New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kennedy On Martin, Anderson, McGrady

January 10th, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Sean Highkin

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com has a new column touching on a few relevant topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:

Kennedy wonders whether the Knicks or Lakers may consider signing veteran forward Kenyon Martin as they continue to battle injuries. Martin does not currently have any NBA offers.
In a video interview posted by Kennedy in the column, Hornets forward Ryan Anderson tells HoopsWorld writer Steve Kyler that he's happy in New Orleans after signing a four-year, $36MM offer sheet this summer.
Kennedy speculates that Tracy McGrady may attempt an NBA comeback soon, as he is struggling and frustrated playing for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Hornets Notes: Gordon, Anderson, Smith

January 10th, 2013 at 6:22pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates on the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday evening:

John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Eric Gordon expects to have both good and bad games as he gets back into shape after missing the first two months of the season.
Ryan Anderson tells Kyle Bass of Hornets.com that he has worked on diversifying his offense beyond just three-point shooting in his first season with the Hornets after signing an offer sheet this summer.
Jason Smith discusses his role on the team in an interview with the Times-Picayune.
Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune believes the Hornets have showed signs of maturation over the past week.

Odds & Ends: Pargo, Celtics, Gordon, Carlesimo

January 7th, 2013 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

With the contract guarantee deadline looming and the 10-day-contract period underway, there have been plenty of roster moves made around the NBA today. We don't want to let anything slip through the cracks though, so while we await word of the next signing or cut, we'll check out a few odds and ends:

Jannero Pargo is drawing fresh interest from multiple teams and is talking about a potential 10-day contract with two of them, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
Sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, and Marcin Gortat are all potential trade targets for the Celtics. Gortat makes more sense to me than the other two, who seem like long shots for Boston.
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld speculates that Andrea Bargnani could be another possible target for the Celtics. The HoopsWorld scribe also writes that Eric Gordon is talking like someone who expects to be with the Hornets long-term.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com questions how the Celtics could possibly acquire Cousins without giving up Rajon Rondo, and explores the trade rumors surrounding Gay.
Nets head coach P.J. Carlesimo appeared on WFAN in New York last week to discuss shedding the interim tag and working for Mikhail Prokhorov, among other topics. Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.

Hornets Sign Donald Sloan

January 7th, 2013 at 10:08am CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 10:08am: The Hornets have signed Sloan to a 10-day contract, according to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (via Twitter).

SUNDAY, 8:25am: Former Cavs point guard Donald Sloan is on his way back to the NBA after a brief D-League stint, as Sportando's Emiliano Carchia tweets, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com fills in the blank with the news that the Hornets are the team set to sign him (Twitter link). If the Hornets wait until Monday to make the signing official, it could be a 10-day contract for Sloan, who got a pair of 10-day deals from New Orleans last season. Otherwise, the 6'3" Texas A&M product is likely in line for a minimum-salary contract for the rest of the season.

The Cavs released Sloan on Christmas when they claimed Shaun Livingston off waivers, and Sloan made his debut Friday with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League. He posted back-to-back 22-point games with the Skyforce this weekend, and also put up 10 rebounds and seven assists in last night's contest. The 24-year-old averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 assists in 12.9 minutes per game for the Cavs this year, but lost the job of Kyrie Irving's primary backup to Jeremy Pargo. His numbers were down from last year, when he split the season between the Hawks, Hornets and Cavs, notching 5.5 PPG and 3.2 APG in 20.3 MPG.

The Hornets, at the minimum 13 players after waiving Dominic McGuire on Friday, have been going with two point guards in Greivis Vasquez and backup Brian Roberts. It's unclear whether the addition of Sloan is meant to provide more depth or signals the end in New Orleans for Roberts and his non-guaranteed contract. The Hornets would have to place Roberts on waivers today or Monday to avoid guaranteeing his minimum-salary deal for the rest of the season.

The addition of Sloan, another point guard, runs counter to the indication given this weekend by coach Monty Williams, who said the team wanted to have flexibility to add another small forward. Nonetheless, New Orleans would still have an additional roster spot available even they don't release anyone when Sloan comes aboard.

Donte Greene Drawing Interest

January 7th, 2013 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

Donte Greene was close to signing a contract with the Nets back in August when he suffered an ankle fracture during a workout, postponing his 2012/13 debut. Now, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Greene has recovered from the injury, and is drawing interest from a number of teams.

Kennedy reports that Greene will begin working out for clubs on January 11th, with the Nets, Spurs, Timberwolves, Hornets, Bulls, and Rockets among his potential suitors. Greene's summer deal with the Nets was expected to be for the minimum salary, so even teams with no cap space or exception money should be in play for the former King. According to Kennedy, Greene will work out for teams for a week or two and, if all goes as planned, sign somewhere shortly thereafter.

Greene, 24, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Sacramento, averaging 6.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 16.8 minutes per contest. The former 28th overall pick had his best season in 2009/10, scoring 8.5 PPG on 44.1% shooting and making 50 starts for the Kings.

Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Beverley, Draft

January 4th, 2013 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was an active day around the Association, and it might be that way for a while. Monday is the start date for 10-day contracts and the final day teams can waive players on non-guaranteed deals in time for them to be off rosters by January 10th, when those contracts would become guaranteed for the balance of the season. Come Monday, we'll also be just two weeks and a month from the trade deadline. As we count down, here's the latest NBA scuttlebutt.

