Jimmer Fredette

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Howard, Bledsoe

Here's the latest out of the Pacific Division, which may or may not include Dwight Howard next season..

  • The Lakers will be the final team to meet with Howard, who will start visiting other clubs next week, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.  The big man will first meet with the Hawks, Rockets, and Mavericks and the list could grow beyond that.  The Lakers have not yet been informed of the time or place of the pow-wow with Howard.
  • Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) has no doubt that D12 would re-sign if Jackson was the coach or running things in L.A.  The idea that the Lakers' pull alone isn't enough to sway Howard is a troubling sign for future free agents.
  • However, Markazi (link) isn't convinced that a coaching change alone would be enough to keep Howard in L.A.  He notes that Howard pushed Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith out of Orlando before leaving.
  • The general feeling around the Clippers is that they won't trade guard Eric Bledsoe today, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  With Doc Rivers having just arrived, he probably wants to take some time to assess things before making major changes.  We heard during the Celtics-Clippers talks that Rivers didn't want Bledsoe traded to Boston because he wanted to coach him in Los Angeles.
  • Mark Medina and Brian Martin of the L.A. Daily News looks at possible candidates for the Lakers in tonight's draft.  DeShaun Thomas and Kenny Kadji are among the players highlighted.
  • Even though Larry Bird has been high on Jimmer Fredette in the past, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter) isn't so sure that there's a match for the Kings and Pacers now.

Odds & Ends: Fredette, Clippers, Terry, Oden

Following the hiring of Doc Rivers, the positive news keeps coming for Clippers fans. Rivers confirmed to the media today that he has spoken to Chris Paul since joining the franchise, which looks like a good sign for CP3's long-term future in Los Angeles (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). The Clippers also appear poised to add Alvin Gentry to Rivers' staff, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Gentry had been deciding between assistant jobs with the Clippers and Lakers.

Here's more from around the NBA:

  • Despite reports to the contrary, Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing that the Kings haven't had talks about trading Jimmer Fredette. Amick adds that the new management group is willing to listen to anything, but there's no indication Fredette is being shopped or even discussed in trade talks at this point (Twitter links).
  • Appearing on KRLD-FM 105.3 in Dallas, Jason Terry said he hopes to wear a Mavericks uniform again before he retires. "You know what, I wear it every night anyway," Terry said (link via Dallas Morning News). "It's my home base. I'm with the Celtics for another two years. I would be more than happy to come back and put the Mavs jersey on and come back and get back on the runway for the Mavericks."
  • The Cavaliers have hired former Bucks head coach Jim Boylan to be the lead assistant on Mike Brown's staff, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  • Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledged that the Trail Blazers could be a thorn in Minnesota's side as the team attempts to lock up Nikola Pekovic this summer. Re-signing Pekovic remains the club's top priority, as Walters writes.
  • Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck appeared on WEEI in Boston today to address the departure of Rivers and the next steps for the C's, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along Grousbeck's comments.
  • In addition to discussing several of the team's own free agents, Heat president Pat Riley confirmed that Miami has interest in Greg Oden, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida outlines (via Sulia).

Ford’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Aldridge, Jazz, Pacers

ESPN.com's Chad Ford is staying busy as Thursday night nears, chatting with fans this afternoon and also publishing a new story with Marc Stein on the latest draft-related rumors and rumblings. Here are the highlights from both links:

