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Western Notes: Rockets, Nash, Brooks

February 21st, 2014 at 8:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets GM Daryl Morey is high on the athleticism and skill of trade acquisition Jordan Hamilton, as Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle observes. “He is really a highly-regarded prospect and hasn’t had a chance to emerge,” Morey said. “That is usually the kind of guy we do really well with, catch him before they get a chance and see them flourish with us.” Hamilton averaged 6.8 PPG and 3.4 RPG per game this season for the Nuggets and started 11 games.

More from out west:

  • In the same article, Creech also details that Aaron Brooks calls his decision not to exercise his veto power on the trade that sent him to the Nuggets a “leap of faith.”
  • The Rockets have recalled Isaiah Canaan from the RGV Vipers in the D-League, tweeted Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. Canaan has appeared in five games for the Rockets and averaged 1.2 PPG this season.
  • The Warriors have announced the assignment of Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League. Kuzmic has averages of 6.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 21.4 MPG in nine games for Santa Cruz this season. He has appeared in 17 games for Golden State, and averaged 0.5 PPG, and 0.7 RPG.
  • Steve Nash has only appeared in 10 games for the Lakers this season. With all his injury woes, GM Mitch Kupchak noted that “obviously it’s going to be a challenge” on whether Nash can return and stay on the court. The GM says that after the season it will be Nash’s decision on whether he returns for another year, and that it would be “unethical” for the team to influence him one way or another, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Because he’s played 10 games this season, Nash’s $9.7MM salary next season will remain on the Lakers’ books even if he is forced into medical retirement because of back issues.
  • Sam Amick of USA Today details how the Warriors acquisition of Steve Blake will pay dividends come playoff time. Playoff success is especially vital to coach Mark Jackson who has only one year left on his contract and the pressure is believed to be building around him and the team to have a deep run, writes Amick.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: Duncan, Oden, Wizards

February 19th, 2014 at 7:54am CST by Chuck Myron

ESPN analyst and former coach George Karl hears that Tim Duncan is thinking of retiring at season’s end, notes Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News, but Duncan isn’t sure how Karl got that impression. The Big Fundamental says he’s undecided, as he tells reporters, including Express-News scribe Mike Monroe (Twitter link). Fellow Express-News writer Jeff McDonald would be “shocked” if Duncan retired. The sense around the Spurs is that Duncan will keep playing as long as he feels he’s useful, McDonald says, pointing out that the big man is still under contract for next year (Twitter links). Here’s more from the Association:

  • Greg Oden considered a handful of teams last summer, but it came down to a decision between the Mavs and the Heat, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  • Most reports have suggested the Wizards are looking for a backup point guard, but Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears they’re seeking a backup who can play both guard positions, suggesting Luke Ridnour as a possibility (Twitter link).
  • A veteran scout tells Woelfel that he has Creighton forward Doug McDermott No. 6 on his draft board, and Chris Mannix of SI.com examines a polarizing prospect who’s sparked a wide range of opinions in NBA front offices.
  • The Cavs had discussions with the Lakers about acquiring Chris Kaman, but those talks are no longer active, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
  • Free agent Malcolm Lee hasn’t played since December 2012 because of injury, but he’s about two weeks away from being ready to suit up for a team, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
  • The Warriors on Tuesday recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced. Kuzmic’s latest stint in Santa Cruz lasted one day.
  • Some members of the actors union are upset that executive director David White is a candidate for the same position with the National Basketball Players Association, observes Dave McNary of Variety.com.
  • Lionel Hollins explains the root of his raw feelings from the end of his tenure as Grizzlies coach to Mearl Purvis of WHBQ-TV in Memphis.
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Odds & Ends: Cavs, China, Akognon, Melo

February 17th, 2014 at 11:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The fates of GM David Griffin and coach Mike Brown hang in the balance, as does Cleveland’s appeal to free agents as the team embarks on a season-ending stretch run that’s one of the most important times in franchise history, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.  The Cavs are 20-33 coming out of the All-Star break and will hope for a major turnaround in their last 29 games.  Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

  • The Chinese basketball season is through and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando rounded up a list of notable CBA players who will now be available for NBA clubs.  The list includes Pooh Jeter, Delonte West, D.J. White, Lance Thomas, and Josh Akognon.
  • Akognon has offers from Puerto Rico and Europe but may head to the D-League in an effort to keep his NBA hopes alives, Carchia writes.  Akognon averaged 28 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games for his Chinese clubs.
  • Ken Berger of CBSSports.com gives props to LaMarcus Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony for caring about the wellbeing of the NBPA.  Both stars were vocal about the union during the weekend in New Orleans.
  • In his latest mock draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders dropped Duke’s Jabari Parker to No. 5 after executives told him that they were concerned he might be a tweener in the NBA.
  • The Warriors announced that they have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.  Kuzmic has compiled averages of 6.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 21.4 minutes in nine games (one start) on previous assignments to Santa Cruz this season.  He has appeared in 17 games for Golden State.
  • The Rockets announced they have re-assigned guard Isaiah Canaan to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.  To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Pacific Notes: Warriors, Bledsoe, Nash

