Rick Carlisle Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Texas Notes: Carlisle, Ayres, Fredette

October 2nd, 2015 at 8:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle‘s contract status beyond this season is up in the air, but even so, owner Mark Cuban said Friday on 103.3 FM ESPN that he hasn’t lent much thought to the matter, given what he described as mutual interest in a continued partnership, notes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Carlisle signed a four-year deal prior to the 2012/13 season, though at least one report at the time indicated an option for a fifth season was involved. “We obviously want to keep Rick and he doesn’t want to go anywhere, so I don’t see it being an issue,” Cuban said.

Here’s more from out of the Lone Star State:

Power forward Jeff Ayres, who made 51 appearances for the Spurs last season, has been waived by Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). Ayres had inked a one-year deal with Shanxi worth a reported $1MM back in early September. The 28-year-old averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 7.5 minutes per game during the 2014/15 season for San Antonio.
While he may be a long shot to make the regular season roster, Jimmer Fredette was signed by the Spurs to help replace the outside shooting that was lost with Marco Belinelli‘s departure to the Kings via free agency this summer, Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com writes. “He’s a shooter,” coach Gregg Popovich said about Fredette. “He’s a scorer, and we’re looking for that type of thing to add to the team. People always look at the big guys. But we started last season thinking that not having Patty Mills is going to be a big factor for us. And it was huge. First of all you don’t have him for the first half, and then it took him a long time to get back into the flow. And this year Marco not being here is important. He came off the bench and helped us in a lot of games and I think that’s a big concern.”
Fredette also noted that he was surprised that the Spurs were interested in him, Pandian adds. “I just hadn’t heard that [the Spurs] were a team that was necessarily on our radar,” Fredette told Pandian. “We always loved the Spurs organization and the team but it was kinda just a call that my agent told me was out of the blue. As soon as we got it, I was obviously extremely excited. I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to be on a good team and also it fits my style of play well. They move the ball well, they share they ball, lots of movement, play uptempo, so I’m excited to be part of this organization. Hopefully it will work out well.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Neil Olshey On Aldridge, Batum, Aminu, Kanter

August 27th, 2015 at 1:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey was coy when Grantland’s Zach Lowe asked him why he signed Enes Kanter to a max offer sheet but hasn’t done so with Tristan Thompson, but Olshey expressed contentment and optimism about the roster he’s built even amid the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge. Olshey, speaking on The Lowe Post podcast, believes the revamped Blazers have the potential to grow like the group he had with the Clippers in 2010/11 that featured Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu, all of whom were 22 or younger.

Aminu, who turns 25 next month, is one of the new Blazers, and Olshey talked about the forward’s four-year, $30MM deal, Aldridge’s exit, and a host of other offseason topics. His entire conversation with Lowe is worth a listen, especially for Portland faithful, and we’ll round up a few highlights here:

On the fluctuation of the team’s chances to re-sign Aldridge:

“I think, honestly, because of how unhappy LaMarcus was when we all joined the Trail Blazers, myself, [coach] Terry [Stotts], our regime, it wasn’t like we were put on notice, Zach, but I think we were all aware that it was going to be an uphill battle, and I think it was an uphill battle that we had fought and won right up until [Wesley Matthews] was injured. … We were 100% confident in LaMarcus right up through the trade deadline, and then when Wes got hurt, and we weren’t playing as well, and we realized our margin for error with that group was more narrow than we would have liked to have believed, I think we felt like, you know what? We’re going to have more of a battle on our hands than we had anticipated in terms of keeping LaMarcus.”

On the Nicolas Batum trade, which Olshey said was made independent of Aldridge’s decision to walk:

“There was a three-fold approach there. One, we felt like if we brought in another starter, then Gerald Henderson would have strengthened the bench. We got a bright, young prospect in Noah Vonleh who we were really high on in the draft, and we created a positive variance in our favor in terms of our cap position to go and be more aggressive in free agency to continue to build with the group that was there. So, that deal was done absent anything with LaMarcus other than the fact that he was aware of the deal prior to us making the decision to move forward with Noah and Gerald in lieu of Nicolas.”

