Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Pelicans Rumors

Pelicans Won’t Rule Out Eric Gordon Trade

April 22nd, 2013 at 5:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pelicans didn't hesitate to bring a seemingly unwilling Eric Gordon back last summer, matching a four-year maximum-value offer sheet from the Suns. This time, New Orleans doesn't appear to have reservations about letting him go. GM Dell Demps told reporters today, including John Reid of The Times-Picayune, that the team would consider deals for Gordon or anyone else on the team's roster. 

The news is in keeping with what we heard close to the deadline, when it appeared the Pelicans were more likely to revisit trade offers in the summer than pull the trigger immediately. Part of the reason for that appears to have been the reservations that several teams had about Gordon's balky right knee, not to mention his contract, as Reid writes. Gordon would have to approve any trade that takes place from now until July 14th, since that's when the Pelicans matched his offer sheet from the Suns.

One deadline rumor linked the Warriors to Gordon in a deal involving Klay Thompson. Gordon counted Golden State and Phoenix as places he wouldn't mind winding up via trade, but regardless of whether Gordon would OK a trade to the Suns, that can't happen at all until one year from the time the Pelicans matched his offer sheet from them.

Gordon was out for the first 29 games this season with a patella tendon disorder and bone bruise in his right knee, the same one on which Gordon underwent arthroscopic surgery during the 2011/12 season, when he saw action in just nine games. He was under a minutes restriction for most of this past season, and averaged 30.1 minutes per game in 42 contests while shooting 40.2%, both career lows. 

Repost Share Send via email

Northwest Notes: Thunder, Harden, Davis, Jazz

April 21st, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a lot of strong matchups in this year's playoffs, but the Thunder squaring off with the Rockets could be the most intriguing of them all.  It's a pairing that didn't seem likely until James Harden & Co. started stumbling down the stretch, putting Houston in line for the No. 8 seed.  Now, Harden has a chance to make OKC regret their decision to trade him and the Thunder get to show their old friend that they can still be a contender without him.  Here's more on that and other items out of the Northwest..

  • The parting of the Thunder and Harden absolutely had to happen, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.  OKC's four-year, $53MM offer to Harden wasn't enough and there was no way the Thunder could have afforded to pay four players a combined $59MM next season and $61MM in 2014/15.
  • Derek Page of HoopsWorld questions if the Pelicans made the right choice in taking Anthony Davis No. 1 instead of Damian Lillard.  Teammate and fellow top-10 pick Austin Rivers credited Lillard for having a strong rookie season but said that he is 100% confident that New Orleans made the right call.
  • An exciting offseason awaits the Jazz and all of their free agents, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News.  Sorensen sees Utah letting Al Jefferson go and instead retaining either Paul Millsap or Mo Williams, but not both.  
Repost Share Send via email

New Orleans Officially Adopts Pelicans Nickname

April 18th, 2013 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

The New Orleans Hornets have officially become the New Orleans Pelicans, the team announced today in a press release. The club's website and Twitter feed have been updated to reflect the change.

For Hoops Rumors' purposes, we will be referring to the franchise as the Pelicans going forward. Our Facebook and Twitter feeds for the team have also been updated to reflect the change.

Repost Share Send via email

Southwest Notes: Hornets, Mayo, Brand, Spurs

April 17th, 2013 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to the last night of the NBA's 2012/13 regular season, let's round up a few items out of the Southwest Division….

  • Although the Hornets will finish as one of the bottom three teams in the Western Conference, coach Monty Williams is encouraged by the strides some of his players made this season. "There are a lot of positives," Williams told John Reid of the Times-Picayune. "We firmly believe that guys who come here have a great chance to improve their game because of our program and the things we do. I think it’s just going to get better as we add experience and start to bring in more talent in the next few years."
  • O.J. Mayo, who has a player option for 2013/14, says he'd like to return to the Mavericks next season, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I'd still be surprised if Mayo exercises the option rather than exploring the market.
  • Elton Brand also expressed a desire to return to the Mavs next season, though he said "we'll see what happens in the summer," as Price tweets.
  • Writing for The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks of ShamSports notes how unusual it is for established NBA players like Tracy McGrady to sign deals at the end of the regular season. For the Spurs, there may not be much potential reward, but there's no risk either, says Deeks.
  • The Grizzlies inked a pair of free agents earlier today, adding Donte Greene and Willie Reed.
Repost Share Send via email

Southwest Notes: Hornets, Gordon, Spurs, Mavs

April 8th, 2013 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Hornets couldn't find a deal for Eric Gordon at the trade deadline this year, but they'll probably be open to trading him during the offseason.  The guard had the right to veto a deal in his first year, making it extra difficult to find a deal.  Could New Orleans part ways with Gordon and others after the season?  Here's more on that and other news out of the Southwest..

  • Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the Hornets will have options this summer.  Kyler expects the Hornets to re-start talks on deals as soon as the season ends with Gordon but possibly other roster veterans like Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez.
  • Former NBA player Trajan Langdon is now a scout for the Spurs and combing the D-League for its best talent, writes Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside.  Langdon has experience at every level of basketball, having also been a college star and a standout in Europe.
  • Baylor women's basketball star Brittney Griner is ready to take Mavs owner Mark Cuban up on his offer of an NBA tryout after the WNBA season, writes Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press.  The 6'8" center will be the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA draft April 15th.
Repost Share Send via email

Odds & Ends: Scott, Irving, Nowitzki, Gordon

April 7th, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

There's a lot of concern over Danilo Gallinari's season-ending injury, but Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post doesn't think it puts much of a dent in the Nuggets' playoff chances.  Most Hoops Rumors readers believe the Nuggets had no chance of a title anyway, though our readers picked Denver as the most likely "Cinderella" team to make the NBA Finals this year.  Here's more from around the Association..

  • When asked whether he supports Byron Scott and would be disappointed if he were fired, Cavs guard Kyrie Irving said he did not want to address the topic at this time, according to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer (on Twitter).  Scott is one of many NBA coaches perceived to be on the hot seat after the season and a lack of support from Irving could hurt his case.
  • Dirk Nowitzki reiterated his desire to stay with the Mavericks, but also says that he wants to play for a championship again in his final couple of years, tweets Dwain Price of the Star Telegram.
  • The Hornets will probably still be open to trading Eric Gordon this summer, sources tell John Reid of The Times-Picayune. 
  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer gives his take on end-of-season awards with the final night of the regular season just 10 days away. Not surprisingly, he has LeBron James winning his fourth MVP award in five years.
  • Kobe Bryant says that he doesn't want to play point guard just to extend his career, but he has looked awfully good doing it, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
Repost Share Send via email

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Wilkins, Llull, Hornets, Draft

April 5th, 2013 at 11:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The remaking of the Rockets started not with the acquisition of James Harden but the hiring of coach Kevin McHale, writes Beckley Mason of ESPN.com. In a lengthy piece that examines Houston's philosophy, Mason points to Josh Smith and Andrew Bynum, the two free agents he sees as most likely to change teams in the offseason, as the sort of players the Rockets don't usually target. Yet fellow ESPN.com scribe Amin Elhassan, in an Insider piece, pegs Smith as a perfect fit in Houston. Elhassan looks at ideal destinations for four other marquee free agents, and as many teams start to ponder the summer in the last days of the regular season, here's the latest from around the Association:

  • Damien Wilkins' minimum-salary deal with the Sixers is up at the end of the season, but the 33-year-old tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he has no intention of retiring and wants to play until he's 40 (Twitter link).
  • Spanish point guard Sergio Llull is considering heading to the NBA at some point but still has unfinished business with Real Madrid, as he tells Eurosport (translation via HoopsHype). The Rockets own his NBA rights.
  • The Hornets will look for a small forward and depth in the draft this year, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com.
  • Scouts generally see center Alex Len as a project, but they haven't been thrown by his up-and-down play for Maryland this season, valuing his athleticism and shooting range, according to Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun.
  • The rosters are out for this year's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which features college seniors, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com analyzes the field. Only four players within Givony's top 100 are taking part, led by No. 45 prospect Solomon Hill.
Repost Share Send via email