  • Stein reported earlier today that the Cavaliers were offering the No. 19 pick to the Rockets for Thomas Robinson, but that pick may also be necessary to complete another deal, whether it's a Shawn Marion trade with the Mavericks or a bigger move. If the Cavs can't finalize another trade though, they'd try to acquire Robinson with that pick, according to Stein and Ford.
  • Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal is skeptical that the Cavs would really offer the 19th pick for Robinson, since the team didn't have much interest in him as of a couple weeks ago (Twitter link).
  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) is also hearing, like Stein and Ford, that the Cavaliers are still trying to figure out a way to make a "mega-deal." Even if the Cavs are interested in such a move, they'd have to find a willing partner, which has been tricky so far. Ford notes in his chat that the Cavs would likely have to include Tristan Thompson along with the No. 1 pick to pull off something big.
  • If the Rockets can make a Robinson trade with the Cavs or Bulls, they'd almost certainly use that first-round pick to draft-and-stash an international player, according to Ford and Stein. Sergey Karasev, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lucas Nogueira, Dennis Schroeder, and Rudy Gobert are potential targets.
  • Ford wouldn't be shocked if the Bobcats traded down with the Wolves and used the No. 9 pick to draft Cody Zeller. Minnesota is attempting to trade into the top five.
  • Positional need likely won't be a major priority for the Kings, according to Ford, who adds that he thinks Sacramento's roster will be significantly overhauled by opening night of 2013/14.
  • Ford anticipates the Trail Blazers will "seriously listen" to LaMarcus Aldridge trade offers this summer.
  • If the Jazz want to move into the top 10 to take a top point guard, they'll probably have to make Alec Burks available, rather than just the Nos. 14 and 21 picks, says Ford.
  • The Pacers are trying to trade the No. 23 pick, and have been linked to both Robinson and Jimmer Fredette, according to Ford.

Draft Rumors: No. 1 Pick, Blazers, Kings

The draft is right around the corner and Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com have the latest rumblings as we approach Thursday..

  • The Cavaliers reached out to the Trail Blazers in an attempt to land LaMarcus Aldridge for the Nos. 1 and 19 picks but the Blazers quickly rebuffed them, sources say.  Late Monday night, we heard that the Blazers, Thunder, and T-Wolves have been the most proactive in trying to deal for the No. 1 pick.
  • The Kings want a second first-round pick and are using Jimmer Fredette as bait.  Sources say Sacramento has reached out to several teams in the mid-to-late first round in an attempt to secure another pick and the Pacers and Jazz are potential destinations for the guard.  Kings coach Mike Malone is high on Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tony Snell, but the Kings feel that they can get them much lower in the draft.
  • In addition to the Pacers' Fredette discussions, sources say Indiana has made the No. 23 pick available in hopes that they can unload Gerald Green's contract.
  • The Nets are shopping MarShon Brooks and sources say they want a first-round pick in return.  If the T-Wolves give up the No. 26 pick, they'll probably have a deal on draft night.  Yesterday it was reported that the two sides have discussed Brooks.
  • The Wolves want to move higher up in the draft to select Victor Oladipo.  They're offering Derrick Williams, the No. 9 and the No. 26 pick to move up, but so far haven't found a taker.
  • The Rockets badly want to move Aaron Brooks or Carlos Delfino in conjunction with the draft before they have to just let them go in order to create as much cap space as possible for Dwight Howard.

Western Notes: Roy, Conroy, Fisher

Here are some quick notes out of the Western Conference tonight:
  • Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets that DeMarcus Cousins has decided to hire Dan Fegan as his new agent, replacing John Grieg. Two of Fegan's most notable clients include Kevin Martin of the Thunder and Lakers center Dwight Howard (All Twitter links).
  • In what should be encouraging news for the Timberwolves and their fans, Brandon Roy returned to practice today and reported that he felt no pain in his knee (Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune reports). The veteran two-guard had been inactive since undergoing surgery on his right knee last month and hadn't played since November 9.
  • Will Conroy was at Minnesota's practice today, but attended as a special assistant to David Kahn and not as a candidate to re-join the team as a player, says Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press. The 6'2 guard and close friend of Brandon Roy had been released earlier in the season in order to make room for recently-waived Josh Howard. According to Kahn, Conroy will serve as the team's D-League scout before returning to Seattle to finish his school degree.
  • When asked about Derek Fisher being waived, coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters to ask GM Mitch Kupchak if the team had any interest in the former Lakers guard (according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles via Twitter). Although we heard an earlier report that Fisher was contemplating retirement, Ramona Shelburne (also of ESPN LA) tweeted that in the event that he would still continue playing, any team who signs him would have to inherit the non-guaranteed deal he signed with the Mavericks
  • Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas provides the current rundown of Rick Carlisle's point guard situation following Fisher's abrupt departure. 
  • Alex Kramers of TheKingsBlog.com elicited the reaction from the Kings locker room as they prepare to compete without DeMarcus Cousins. Coach Keith Smart told the media that the situation will be reassessed within the next few days. On a different and much lighter note, Kramers delves a bit into the minor ties between Jimmer Fredette and the Warriors' Stephen Curry

Kyler On Gasol, Redick, Varejao, Lakers, Fredette

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)….