On those who would laugh at the team’s financial outlay in the the Al-Farouq Aminu deal:

“If they’re laughing, they haven’t seen him play, and they haven’t realized that in two years, the cap’s going to be $108MM, so you’re basically talking about a deal that’ll be less than what the mid-level was on previous caps. So, this is a guy that I know well. I drafted him. I had him for a year with the Clippers. He’s tracking up. I think his growth was accelerated by playing for Rick Carlisle in Dallas. I think that was like a three-year tutorial crammed into nine months. He’s a better player today than he was then. Look, we had moved Nic Batum. We wanted to get younger at that position and we wanted to get an athletic guy if we chose to push the floor. We felt like, at that point, he could play in multiple roles with LaMarcus or without, depending on what his decision was, and I really believe, look, when you look at a way a contract is structured, we had a lot of cap room this year [and] it’s a descending deal.”

On whether he truly wanted Kanter on the team:

“We did. We absolutely did. We pursued him. Look, it’s not the first time we went down the road of restricted free agency for a starting center and maybe won the recruiting battle but lost the war in terms of adding him to our roster, and that situation played out. You know, look, we’re really happy with the guys we have right now.”

What do you think of the way Olshey has positioned the Blazers for the post-Aldridge era? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Lakers ‘Inevitable’ Destination For Rajon Rondo?

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:50pm: During a press conference today, Carlisle was asked if he expected Rondo to wear a Mavericks uniform again, to which the coach responded, “No, I don’t,” Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. The coach was also asked if he believed that he could coexist with Rondo in the future, to which Carlisle responded, “Absolutely. I like Rondo. My relationship with him was professional.”

8:59am: Rajon Rondo hasn’t given up on the Mavericks, but there’s strong momentum toward an “inevitable” departure for the Lakers in free agency this summer, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Rondo won’t return to Dallas as long as Rick Carlisle is the coach, sources told Wojnarowski, who suggests that the Mavs might not want the point guard back, anyway. In any case, no team is planning a maximum-salary offer for Rondo, whose value has been in decline since he suffered a torn ACL in January 2013, according to Wojnarowski.

Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com also uses the word “inevitable” to describe Rondo’s parting from the Mavericks. MacMahon reported earlier this month that the Bill Duffy client was expected to ask for more than the Mavs were willing to pay him, adding that the Mavs’ stance on the matter was subject to change if Rondo played well in the postseason. That hasn’t happened, as the Rockets outscored Dallas by 25 points with Rondo on the floor in Game 1, and Carlisle saw fit to have Rondo on the floor for fewer than 10 minutes in Game 2, as MacMahon points out. The Mavs played 11 men during the fourth quarter, but Rondo wasn’t one of them, notes Ben Golliver of SI.com (Twitter link). Chandler Parsons wasn’t one of them either, as he sat out with a knee injury from which he won’t return during the Rockets series, sources told Wojnarowski.

Reports indicated that the Rockets pushed to trade for Rondo almost until the Celtics sent him to the Mavs instead, but Duffy never wanted Rondo in Houston, since his presence would hinder fellow Duffy client Patrick Beverley‘s value, as Wojnarowski details. Still, the Rockets went after Rondo in an attempt to drive up the price for the Mavs, according to Wojnarowski. Rondo planned to sign a max deal with the Lakers prior to the trade, but afterward he became open to re-signing with Dallas, Wojnarowski writes. However, it now appears as though there’s little chance the point guard will re-sign with the Mavs. Kobe Bryant has made no secret of his desire to recruit Rondo to the Lakers, who’ve reportedly been likely to make a summer pursuit of the point guard since at least the beginning of the season.