February 12th, 2014 at 5:51pm CST by Cray Allred

Matt Steinmetz of Bleacher Report covers some of the growing concerns around Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala. The team currently sits in the sixth seed for the playoffs, and is on track to finish with about the same number of wins as last year despite inking the former All-Star to a four-year, $48MM contract this offseason. Steinmetz points out that his contract left Golden State no room for the team to retain key rotation players Jarrett Jack or Carl Landry, so the transition wasn’t simple roster addition. Still, Iguodala’s performance has dipped on his new team, with a near-career low in shot attempts a sign of his lack of presence on the offensive end. Here’s more from around the division:

  • Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby echoed earlier remarks from owner Robert Sarver, telling the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the team intends to match any offer for Eric Bledsoe this summer in restricted free agency. Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com has the transcription.
  • Steve Nash left last night’s game early with nerve issues in his back and hamstrings, but his appearance nonetheless means the Lakers are ineligible to wipe his contract off their books for next season if he retires for medical reasons. Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times has the details on what would have been a long shot, anyway.
  • The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks, and Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, per the team’s site. This comes a day after the team sent the three-man group to Santa Cruz for a one-game stint.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Western Notes: Ellington, Ellis, Warriors

February 12th, 2014 at 12:03am CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are some miscellaneous tidbits to share out of the Western Conference tonight:

  • It doesn’t seem likely that the Mavericks would part with any of their rotation players in a deal right now, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. One player who does appear to be available is Wayne Ellington, who hasn’t been able to find significant playing time and is owed $2.5MM next season.
  • Sefko also doesn’t believe there’s any chance that Dallas would consider trading Monta Ellis, adding that the team thinks Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki will make a good recruiting tandem this summer for prospective free agents.
  • Earlier today, the Warriors announced that they assigned Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks, and Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
  • The out-of-town owners of the property needed for the new Kings arena are seeking a change of venue in the city’s eminent domain lawsuit, reports Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. City officials recognize that the Kings need swift access to the property and will fight the attempt to move the suit. Kasler adds that the new arena is expected to be completed in 2016; if the building doesn’t open by 2017, the NBA has the right to buy the team and move them out of Sacramento.
  • Spurs guard Tony Parker told French website BMFT that he’d like to continue playing in the NBA for another six or seven years (hat tip to Michael Rehome of Project Spurs).
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Odds & Ends: Young, Bulls, Kuzmic

February 6th, 2014 at 11:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers‘ Nick Young will be out at least two weeks with a patella fracture, writes Zach Harper of CBS Sports.com. Young injured his left knee in last night’s game at Cleveland, and had an MRI exam today in Philadelphia. Results of the MRI show that Young has a non-displaced fracture of the patella and a bone bruise. Young joins Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Xavier Henry, and Jodie Meeks, amongst the ranks of the team’s injured players. Young is averaging 16.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, in 28.8 MPG.

More from around the league:

  • The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League, according to a press release. Kuzmic was assigned to Santa Cruz on January 17th and appeared in seven games during this assignment, averaging 6.9 PPG, 11.1 RPG, in 22.9 MPG. He’s appeared in 13 games for the Warriors this season, averaging 0.6 PPG.
  • With the trade deadline approaching fast, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.com looks at the contracts most likely to be moved by their teams.
  • Tom Thibodeau would like the Bulls to add a “player or two” prior to the trade deadline, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The Bulls only have 12 players on their roster currently, and Thibodeau would love to have the maximum of 15, just to provide flexibility. The team has to add at least one player by February 13th, in order to meet the league’s minimum requirement of 13 players. Mike James is the primary candidate to fill that spot.
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Western Rumors: Randolph, Rockets, Davis

January 17th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Randolph has spoken many times about his affection for Memphis, and he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that he and Marc Gasol want to continue playing together. Both have contracts that end after next season, but Randolph’s deal includes a player option for 2014/15, and Z-Bo also tells Charania that he hasn’t decided what he’ll do with that option, worth more than $16.9MM. The RealGM.com scribe has more on the offseason ahead for the Grizzlies, as we share amid our look at the Western Conference:

  • The Rockets are still in the market for a floor-stretching forward, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who also passes along a few of James Harden‘s comments about his recruitment of Dwight Howard.
  • Ed Davis didn’t reach a deal on an extension with the Grizzlies before the October 31st deadline, but he nonetheless views the negotiations as a sign the team views him as key cog, as Charania notes in the same piece. Davis admits to Charania that he feels frustration when his minutes drop, but the big man understands he falls behind Randolph and Gasol in the pecking order. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a deal done, but it wasn’t a big thing because I’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer,” Davis said. “Hopefully, we’ll get something done this summer and I’ll be back.”
  • Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson doesn’t seem eager to make a deal before the February 20th trade deadline, observes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You never say never, but we do like the team,” Nelson said. “With nine new faces we’re not looking for reasons to change. But that being said, if an opportunity presents itself that can take us over the top we certainly have to look at it.”
  • Leandro Barbosa‘s 10-day contract with the Suns expires after tonight’s game, one he may miss with a right shoulder sprain. That could prompt Phoenix to wait until he’s healthy to give him another 10-day deal, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • The Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic to the D-League, the team announced. It’s his third trip to Santa Cruz, but he’s only appeared in a single D-League game, scoring two points in a 16-minute stint.
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Pacific Notes: Suns, Bledsoe, Warriors

December 30th, 2013 at 7:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported that the Lakers approached the Nets earlier this month to see if Brooklyn had any interest in a deal centered around Pau Gasol and Brook Lopez. The exploratory talks, which happened before Lopez’s injury, didn’t go anywhere, as the Nets balked at the idea.  With Lopez out for the year, that possibility is dead, but it does show that L.A. might be willing to take on contracts beyond 2015.  Tonight’s look at the Pacific..

  • Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld looks at five pending free agents due for raises this summer, including Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe.  Before the season, they likely could have locked him to to an extension with an average annual value of $9-11MM, but the way the guard has played in his first full season as a starter, it looks like he’s headed for a max or near-max contract offer.
  • Suns GM Ryan McDonough watched Bledsoe for years, first in college as the kid who played alongside John Wall at Kentucky, then with the Clippers where he was Chris Paul‘s understudy, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “You just saw these flashes of what he could do,” McDonough said. “He doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game. There’s not a lot of things he can’t do, just with his strength, his athletic ability and his shooting.“
  • The Warriors announced that they have recalled center Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League.  Kuzmic was assigned to Santa Cruz on December 28 and played 16 minutes in last night’s game against the Bakersfield Jam, registering two points, nine rebounds, and one blocked shot.  To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
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Odds & Ends: Magic, Stephenson, Warriors

December 28th, 2013 at 7:38pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Shortly after playing in his first game back since he suffered a torn meniscus, Solomon Jones told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel he is enjoying more than being able to return to playing for the Magic. Jones, who is playing on a minimum salary contract this season, has enjoyed living close to his childhood home and his family. Averaging almost eight minutes in the games he has played, it will be seen whether Jones will play his way into another season near his home town.

A few other notes around the league.

  • According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter Link), rival NBA executives are predicting that Pacers guard Lance Stephenson will be worth between $7-9MM per season when he enters free agency next summer. While the Pacers and Stephenson have both expressed interest in re-signing with each other next season, a $9MM price tag would almost guarantee they will only be able to re-sign either Stephenson or fellow Pacer free agent, Danny Granger.
  • The Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic and guard Nemanja Nedovic to their NBA D-League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors. In a team announcement, the Warriors said both rookies will be able to play in tonight’s D-League game. Kuzmic has missed most of this season with a hand injury but has averaged 4.1 MPG in the games he has played with the Warriors. Nedovic has appeared in all but 10 of the Warriors games averaging 6.4 MPG, and 1.1 PPG.
  • According to Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, the Cavaliers biggest need this season is at the small forward position. Former head coach Byron Scott told Lloyd in the summer of 2012 that the Cavaliers have been trying to resolve that position for some time but have not been successful to date. Aware that Cleveland spent their first overall pick on small forward Anthony Bennett, Lloyd still thinks the Cavaliers are looking to fill that hole and could do so in this season’s trade market. The only issue according to Lloyd is every inquiring team wants Dion Waiters in any trade they do with Cleveland which is a move the Cavaliers are unwilling to make.
  • Although we knew Brook Lopez‘s season is over, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Brook Lopez will undergo surgery on his foot January 4th officially ending his 2013/14 campaign. Unless the Nets trade him, Lopez will be back for Brooklyn next season continuing the 4 year contract he signed back in 2012.
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Odds & Ends: Price, Bennett, Warriors

November 19th, 2013 at 11:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks and Celtics were among the losing teams on a five-game Tuesday in the NBA, and while those clubs fall farther beneath .500, it sounds like they’re thinking about helping each other out via trade, as Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling detailed tonight. Zwerling has a ton of news from New York and Boston, as well as a couple other NBA teams, in the piece we linked to earlier tonight, and there are still more noteworthy items as a busier-than-usual November continues:

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