Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Stephenson, Korver

November 7th, 2013 at 7:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eric Bledsoe has kicked off his inaugural campaign as a full-time starter in Phoenix with a bang, averaging 21.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG in 33.8 MPG, and helping the Suns to a 3-2 record after five games. The 4th year veteran is set to become a restricted free agent next summer after failing to land an extension last week, and while some may be worried that this potentially means a short tenure for Bledsoe in Phoenix, GM Ryan McDonough was openly optimistic about being able to re-sign him (Adam Green of Arizona Sports, hat tip to Burns and Gambo of Arizona Sports 620):

“I feel very confident that he’s going to be a Sun long-term…We negotiated with Eric and his agents. I think the contract situation was handled very professionally on both ends…We can match any offer to Eric next summer…Another advantage would be we have an extra year to play with. Other teams who are making Eric an offer can offer him four years, we can offer him up to five if we chose to do so…So there’s some inherent advantages that I just mentioned, also we can give higher percentage increases than another team could give Eric in a contract.”

Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:

Looking into Lance Stephenson‘s comments that he thinks the Pacers would “do anything” to keep him in Indiana for the long term, Candace Buckner of IndyStar.com (along with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt) explores how the 23-year-old shooting guard could be positioning himself for a five-year max deal next summer. While I’m not too sure about labeling Stephenson as a max-level player at this point, if he can maintain his current averages of 16.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 47% shooting from the field, he should draw some very lucrative offers next July.
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post notes how the Nuggets’ plans to recruit Kyle Korver this past summer led to nothing more than brief contact because of the massive turnover that had been going on within the front office and coaching staff. Korver would eventually re-sign with the Hawks.
The Thunder have hired former Raptors vice president and assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini in a senior adviser/international affairs position, according to Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.

Knicks Rumors: Barron, Woodson, Collins

November 6th, 2013 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been an eventful day for Knicks content so far at Hoops Rumors. In addition to discussing the club in a pair of notes posts, I also explored possible solutions for the team’s depleted frontcourt. News of Tyson Chandler‘s injury has plenty more updates coming out of New York, so let’s round up the latest:

The last update we heard on Earl Barron had him signing with a Chinese team in September, but Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York indicates that the big man has returned stateside and would be “excited” about any interest from the Knicks (Twitter links). New York’s coaching staff reportedly wanted the front office to sign Barron before he landed in China.
In a long piece on the Knicks, Grantland’s Zach Lowe suggests that teams with expendable bigs will be making “predatory calls” to GM Steve Mills today. Lowe lists Jason Maxiell (Magic), Ekpe Udoh (Bucks), Kevin Seraphin (Wizards), Kendrick Perkins (Thunder), and Kris Humphries (Celtics) among his possible trade candidates, but notes that any deal would be difficult.
Mike Woodson isn’t constantly looking over his shoulder or worrying about his job security, despite the team’s sluggish start, as he told ESPN Radio today (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York).
Harvey Araton of the New York Times suggests Jason Collins would be a good free agent fit for the Knicks, which is something I proposed earlier today.

Odds & Ends: Ewing, Oriakhi, Jackson

November 5th, 2013 at 11:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The divergent paths the Nets and Pacers took to upgrade their teams this summer underscores how the current collective bargaining agreement allows deep-pocketed owners to further their advantage, opines Mark Deeks of ShamSports in a piece for HoopsWorld. Indiana steadfastly refuses to pay the luxury tax, while Brooklyn is set to pay about $80MM in penalties on its $100MM+ payroll this season. Still, the Pacers are the NBA’s lone unbeaten team and my pick to win the championship. Here’s more from a nine-game NBA evening:

There were 13 coaching vacancies this past offseason, and Patrick Ewing didn’t receive an interview for any of them, notes Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who catches up with the Bobcats assistant pining for a chance to lead a team.
Alex Oriakhi, whom the Suns drafted 57th overall this summer, is leaving the French team Limoges, but he wants to continue to play somewhere in Europe, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
This year is crucial for Reggie Jackson, as he’ll have a chance to prove his worth as a sixth man. The Thunder believe he can lead their second unit, but they must find out for sure before he becomes extension-eligible in the summer, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines.
Larry Sanders is averaging just 17.3 minutes per game after signing a four-year, $44MM extension with the Bucks this offseason, but he simply hasn’t earned any more playing time with his performance so far, the Journal Sentinel’s Michael Hunt argues.

