by the Bobcats in 2008, appeared in just 71 NBA games for the Bobcats, Mavericks, and Raptors, and hasn’t played in the NBA since 2010/11. However, the big man has been playing well in France this season, averaging 13.9 PPG and 6.9 RPG in just 24.2 MPG (12 contests) for Strasbourg.
The Pelicans opened up a roster spot on Friday by releasing Josh Childress, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to officially add Ajinca.
Southwest Notes: Diaw, Ajinca, Williams
There is news coming out of the Southwest Division that doesn’t involve Omer Asik, believe it or not. Houston’s effort to trade its backup center has dominated headlines for the past few days, and will likely continue to do so until the Rockets strike a deal. In the meantime, here’s the latest from elsewhere in the Southwest:
- Boris Diaw tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that it was an easy decision to exercise his more than $4.7MM player option to return to the Spurs this summer. “In the Finals, we were so close,” Diaw said. “I wanted to go again and come back with this team. It’s been a great season this year, and we play a good style of basketball and we’ll get another shot together.”
- The Bobcats, Mavs and Raptors didn’t make the proper investment of time and effort into Alexis Ajinca‘s development during his first stint in the NBA, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports opines in a piece for the Score. That’s left the Pelicans in a position to benefit now that Ajinca is headed to New Orleans, Deeks writes, comparing it to the Spurs‘ acquisition of Aron Baynes last season.
- Reggie Williams is set to join the D-League, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The four-year NBA veteran is on the Rockets‘ books for about $474K after Houston cut him in a numbers crunch before the start of the regular season. He was among those scheduled to work out for the Grizzlies recently before the team switched gears.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Grizz, Rockets
Three of the ten NBA teams in action tonight are in the league’s Southwest division, which also seems to be having a busy night in the rumors department. Let’s take a look at the latest coming out of the division:
- He’s been mentioned frequently in trade rumors and speculation, but Ryan Anderson isn’t going anywhere, says John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Reid, the Pelicans aren’t discussing Anderson in any trade scenarios, and the NBA’s three-point leader (3.5 per game) remains “critical” to the club’s plans.
- Speaking of the Pelicans, ESPN’s Marc Stein chimes in on the news that Alexis Ajinca is returning stateside to sign with New Orleans, tweeting that he has continuously been told that the improved Frenchman is not the same disappointing player that we last saw in the NBA.
- In an Insider-only piece, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com questions whether or not the Grizzlies – ravaged by injuries and part of a ridiculously deep Western Conference – should throw in the towel on this season. Haberstroh says that Memphis is statistically more likely to win the No. 1 selection in June’s draft than they are to make the playoffs, and that “tanking” would undoubtedly include trading grit-and-grind staple Zach Randolph.
- At the end of his Waiters story, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report also confirms that the Rockets could trade Omer Asik by Thursday, citing a source familiar with the situation and reiterating potential destinations that we’ve heard about in recent weeks. In addition to the Asik stuff, Zwerling spoke to a source close to Jeremy Lin who said the recent buzz that the point guard could be traded is just rumors for now and that nothing is “imminent.”
Celtics Rumors: Asik, Rondo, Wallace, Crawford
The early returns on this morning’s Omer Asik poll suggest that Hoops Rumors readers believe Boston is the most likely landing spot for the Rockets center. If the Celtics to get involved in the eventual Asik deal, either as the club that acquires him or as a facilitator in a three-team trade, it’s worth keeping an eye on their salary situation, says ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. As Stein points out, Boston is barely below the luxury-tax threshold right now, which will factor into any move the team makes (Twitter links).
Here are a few more Tuesday morning updates on the C’s:
- Multiple league sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that even if the Celtics are open to moving Rajon Rondo, the club won’t receive any “legitimate” offers until the All-Star point guard returns to game action.
- Unsurprisingly, the Celtics haven’t found much interest in Gerald Wallace, says Blakely.