Southwest Notes: Leonard, Griffin, Grizzlies

April 13th, 2015 at 8:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kawhi Leonard‘s recent play is a major reason why the Spurs have become the league’s hottest team, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is averaging 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 steals during the team’s current 11-game winning streak while shooting 56 percent from the field. Leonard is developing a reputation of stepping up his game late in the season and the playoffs, Kennedy continues. Leonard’s resurgence is a major reason why potential playoff opponents are fearful of drawing the Spurs, Kennedy adds. Leonard becomes a restricted free agent this summer, though he expects to remain with the Spurs for the long haul.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Mavs camp invitee Eric Griffin has signed to play in Puerto Rico for Leones de Ponce, TAB Deportes reports (Twitter link; hat tip to agent Brian J. Bass). The Jazz, Clippers, and Celtics were reportedly interested in signing Griffin last month while he was with the Mavs D-League affiliate, and he also reportedly met with the Clippers about a 10-day deal in February.
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Rajon Rondo have seemingly put their differences aside heading into the playoffs, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Rondo served a one-game, team-imposed suspension after a heated exchange with Carlisle over play-calling in late February. Carlisle said that he and Rondo, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, have worked out a compromise, Medina adds. “Rondo’s been a pro. I like Rondo a lot. I’m looking forward to the playoffs because of his experience,” Carlisle said to Medina. “These kinds of adjustments are great opportunities for growth both for him and for us.”
The Grizzlies are approaching the postseason with consistent defensive intensity despite injuries to key players, Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Memphis has held its last three opponents to 39% despite playing the Clippers without starters Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen.

Southwest Rumors: Rondo, Conley, Pelicans

March 14th, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has given Rajon Rondo more play-calling responsibilities and their relationship appears to be improving, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. Rondo, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, is developing better chemistry with his teammates as he gains more freedom to call plays, MacMahon adds. Rondo was suspended one game by the club in late February after he argued with Carlisle over play-calling issues. “He’s really developed a good sense for our team — when to just push it, when to get into something,” Carlisle said to Dallas beat writers. “He really understands the guys that he’s playing with.” Rondo said recently he is willing to return to the Mavs, though it’s unlikely they will meet his asking price.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Mike Conley had a difficult time dealing with the breakup between coach Lionel Hollins and the Grizzlies in 2013, he told Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com in a Q&A. Conley called Hollins, whose contract was not renewed by the Grizzlies, “a second father figure almost for me.” Conley, who has one year and approximately $9.39MM remaining on his contract, adds in the interview that he is still grateful he has played his entire career thus far with Memphis.
Eric Gordon’s improved health has made him a better fit with the Pelicans, Jesse Blancarte of BasketballInsiders.com opines. Gordon, who can exercise a player option of approximately $15.5MM in the final year of his contract next season, is averaging 15.6 points while shooting 51.1% from 3-point range over his last 14 games. The injury-prone Gordon is finally playing the way New Orleans hoped when they matched the Suns’ four-year, $58MM offer sheet following the 2011-12 season, Blancarte adds.
The Mavs reassigned Dwight Powell to their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, on Saturday, the team announced. Powell has appeared in 19 games for the Mavs this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.

Western Notes: Rondo, Lakers, Harden

February 26th, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rick Carlisle and Rajon Rondo have begun to take steps to repair their relationship, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs coach and veteran point guard held a lengthy meeting to iron out their differences, most of which involved play-calling responsibilities, Sefko continues. Rondo, an unrestricted free agent following the season, was benched after a heated exchange with Carlisle in Tuesday’s win over Toronto and was suspended for Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta. Even if their relationship improves, Rondo’s stay with the Mavs is extremely unlikely to extend past this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com opines.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Kobe Bryant, in a one-on-one interview with Sam Amick of USA Today, said that superstar players are unwilling to leave millions of dollars on the table to sign with the Lakers. Bryant added that it was unrealistic to believe All-Stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony would sign with the Lakers last summer at less than the maximum salary at this stage of their careers and the franchise would run into the same problem with other free agents in the future, Amick notes.
The Rockets have become over-reliant on James Harden because of their failure to acquire a top-notch point guard, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com contends. Harden might wear down by the postseason and the Rockets could have eased the burden on him by acquiring a player like ex-Rocket Goran Dragic before the trade deadline, Blinebury adds.
Kevin Garnett could remain with the Timberwolves organization as a team executive even if he does not become part owner of the franchise after his playing career is over, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Garnett was traded by the Nets to his original team last week and though Garnett has not made any commitment beyond this season, Garnett says in the story that he plans on being there beyond the next year or two.