Western Notes: Suns, Aldridge, Thunder, Kings

November 5th, 2013 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

No team except perhaps the Sixers was viewed as more likely to tank the 2013/14 season than the Suns, who shipped out Luis Scola over the summer and traded Marcin Gortat just days before the regular season began. But team president Lon Babby takes issue with the idea that Phoenix is intentionally trying to lose games, as he tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.

“There is a key difference between acknowledging that you’re rebuilding, which we are, and some notion that you’re not trying to succeed,” Babby said. “Anybody in this business, because you’re competitive, and you have a competitive nature, it is not going to do anything but give your heart and soul to try to win every night.”

It may be an question of semantics, but Babby’s comments, along with the strong starts to the season for the Sixers and Suns, are a reminder that while a front office may put a team in position to lose games, the players on the court are certainly trying to win.

Here’s more from around the West:

Rival team executives will continue to monitor LaMarcus Aldridge‘s situation in Portland, but the Blazers forward tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he has no desire to be moved. Asked about his current attitude, Aldridge replied: “It’s not ‘If there’s a better deal, then get me out of [Portland] or take that.’ It’s ‘We’re here. Let’s win, and let’s try to have the best season that we can.'” Amick adds that there’s a league-wide belief that GM Neil Olshey wouldn’t even consider an offer for Aldridge unless it included at least an All-Star player, among other things.
Responding to comments made by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, Oklahoman contributor Jon Hamm rebuts the idea that the Thunder need to become a taxpaying team to win the title.
On the heels of a 19-point outing from Ben McLemore, Kings coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that the rookie guard is “a big part of our future.”

Odds & Ends: Perkins, Gay, Walton

November 4th, 2013 at 9:38pm CST by Zachary Links

With the season barely underway, should teams getting off to a slow start be concerned? HoopsWorld ran down the league’s winless club and assessed their own level of concern. The writing staff isn’t too worried about the Jazz as they’re anxiously awaiting the return of highly touted point guard Trey Burke. The level of concern for the 0-2 Nuggets is at medium since they’re not at full strength at this stage. Meanwhile, it could be time to worry in D.C. as the Wizards are 0-3 and can’t blame a John Wall injury for their slow start. Here’s tonight’s look around the league as the Celtics failed to get in the win column..

Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter tonight to clear the air on his tweet from earlier today where he said it was “time for a change“. “Let me clear something up. I wasn’t talking about leaving OKC. I was talking to some of my family members. I love playing here,” tweeted the Thunder big man.
Rudy Gay is working to recapture his budding stardom with the Raptors, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Meanwhile, the forward refutes any notion that the Grizzlies were a better and more savvy team without him on the court.
The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate for the Lakers, announced that Luke Walton will join the team as a player development coach. Walton says that he still hopes to continue his playing career and his arrangement with the D-Fenders will allow him to work out with the team and stay in shape.
Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo readily admits that he has outpaced his own expectations for his basketball career, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. “Let me tell you the truth: No. I did not think I would be in the NBA, it was just a dream. How could I think this would happen? And happen now? But I am here now. So I am happy,” said the rookie.

Odds & Ends: Osby, Nash, Perkins, Wittman

November 4th, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ D-League affiliate in Maine has acquired a pair of players who were in NBA camps last month, according to a release from the team. 2013 Magic draftee Romero Osby and Bobcats camp invitee Abdul Gaddy are now on the Red Claws’ roster. While the deals ensure that Boston’s D-League team will get a first-hand look at the two young players, there’s nothing stopping either player from signing with an NBA team besides the Celtics.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends as the NBA regular season enters its second week….

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star is the latest writer to dismiss a rumor connecting Steve Nash and the Raptors, tweeting that it took “about four minutes” to debunk.
While he quickly removed the tweet, Kendrick Perkins said last night after playing a season-low 16 minutes against the Suns that it “might be time for a change.” Royce Young of Daily Thunder passes along a screenshot of the deleted tweet.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com predicts the Wizards‘ Randy Wittman will be the first head coach fired this season, and suggests three potential replacements for Washington. Sam Smith of Bulls.com also identifies Wittman’s seat as the hottest among NBA coaches.
Quincy Douby was drafted 19th overall in 2006, but only lasted three seasons in the NBA before bouncing around among several international teams over the last few years. Now, he’s back in America and will play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce to start the D-League season. As he tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, Douby is hoping the skills and maturity he has developed overseas will help him land an NBA job.
A subpar group of 2014 free agent point guards will ensure that Eric Bledsoe and Greivis Vasquez make out well on their next contracts, despite not inking extensions last week, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops.
Oliver Braun, the GM of the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, spoke to a German outlet about the tumultuous negotiations with the Hawks over Dennis Schröder‘s buyout, and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides a translation of some of Braun’s comments.
Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival breaks down the offseason player movement among the NBA and the leagues considered to be the top European domestic leagues.

Western Notes: Westbrook, Nash, Lakers

November 3rd, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Rejoining Oklahoma City for his first game since getting injured during last season’s playoffs, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook sat down with NewsOK’s Darnell Mayberry to discuss his return. When asked if he feels just as explosive as he was before the injury, Westbrook replied:

“Yeah. I feel great. I feel I’m in a good spot. I’m happy and blessed to be able to be able to play basketball again and go on the floor and fight for my teammates. First, I want to thank all the fans and all my family and friends and maybe some of you guys for your support throughout this period. It’s been a tough one, but I’m happy to be back.”

With that aside, here are some more links to share from around the Western Conference tonight:

Though Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld had earlier intimated that Steve Nash has little trade value as of now, Alex Kennedy (also of Hoopsworld) tweets that the former MVP could indeed be traded and hears from multiple sources that the Raptors are a possible landing spot.
Responding to his followers on Twitter, Kyler downplayed the likelihood that Pau Gasol and/or Nash get traded this season. Kyler reasons that Gasol and Nash make too much money for other teams to be interested, and that clearing Pau’s salary off their cap next July is much more valuable to the Lakers than shopping his expiring contract at the trade deadline (All Twitter links).
Sam Amick of USA Today talks about what Westbrook’s return means for the Thunder.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times provides a brief parallel between Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and the Rockets’ Dwight Howard as far as struggling to mesh with their respective coaches last season and being in better situations now. On a much lighter note, Howard credited “playing slower songs in his head” for his recent minor streak of improved shooting from the free throw line (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets).
Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw might consider re-shuffling his starting lineup to include Kenneth Faried at power forward, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.

Western Rumors: Kings, Martin, Bledsoe

November 2nd, 2013 at 11:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said the lack of extensions for Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson and the team’s decision to decline its fourth-year option on Jimmer Fredette aren’t necessarily a reflection of the way the club feels about those players.

“With Jimmer, we spoke to him and his representatives throughout the process,” D’Alessandro said, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee observes. “And they’re not easy decisions to make. We have these deadlines that are at an awkward time, Oct. 31, especially at a time when we just got our positions here.”

We heard earlier that the Kings are enamored with Vasquez and intend to match any offer he gets in restricted free agency this summer. Here’s more on free agents past and future, with a Western kick:

There were times last season when Kevin Martin could tell his stay with the Thunder would be a short one, he tells reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Martin also reveals that free agency was much more stressful than he imagined, but he says he’s glad he wound up in “the perfect spot” with the Timberwolves.
Eric Bledsoe isn’t saying whether he envisions staying with the Suns for the long haul after failing to strike a deal on an extension, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
The rift between Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant was real and profound on the Lakers last season, as former teammate Antawn Jamison explains to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Meanwhile, Howard is relaxed, engaged, and confident that he made the right decision to sign with the Rockets, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes.
J.J. Hickson isn’t pleased about the way his Blazers tenure ended, as we noted last night, but after signing with the Nuggets in part because of an opportunity for playing time, he’s seeing plenty of minutes, as Hoopsworld’s Joel Brigham details.

Grant Jerrett Tops Field Of D-League Draftees

November 1st, 2013 at 8:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder’s D-League affiliate used the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s D-League draft on Grant Jerrett, allowing the Thunder to closely monitor a player whose NBA rights also belong to them. Oklahoma City traded for Jerrett shortly after the Blazers took him 40th overall in June’s NBA draft. A report in September indicated Jerrett had signed with the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers, but as I pointed out at the time, he’d have to enter the D-League draft rather than sign with Tulsa outright. The 66ers pulled off a trade yesterday to acquire the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft, positioning themselves to secure Jerrett’s D-League rights.

The Pelicans didn’t do the same with the second-rounder they picked up in the Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade. Pierre Jackson, the 42nd overall pick in the NBA draft, went fourth overall in the D-League draft to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Blazers.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the one-to-one affiliate of the Rockets, took four-year NBA vet James Johnson second overall tonight, while Quincy Douby, who has three years of NBA experience, went at No. 3 to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the affiliate of the Heat. The Texas Legends, who are affiliated with the Mavs, rounded out the top five with their selection of C.J. Aiken, who was in an NBA camp with the Kings last month after leaving St. Joseph’s in the spring.

Ricky Davis was perhaps the most well-known figure selected, as the Erie BayHawks, the affiliate of the Knicks, drafted him in the sixth round, signaling that the Knicks liked what they saw when the 34-year-old worked out for them in September. Other notable picks include former Magic and Thunder swingman DeAndre Liggins, who went to the Skyforce at seventh overall. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, went at No. 9 to the Delaware 87ers. Check out the entire list of draftees right here.

Some D-League clubs were involved in draft day trades. The Santa Cruz Warriors came into the draft already stocked with Stephen Curry‘s brother Seth Curry, whose D-League rights Golden State had protected after cutting him at the end of camp. Santa Cruz swapped a second-round pick for Mychel Thompson, brother of Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes, giving the Warriors’ affiliate their own version of the big club’s “Splash Brothers” duo.

Players with prior D-League experience who were cut from NBA camps can re-enter the D-League and go back to their old teams without entering the draft. That’s what James Nunnally, fresh off a camp appearance with the Suns, has decided to do, as he’ll return to the Bakersfield Jam, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are one of five NBA teams affiliated with the Jam, as our list of NBA/D-League affiliations shows.

Four Players’ Salaries Become Fully Guaranteed

November 1st, 2013 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Many players on non-guaranteed deals didn’t survive October’s roster crunch, and no longer find themselves under contract with an NBA team, but plenty of clubs are still carrying non-guaranteed players. The majority of those players will see their salaries for 2013/14 become fully guaranteed if they’re not cut on or before January 7th. However, a handful of players negotiated earlier guarantee dates, many of which arrived this week.

The most notable name in this group is Chris Smith, whose spot on the Knicks’ roster was questioned by rival agents. By earning a place among the 15 players New York carried into opening night, Smith is assured of a fully guaranteed salary, worth about $490K. The Knicks won’t necessarily have to keep him on their roster all season, but if they release him, he’ll still get paid.

Like Smith, Kyle O’Quinn of the Magic and Quincy Miller of the Nuggets were also on contracts that dictated they’d receive full guarantees if they made their respective teams’ opening night rosters. As second-year players, both O’Quinn and Miller will be in line for salaries worth about $789K.

James Anderson‘s contract with the Sixers didn’t include any details related to opening night, but the guarantee date for his 2013/14 salary was October 31st. Since Philadelphia didn’t release Anderson on or before Halloween, his salary of about $916K has become fully guaranteed.

In addition to the four players whose 2013/14 salaries are now fully guaranteed, Ryan Gomes also received a bump in his partial guarantee by making the cut with the Thunder. Having previously been guaranteed for $50K, that figure increased to $75K when Gomes wasn’t released on or before Thursday, the date of OKC’s first game.

As our schedule of guarantee dates shows, there are now believed to be just two dates prior to January when players’ salaries will become guaranteed. Maalik Wayns will receive his full salary from the Clippers if he’s not waived on or before December 1st, while Jannero Pargo will become fully guaranteed if he lasts beyond December 10th in Charlotte.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.