Pacific Notes: Gortat, Lakers, Howard, Fredette

Despite the Lakers' early-season struggles, the standings in the Pacific Division are already starting to look pretty close to what we were expecting coming into the season. The Lakers' win last night pulled them into a tie with the Warriors in second place, with the Clippers leading the way and the Suns and Kings below .500. As the Clips and Warriors prepare for tough road matchups tonight, let's check out what's going on around the division:

Western Notes: Grizzlies, Harden, Kings, Carroll

The Grizzlies staked their claim to a place among the NBA's elite teams this week with wins over the Heat, Thunder and previously unbeaten Knicks. That has the USA Today, and no doubt others, wondering if Memphis is the best team in the league. It's probably premature to anoint them as such after just eight games, but with Zach Randolph looking fully healthy again, they're certainly a squad worth keeping an eye on. Here's the latest on a few teams trying to catch up to them in the Western Conference standings.

  • Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game offers a contrasting take on the notion that James Harden only had an hour to decide on the Thunder's extension offer, writing that both Harden and his agent, Rob Pelinka, had been aware for four months that Oklahoma City was not going to give Harden the max (Sulia link).
  • Zach Harper of CBSSports.com details the woes of the 2-7 Kings, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee hears the team isn't planning on making any major moves and intends to hold on to Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette for the time being (Twitter link).
  • Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll, who's on an expiring contract and hadn't seen meaningful minutes for two weeks, told his agent, "I didn't work this hard to be out of the rotation," as Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune documents. His work paid off last night, when he went 6 for 6 and put up 17 points and five rebounds in close to 23 minutes.
  • New Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said his faith in his offensive system was reinforced by the time he spent coaching Jeremy Lin with the Knicks, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Pacific Notes: Fredette, Kapono, Jackson, Brown

There's no shortage of opinions on the Lakers coaching search this weekend, and as we track the hard news about who'll wind up in that job, we'll share the views of a few NBA writers, along with other news from the Pacific right here.
  • Kings guard Jimmer Fredette says he "definitely" isn't asking to be traded, and team basketball president Geoff Petrie said he's still in the Kings' plans, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee"I'm torn up because this young man is doing everything he can and not able to get on the floor," coach Keith Smart said. "I've just got to look at it because his efficiency ratings are starting to move up when he's on the floor and he's been a positive. So I've got to try to get him on the floor more."
  • Jason Kapono, who last saw NBA action with the Lakers in 2011/12, is discussing a deal with Greek club Panathinaikos for this year, the Greek website Sport-FM reports (translation via Sportando). Kapono could wind up replacing Hilton Armstrong, whom the team wants to release, according to the report.
  • Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post asserts that the Lakers would be better off with Phil Jackson coaching them, but they're too talented not to win the Western Conference no matter who the coach is.
  • Mike Brown's shortcomings as coach of the Lakers were the same problems that hung over him when he was with the Cavs, observes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
  • Brown couldn't get the Lakers to buy into his message, but Jackson would command the team's attention, opines Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists the rise of the Clippers as one reason Brown is out of a job. 

Kings Exercise Options On Cousins, Fredette

The Kings have officially exercised their 2013/14 team options on DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette, the team announced today in a press release. Option decisions had been due by the end of the month.

"We’re looking forward to seeing DeMarcus and Jimmer play this year and continue to grow, improve and help this team be successful," said Geoff Petrie in the statement released by the club.

Cousins, who is entering his third season, is now in line for a guaranteed salary of about $4.92MM in 2013/14, the final year of his rookie contract. Fredette, meanwhile, had his third-year option picked up, and will make about $2.44MM in '13/14. A year from now, Cousins will be eligible for a long-term extension with Sacramento, while the Kings will hold another team option for 2014/15 on Fredette, worth $3.11MM.

Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker to see the latest option decisions as the October 31st deadline approaches.