- According to Blakely, when engaging in trade talks, the C’s figure to target a player on his rookie contract whose potential is greater than his present value. The CSNNE scribe hears from a source that Austin Rivers is a name worth keeping in mind, despite the fact that his father is now coaching in Los Angeles rather than Boston.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Jordan Crawford is available, and notes that the Heat have been mentioned as a possible suitor. However, Miami isn’t the only potential destination for Crawford, according to Amico, who hears from an NBA exec that the Kings, Raptors, and Knicks could be in the mix as well.
Odds & Ends: Gobert, Pelicans, Gasol, Leonard
The Jazz sent Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark to their D-League affiliate for some badly needed playing time, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Both players impressed in their D-League debuts last night. Gobert put up 16 points, 14 boards, and six blocks. Clark had 14 points and six rebounds. More from around the Association..
- Some may have expected the Pelicans to fold in the wake of Anthony Davis‘ injury, but coach Monty Williams told Matt Moore of CBSSports.com that you won’t see that out of New Orleans. “I don’t buy into this idea of tanking and teams who quit when things don’t go their way. To me, that’s what is bad about the NBA. Guys are still getting paid, guys are still getting shoe contract money, all those things are still in play. So when things don’t go your way, you can’t tuck tail and run. And we just don’t bring in guys who are susceptible to that,” the coach said.
- Pau Gasol says that he’s accustomed to trade talk and isn’t letting the latest round of speculation get to him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers star has been on the pages of Hoops Rumors quite a bit ever since his reported dust-up with coach Mike D’Antoni.
- Blazers big man Meyers Leonard shouldn’t be shipped to the D-League even though he’s struggling, writes CSNNW.com’s Dwight Jaynes.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes a quick look around the league at the teams that could be active in the trade market over the next few months.
Amick’s Latest: Randolph, Anderson, Asik
We already passed along news about Kyle Lowry from Sam Amick’s latest NBA A to Z post, but the USA Today scribe included plenty more from around the league amid a busy week of trade talks. We’ll hit the highlights here:
- Amick hears strong denials from sources close to the Grizzlies and Pelicans about a rumored swap of Zach Randolph for Ryan Anderson. Neither team has discussed the deal, according to Amick. The chatter nonetheless irked Randolph, as he tells Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. “But yeah, it bothers me,” Randolph said in part. “It hurts a little bit. I can’t deny that. But it goes to show you that there ain’t no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.”
- The Pelicans and Bucks are no longer a part of trade discussions for Omer Asik, according to Amick. That’s no surprise for New Orleans, which has been reluctant to acquiesce to the Rockets‘ demands for Anderson, and Milwaukee always seemed to be on the fringe of the Asik picture.
- The Clippers filled their final roster spot when they signed Stephen Jackson this week, but Lamar Odom remains in the team’s plans, Amick says. Odom appears to be a few weeks shy of being ready to play, and the team’s injuries prompted the Clippers to act swiftly.
- Seth Curry went through his scheduled workout with the Grizzlies, and he shot well, but Memphis isn’t expected to add him or the other three guards they were set to audition earlier this week, Amick writes. The Grizzlies have indeed changed their priorities in light of Quincy Pondexter‘s season-ending injury, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Thursday.
Pelicans Waive Josh Childress
The Pelicans have released swingman Josh Childress, the team announced today in a press release. The move opens up a spot on the roster, bringing the team’s total count to 14 players.
Childress, 30, spent almost exactly a month on the Pelicans’ roster, having been signed on November 12th. He barely saw any action during his stint with the club, playing a total of 24 minutes in four games, and failing to record a single point. It’s the latest in a string of failed auditions for Childress, who has seen his overall production decline in each of the last four seasons, in increasingly reduced roles.
Childress had been on a non-guaranteed contract, so while the Pelicans paid him about a month’s worth of salary, the team won’t be on the hook for his full cap hit. The former sixth overall pick had been earning the minimum.