Hornets Notes: Williams, Forwards, Free Agents

April 2nd, 2013 at 10:03pm CST by Alex Lee

Sitting at 26-48, the Hornets head to Golden State tomorrow night to take on the Warriors.  With only eight games remaining, it sounds like the team will have some decisions to make in the offseason.  Let's round up all things New Orleans here on this Tuesday night:

  • Hornets coach Monty Williams does not foresee the Hornets (soon to be the Pelicans) having any problems attracting top talent this offseason, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.  Along with the name change, the New Orleans franchise has a 55,000 square foot practice facility in the works as well as ample cap space to make a splash.  Williams says that multiple free-agents-to-be have suggested to him during games that they'd love to play for him in New Orleans. 
  • Williams addressed the idea of changes to the team's roster over the summer, notes Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com (Twitter link). "That’s just the nature of it. When you have a record like we have, you’re not going to settle for this production," Williams said.
  • Williams expressed his displeasure with the team's small forwards earlier this season, and Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune echoes that sentiment, imploring the team to prioritize an upgrade at the three this summer.  As it stands now, the Hornets use Al-Farouq Aminu, Darius Miller and Lance Thomas at that spot, who barely combine for 12 points per night. 
  • The Hornets could have as many as eight players become free agents when the season ends in two weeks, including the entire small forward trio mentioned above, Reid writes.  Aminu will become a free agent, along with Xavier Henry, Roger Mason and Louis Amundson.  The Hornets must decide whether to extend team options to Miller, Thomas and backup point guard Brian Roberts.  Per Reid, this has resulted in an environment where the current players are desperate to make an impression. While Reid doesn't mention him, Terrel Harris has a non-guaranteed deal next season and could also become a free agent. 
Repost Share Send via email

Woelfel On Heisley, Josh Smith, Bucks, Hornets

April 2nd, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times touches on several juicy topics from around the league in his latest piece. We'll hit the highlights here:

  • Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been in a coma for more than a month, and prospects for his recovery from a February stroke are "extremely bleak," Woelfel reports. Heisley was nearing a deal to join the Bucks ownership group with the intention of becoming the primary owner in a few years, but current primary owner Herb Kohl backed out of the deal, according to Woelfel, who adds that Kohl is still open to finding a partner.
  • We heard before the deadline that the Hawks wanted a "quality young center" in return for Josh Smith, but the Bucks deemed Larry Sanders and power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson off-limits as the teams engaged in talks.
  • Woelfel heard from Smith, who adds the Hornets to the lengthy list of teams that were after him at the deadline.
  • The Bucks would have made additional trades if they had acquired Smith, and they had interest in Eric Maynor, who wound up going from the Thunder to the Blazers.
  • Woelfel spoke to Kyle Korver, who indicates the Hawks are in the driver's seat when he hits free agency this summer. "I’m definitely hoping to stay here (with Atlanta)," Korver said. "It’s been a great experience. And we have an awesome coach (Larry Drew) to play for."
  • Some NBA scouts believe Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could wind up being drafted at the back end of the lottery this year. He's listed as No. 38 on the DraftExpress top-100 prospects list, and No. 20 in ESPN's rankings. 
Repost Share Send via email

Odds & Ends: Sims, Babby, Aminu, Robinson

April 2nd, 2013 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Mavericks/Lakers game tonight will have a serious impact on the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, it's not the only noteworthy game on the schedule. The Knicks and Heat have comfortably clinched playoff spots, but New York is still vying for the second seed in the East, while the Heat are looking for a split of the season series with the Knicks. As we wait for those teams to tip off in Miami, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

Repost Share Send via email
Load More Posts