Nolan Smith has fired agent Joel Bell, who asked the Blazers to trade his now former client, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports. Smith said he has never asked for a trade himself, and as we passed along earlier, he also spoke with Haynes about his upcoming free agency, professing his love for Portland in the process. Sam Amick of SI.com identified Smith as a trade candidate earlier today.
Sean Deveney tweets financial details on Patrick Beverley's $850K buyout from Spartak St. Petersburg. The Rockets, who are expected to sign Beverley, paid the maximum $550K while Beverley chipped in the rest out the $700K in earnings he had already drawn on his $1MM contract with the Russian club.
Chris Mannix of SI.com mentions Kansas freshman shooting guard Ben McLemore as a darkhorse for the No. 1 pick and ranks the top 20 draft prospects for June, with Kentucky center Nerlens Noel atop the list.
Hornets coach Monty Williams said the team wants to have the flexibility to bring in new players at small forward, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune notes, and presumably that's why New Orleans waived Dominic McGuire today. Williams has been unpleased with the play of the team's threes since before McGuire signed last month, and now the coach is calling for improvement from Al-Farouq Aminu, who'll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer because the Hornets declined his fourth-year option prior to the season.

Hornets Release Dominic McGuire

January 4th, 2013 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially waived forward Dominic McGuire, the team announced today in a press release. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported (via Twitter) that McGuire was expected to be released.

McGuire had signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Hornets back on December 16th. With the contract guarantee deadline fast approaching, McGuire's contract would have become guaranteed for the season if he had remained on the Hornets' roster through next Monday. Instead, New Orleans has saved itself from paying the 27-year-old a rest-of-season salary.

The Hornets now have 13 players left on their roster, leaving two open roster spots. If New Orleans employs a strategy similar to last season's, the club figures to use those open spots to audition players on 10-day contracts. In 2011/12, the Hornets signed six different players to at least one 10-day deal, as our tracker shows.

McGuire, who began the season with the Raptors, posted nearly identical numbers in nine games for the Hornets (2.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 16.1 MPG) as he did in 15 games with Toronto (2.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 15.3 MPG). McGuire has also played for the Wizards, Kings, Bobcats, and Warriors during his six-year NBA career.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Cousins, Gordon, Duncan

January 3rd, 2013 at 7:26pm CST by Alex Lee

ESPN's Marc Stein was on ESPN Radio in Dallas today to discuss all things Mavericks. The Dallas hosts made note of Stein's positive relationship with Dirk Nowitzki, and pressed him on the power forward's mindset six games into his return. Stein said that, amidst the team's 13-20 start, it will be hard to judge how Nowitzki feels about what has transpired in Dallas until after this offseason when, in theory, the Mavs still have the space and motivation to add a Dwight Howard should he or a player of similar stature be available. So while Dirk will play nice for now, Stein says the activity in Dallas will again be a big storyline this offseason.

Here are some additional Southwest Division notes from Stein and other writers around the league:

Stein adds that a player like DeMarcus Cousins is an ideal target for the Mavericks, given the strength of their organization and pieces to go around him. With Chris Paul content in Los Angeles, Dwight Howard may be the only big chip in play. If the Mavs don't land Howard, Stein says they have to use their cap space by making a trade for a guy with a big contract or a "distressed asset" like Cousins. However, Dallas may not have the assets to land Cousins now, and therefore must hope he is still available come summertime.
In the wake of Eric Gordon sitting out Wednesday night's game against Houston, John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Hornets fans should expect to see their team ease the shooting guard back in until he gets back into game shape. Head coach Monty Williams indicated that while Gordon is fully healthy, he has yet to display the physical shape necessary to withstand the grind of the NBA schedule.
With the Spurs in New York, Jim Cavan of the New York Times takes a look at the season and career of Tim Duncan. Duncan sure makes an interesting contrast to the flash and dazzle of Madison Square Garden and the Knicks' big-name roster.

Odds & Ends: Veterans, Davis, Lillard, Nets

January 3rd, 2013 at 5:03pm CST by Alex Lee

With only two games on the NBA slate tonight, here are the latest news and notes from around the league on Thursday evening:

Mark Deeks of the The Basketball Jones compiles an extensive list of former NBA players who may rejoin the league soon. We learned that one player on that list, Mike James, joined the D-League's Texas Legends earlier today. Teams can begin to sign players to 10-day deals on Monday.
In his NBA PM update, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says that Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, the consensus front runners for Rookie of the Year, were nearly teammates in New Orleans. Kennedy writes that the Hornets had targeted Lillard before his meteoric rise up draft boards, but were happy to land Austin Rivers as a consolation prize once they realized Lillard wouldn't fall to them.
Within the same update, Kennedy echoes what we've heard from many analysts regarding the Nets' coaching job. He asserts that if the team wants to lure a big-name coach to Brooklyn, they will likely have to wait until the offseason to do it. The coaching fraternity is very close-knit, Kennedy says, and when you factor in that a brand new coach would have limited opportunity to shape his staff and team, it's no surprise that guys like Jeff Van Gundy and Phil Jackson have stayed away.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Melo, Rivers, D-League

January 2nd, 2013 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to a full Wednesday night slate of NBA action, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the Association:

In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton tries to find a potential trade partner for the Kings and DeMarcus Cousins, eventually concluding that it'd be hard to find a package whose value exceeded Cousins' own value.
ESPN.com's Joe Kaiser also explores some hypothetical deals in an Insider piece, identifying the ideal trade targets for the Celtics, Nuggets, Nets, and other teams.
Fab Melo confirms (via Twitter) what ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg predicted earlier today — the rookie was recalled from the D-League so that the Celtics' training staff can check on his concussion. According to Melo, he'll likely be headed back to the Maine Red Claws later this week.
With Austin Rivers' NBA career off to a very slow start, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com advises us not to be surprised if the Celtics reach out to the Hornets to see if New Orleans is interested in moving the rookie guard.
Over at The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks of ShamSports takes an in-depth looks at current D-League players who are candidates to be called up to the NBA this season.