Western Notes: Warriors, Young, Lakers

April 10th, 2014 at 5:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob told reporters that he, coach Mark Jackson and GM Bob Myers all get along, refuting reported dysfunction within the team, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group transcribes. Lacob referred to the re-assignment of assistant coach Brian Scalabrine and the firing of fellow assistant Darren Erman as “minor setbacks.” A little over a week ago, Myers gave Jackson a public vote of support, saying that he’s done a tremendous job; however, we’ve also relayed the belief from some writers who think that Jackson’s future in Golden State could be tied to how the team fares in this year’s postseason.

Here are a few other notes to pass along out of the Western Conference this evening:

Lakers swingman Nick Young is “very confident” that he’ll reach an agreement to remain with the team beyond this summer, reports Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. This isn’t the first time that the Los Angeles native has gone on record saying he’d like to stay, but he also hinted that it could be difficult to pass up a hefty pay raise somewhere else if the opportunity presented itself.
Some members of Lakers brass are high on the idea of bringing in a young, up-and-coming head coach who wouldn’t command too much money, making him cheap to get rid of if he doesn’t pan out, according to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding.
In addition to making the argument that Dirk Nowitzki ranks among one of the NBA’s 12 greatest players, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle thinks that Dirk – currently the 10th highest scorer in NBA history – has plenty left in the tank to surpass a few more names on that list: “He’s got a lot more good basketball left in him…A lot more great basketball. So I think he’s going to pick off a few more guys going up the ladder” (ESPN’s Marc Stein reports).
The Kings have assigned Willie Reed to their D-League affiliate in Reno, according to GM Pete D’Alessandro.
Former Spurs training camp invitee Courtney Fells has signed a deal with Bucaneiros de la Guaira in Venezuela, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Fells played in 47 games for the Spurs’ D-League affiliate in 2013/14, averaging 20.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 40.4 MPG.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Harris, Blake, Babbitt

February 4th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, the Lakers notified guard Manny Harris that they do not plan to retain him beyond his second 10-day contract, tweets Bill Oram of the OC Register. We noted yesterday that L.A. wasn’t expected to keep Harris on board with a trio of the team’s point guards returning to the lineup.

Aside from a sensational 18-point, 6-for-9 shooting performance against the Knicks a little over a week ago, Harris’ numbers have been underwhelming through his eight game stint for the most part, averaging 6.8 PPG on 33.9% shooting overall and 29.4% from long distance in 19.9 MPG. However, as we speak, the 6’5 guard is leading the Lakers with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting at halftime against the Timberwolves tonight, and although he might not be on the team tomorrow, Harris is putting together a compelling audition for potential suitors.

Here are some more links to share out of the Western Conference tonight:

In response to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders’ tweet that the Lakers would look to shed another $3MM in the form of Jordan Hill, Steve Blake, or Chris Kaman in a potential Pau Gasol deal, fellow Basketball Insiders writer Eric Pincus (via Twitter) says that L.A. would actually like to keep Blake beyond this season.
Despite Russian-based team Nizhny Novgorod’s initial plan to hold Luke Babbitt to his contractual obligations and prevent him from signing with an NBA team, Pelicans GM Dell Demps managed to negotiate a buyout agreement that took two weeks to get finalized, reports John Reid of NOLA.com. New Orleans head coach Monty Williams is hopeful that Babbitt can be a contributor right away: “We thought having some more depth at our wing spot and there’s a chance he can play some four (power forward) because of his ability to shoot the ball..He’s a young player who had some success in Portland and played really well overseas. We kept our eye on him and have been trying to get it done for a couple of weeks, maybe a little bit longer. Finally it happened for us.”
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle shared his thoughts with Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW on current Grizzlies guard and former Mavs draft pick Nick Calathes, who is expected to start in place of the injured Mike Conley when the two teams meet Wednesday night. Dallas reportedly dealt Calathes in order to create a roster spot for Gal Mekel: “They’re similar players…We went that direction and at that point it made no sense to hold onto Calathes’ rights. They both have gotten much better since they got into the NBA. I’m happy for Nick. And we like Gal. It wouldn’t make any sense to have both of them here.”
So far, the 2013/14 season may not have always been ideal as one would hope for Samuel Dalembert, who on separate occasions this season has been called out by Carlisle for lack of conditioning and being undisciplined on the court. In another piece for SportsDayDFW, Sefko notes that with his recent 18-point, eight rebound, and 7-for-8 shooting performance against the Cavaliers, the 32-year-old center is slowly regaining the trust from everyone on the team, including Carlisle, who doesn’t appear to have any choice at this point but to ride Dalembert as much as he can.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Gordon, Ohlbrecht

January 28th, 2014 at 11:43am CST by Chuck Myron

Mavs executives are optimistic about the team for this season in beyond, believing they have an offense built to win in the playoffs and the flexibility to pounce on desirable free agents this summer, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe details. Execs from other teams tell Lowe that they see coach Rick Carlisle, in the second year of a four-year pact, as the Mavs’ most valuable long-term asset. They also regard the Mavs with respect, fearing the team’s advantages of an appealing owner who’s built top-notch facilities in a large market with a friendly tax environment. There’s more from Lowe’s Dallas-themed piece amid our look at the Southwest Division:

Lowe views cap flexibility as the most effective weapon the Mavs possess, but even owner Mark Cuban acknowledges that it’s not as valuable as it used to be, now that so many teams enter offseasons with plenty of leeway to spend. “That could potentially be the case,” Cuban said. “But a lot of that depends on how you spend it, right? A lot of teams choose not to, so we’ll see.”
Eric Gordon wishes he knew for sure whether the Pelicans were trading him or not, but he says he could be doing more for the team that matched a four-year offer sheet for more than $58MM to retain him in 2012, observes Brett Martel of The Associated Press. Coach Monty Williams believes Gordon could be doing more, too, but Williams is nonetheless pleased with what he’s seen from the shooting guard this season. Williams says Gordon’s late-game performance on Friday against the Pistons is what the team “paid the big bucks for.”
Former Rockets center Tim Ohlbrecht has a longer resume than most in the D-League, but he explains to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest that his NBA experience helped convince him to return to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the affiliate of the Rockets. “I had so much positive feedback from NBA personnel after last season and from training camp,” the 25-year-old Ohlbrecht said. “I’m in my mid-20′s now so I figured why not? We discussed all of my offers and figured that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll have some other options. I’m glad I’m here though.”

Mavericks Links: Kaman, Carlisle, Ledo

November 5th, 2013 at 7:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks scored an encouraging victory in their last outing, knocking off a Western Conference heavyweight with a win over the Grizzlies. Still, memories of last season’s failure resurfaced before tonight’s tilt against the Lakers and center Chris Kaman, part of a host of Mavs who didn’t return to the team after playing on expiring deals last season. Here’s the latest:

Kaman takes issue with what he perceives as Rick Carlisle‘s tendency to “micromanage” and says the Mavs coach is “uptight and kind of plays games with people a little bit here and there,” as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com observes. Carlisle told reporters that he takes his share of the responsibility for Kaman’s poor fit in Dallas, notes Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (Twitter link).
Kaman had more to say about Carlisle, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News shares the new Lakers center’s belief that the coach was duplicitous and played favorites. Kaman also doubted he would see many minutes if he re-signed with Dallas.
Ricky Ledo is probably headed for a D-League assignment at some point this season, Carlisle says, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter).