L.A. Rumors: Amundson, Kelly, Beasley, Nelson
The Clippers may have caught and passed the Lakers in terms of on-court quality over the past couple of seasons, but that change certainly hasn't been reflected on social media. The Lakers are the most significant presence in social media among the 30 NBA teams, while the Clippers rank last, according to an Emory University study. Of course, the worlds of Facebook and Twitter move swiftly, so the gap between L.A.'s teams might not endure another disappointing season for the Lakers juxtaposed with deep playoff run for the Clips.
As we wait to see how that develops, follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook and Twitter, and catch up with the latest from the City of Angels:
- The Clippers and Lakers are still interested in Lou Amundson, who plans to strike a deal with a team within the week, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Amundson met with both L.A. clubs recently, and he also worked out for them, Medina writes.
- The Lakers doubt that Ryan Kelly, this year's 48th overall pick, will be healthy to start the season, so that would make Michael Beasley a wise pickup for the purple-and-gold, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler isn't so sure, pointing out that the Lakers would have to shell out tax money in addition to Beasley's salary if he joined the team (Twitter link).
- Former UCLA Bruin Reeves Nelson spent training camp with the Lakers last year, but he's excited to be with the Sixers' D-League affiliate for now, agent Mark MacGillivray tells Jake Pavorsky of SB Nation.
Odds & Ends: Collins, Saunders, Martin, Jennings
With 22 NBA teams in action on Friday night, let's round up all of the odds and ends from around the league here:
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports points out, via Twitter, that Sixers coach Doug Collins has never coached longer than three years in his coaching career, which includes stops in Detroit, Chicago and Washington. This is relevant, of course, because Collins in currently in his third year in Philly and the wreckage of the Andrew Bynum disaster has many wondering if he will return next season.
- Flip Saunders is drawing interest from the University of Minnesota as well as the Timberwolves, tweets NBC's Ric Bucher. The return to the Gophers, Saunders' alma mater, would be as the team's head coach while the Wolves are interested in securing their former coach to replace current general manager David Kahn. While Bucher says that current Wolves owner Glen Taylor is tight with Saunders, he thinks that Saunders would rather coach, even in college, than enter an NBA front office.
- The addition of Kenyon Martin has been the last of a series of successful moves by Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald, over the past few years, that have resulted in the team closing in on its first division title in 19 years, writes Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops.
- Brandon Jennings, a restricted free agent come summer, should hope to ink a new deal more commensurate with his potential than his performance, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. Jennings, who was recently benched, has had his moments over his four-year career and seemed to be nearing a breakout last year when he averaged 19.1 points.
- The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired former UCLA Bruin Reeves Nelson, tweets Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times. Nelson hooked on with the Lakers and Houston in the preseason, but was waived by both teams prior to the season.
Rockets Waive Reeves Nelson
The Rockets signed forward Reeves Nelson earlier this week but they are expected to waive him later on today, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Houston made the move in order to secure D-League rights on Nelson if he opts to go that route this season.
The UCLA product hooked on with the Lakers in September but was released from his make-good contract last Saturday. Nelson was widely viewed as a first-round talent before things went south for him in college. The Bruins dropped him from the program early last season, leading him to a short stint overseas.
Lakers Waive Ronnie Aguilar, Reeves Nelson
The Lakers have let go of Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). The subtraction of the pair, who were on non-guaranteed deals, brings the team down to 18 players.
The 7'1" Aguilar was reportedly mounting a dark horse run to make the team's opening-night roster after he was signed right before training camp. Still, he saw little action in the preseason, totaling just three points in 31 minutes of action over four games, and his dismissal is a further signal that Dwight Howard's ailing back will not be an issue to start the regular season. Nelson, at 6'8", was once seen as a potential first-round pick before his collegiate career at UCLA went sour. He wasn't selected in the draft this past June after the Bruins cut him loose six games into last season, but wound up with the Lakers in early September.
The Lakers have 13 players signed to fully guaranteed deals, and today's moves leave Robert Sacre, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Andrew Goudelock, Darius Johnson-Odom and Greg Somogyi, all of whom have non-guaranteed contracts, to fight for the final two open roster spots.
Lakers Sign Reeves Nelson
6:23pm: The Lakers have officially signed Nelson, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter).
8:47am: Reeves Nelson is set to sign a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Lakers, the forward tells Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times. The UCLA product will go to training camp with the club after he inks the deal, which could potentially be worth about $700K.
Nelson auditioned for the Lakers prior to the 2012 draft and has been working out at the club's practice facility in El Segundo for the last three weeks. The 6'8" forward was once considered to be a potential first-round pick but saw his college career unravel before he was ultimately dismissed by the Bruins. Nelson hooked on with Lithuanian team BC Zalgiris for a five week stretch before being released.
Draft Updates: Saturday
Earlier updates:
- Syracuse center Fab Melo tells HoopsWorld's Stephen Litel that he is emulating Tim Duncan in his style of play.
- Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com looks at Miles Plumlee as a potential draft target for the Celtics.
- Paul Coro of AZCentral.com says that the Suns are looking to improve their offense in the draft.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at a handful of guards who have worked out for the Bucks recently.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com talks to Iona's Scott Machado, who is attempting to raise his profile ahead of the draft.