Hornets Links: Davis, Gordon, Smith

We've got a handful of links to share from New Orleans tonight, including several injury updates:
  • Anthony Davis returned to practice Sunday after a groin injury sidelined him from Friday's pre-season game against the Rockets, says John Reid of NOLA.com. The Hornets forward appeared to move without limitations during post-up drills but was held out of contact work.
  • In another article, Reid mentions that Eric Gordon has continued to rehabilitate his knee, and that Hornets coach Monty Williams hopes to be able to play him in limited minutes before the end of pre-season. Williams added that although he isn't exactly sure if Gordon will be ready between this week and the next, the fifth-year veteran has been participating in drills during practices. 
  • Both Jason Smith (sore back) and Xavier Henry (sore knee) have sat out the last three pre-season games, but Reid writes that both could be close to returning after taking part in practice today. 
  • According to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com, one of Gordon's main goals for this season is to make the All-Star game. 
  • Brian Travis of Hornets.com gathered Al-Farouq Aminu's thoughts on his experiences during the offseason that included being a leader on the Nigerian Olympic basketball team during the summer games in London. 

Odds & Ends: Gordon, Cavaliers, Vazquez

Eric Gordon may have to win back some of the fans in New Orleans this year after comments he made about his "heart" already being in Phoenix and not wanting the Hornets to match after the Suns signed him to an offer sheet. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo elaborates on Gordon's thoughts throughout the free agency process and says that the Gordon is now committed to leading a young New Orleans team moving forward. Spears also says that the 6'3 guard has the ability to opt out after the third season and become an unrestricted free agent. Here's more of the miscellaneous tidbits what we've heard this evening..

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Southwest Rumors: Anderson, Pargo, Miles

The Rockets have arguably been the Southwest team in the news most often this month, as they've pursued restricted free agents and continued to try to land a superstar like Dwight Howard via trade. For now though, Daryl Morey and the Rockets are playing the waiting game, as they wait to see whether the Knicks will match their offer sheet for Jeremy Lin. In the meantime, here are a few updates on Houston's division rivals….

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Hornets Match Gordon’s Offer Sheet From Suns

3:52pm: The Hornets have matched the offer sheet, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, via Twitter. In a statement released by the Hornets (via John Reid of The Times-Picayune) Gordon backtracked from his earlier comment that "Phoenix is just where my heart is now."

"There is always a business element to the NBA when dealing with contracts, but I never lost my appreciation for the New Orleans Hornets,'' Gordon said in the statement. "I look forward to going on the court this season to make our team successful.''   

SATURDAY, 3:17pm: The Hornets are about to release a statement announcing that they've matched Gordon's offer sheet, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 5:07pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports Gordon has signed the offer sheet, according to the Suns (Twitter link). 

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Odds & Ends: Fields, Scola, Blazers, Gordon

The Knicks’ deadline to match Landry Fields’ 3-year, $18.7MM offer sheet from the Raptors is tonight at 11pm CDT.  If they match Lin and Fields, the Knicks will have roughly $86MM committed to those two plus Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler for the 2014-15 season, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.  Include Jason Kidd and Steve Novak and it’s more than $92MM committed to seven players.  The luxury tax penalties really start to get stiff in 2013/14 and that could make the Knicks' decision on Fields a difficult one.  Here's more from around the Association..

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Free Agent Rumors: Nets, Pacers, Green

The July moratorium came to an end late last night, and a number of teams didn't waste any time in finalizing moves. The Lakers' acquisition of Steve Nash was the first transaction to become official, followed closely by the Knicks' signing of J.R. Smith, Deron Williams' contract with the Nets, and Blake Griffin's five-year extension with the Clippers. We're expecting more deals to be formally announced today, but there are plenty of free agents still on the market too. We'll be tracking the latest news on those guys right here, with the newest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Earlier updates:

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The NBA’s New Maximum Salary

While the NBA's salary cap and luxury tax figures remained the same for the coming season, the maximum salary that a player can earn was bumped up slightly for 2012/13. According to Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, the changes are as follows:

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Suns To Strongly Pursue O.J. Mayo?

O.J. Mayo wasn't the Suns' top target when free agency began, but he may become the team's number one priority very soon. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that if the Hornets match the Suns' offer sheet on Eric Gordon, Phoenix is expected to aggressively court Mayo.

There seems to be little doubt that the Hornets intend to match the Suns' offer sheet and keep Gordon, as both Ric Bucher of ESPN.com and John Reid of the Times Picayune reported earlier on Tuesday. As such, the Suns figure to have a good chunk of cap space left over to use on Mayo, who is seeking a contract worth more than the mid-level exception.

The Pacers are also said to be very interested in Mayo.

Offer Sheets To Watch

Restricted free agents that have agreed to sign offer sheets with new teams can begin doing so as soon as 11:00pm CST tonight. When a player officially signs an offer sheet, his old team has a three-day window to decide whether or not to match it and bring him back.

When a player formally signs an offer sheet, it means only two options are in play for him: He either ends up on the team whose offer he signed, or returns to his old club. Sign-and-trades are no longer an option. So, for restricted free agents like Eric Gordon and Nicolas Batum, who seem to prefer to change teams, it may be worthwhile to explore sign-and-trade possibilities once more before locking into those offer sheets and putting their futures in the hands of the Hornets and Trail Blazers, respectively.

Here are a few restricted free agents that reportedly agreed to sign offer sheets whose situations are worth keeping an eye on:

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Eric Gordon Unhappy With Hornets

Shortly after receiving an offer sheet from the Suns and flatly stating that his "heart is in Phoenix," free agent Eric Gordon expanded on those comments while speaking with reporters today.  The two-guard says that he will play in New Orleans if the club matches the four-year, $58MM offer sheet but won't be happy about it, writes Jimmy Smith of the The Times-Picayune.

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