Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Hayes, Perkins, Brown, Alexander

November 1st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

A shortage of big men led to the Rockets signing Chuck Hayes earlier today, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. With Dwight Howard sitting out because of a back-to-back and forwards Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas out with injury, Houston needed emergency help in its frontcourt. The solution was Hayes, who received a non-guaranteed contract, an unidentified source told Feigen. “Sitting at home watching games is not a good feeling,” Hayes said. “I’m excited. I’m familiar with the organization, familiar with the coaching staff from meeting with them this summer. I’m looking forward to it.” During the summer, the Rockets were interested in having Hayes join their coaching staff, but he wanted to continue playing.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

The Pelicans‘ Kendrick Perkins will be sidelined indefinitely with a right pectoral injury, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune. He suffered the injury in the first quarter of Saturday night’s loss to the Warriors.
Jabari Brown, the last player waived by the Lakers during camp, is considering playing in China, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. A source told Spears that Brown won’t play for the Lakers’ D-League team.
Surgery is being considered for the Blazers‘ Cliff Alexander, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Tests showed Alexander suffered torn cartilage in his knee, but the team is hoping the injury will heal with rest. If swelling or pain emerges again, surgery will be an option. “As of now, I’m fine, I feel no pain,” the 19-year-old rookie said. “I can run and jump, do everything. But if the swelling and pain comes back, then I might need surgery.”
Warriors GM Bob Myers told Sam Amick of USA Today that even though an extension couldn’t be reached with Harrison Barnes, the discussions ended “in a very healthy place.” Barnes reportedly turned down a four-year, $64MM offer and will become a restricted free agent next summer. “The deal has to work for Harrison and the organization,” Myers said. “And I always — maybe it’s my background [as a player agent] — but I always respect the position that an athlete takes in these situations. And now, representing the organization, we’re going to make the decision the best decision for us.”

And-Ones: Paul, Agent Changes, Leonard

October 28th, 2015 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Paul rejects the notion that he’s a poor teammate, an idea that rumors of a rift between Paul and DeAndre Jordan helped fuel this summer, writes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Jordan has downplayed any tension, citing a mutual desire to win, and that’s just what Paul is thinking about as he envisions playing the rest of his career with the Clippers, as Woike details.

“Hell, I never imagined I’d leave New Orleans, but there’s no question this is where I want to be,” Paul said to Woike. “I want to win. Here.”

The earliest Paul can elect free agency is the summer of 2017. See more from around the NBA:

Agent Michael Tellem, the son of former agent turned Pistons organization executive Arn Tellem, is leaving the Wasserman Media Group for the Creative Artists Agency and taking high-profile client Danilo Gallinari with him, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Mario Hezonja, Bojan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica have dropped Tellem and will continue with Wasserman, Pick adds (on Twitter). The loss of Arn Tellem has proven tough for Wasserman, which also lost Al Horford, LaMarcus Aldridge and Joe Johnson over the offseason. Gallinari, Hezonja and Bjelica all signed new deals earlier this summer, while Bogdanovic remains on a deal with the Nets that runs through 2016/17.
Extension talks between the Trail Blazers and Meyers Leonard are off to a late start, but Leonard’s preference is to stay in Portland, observes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. The deadline for the sides to reach a deal is Monday. “I really, really like and love this city,” Leonard said. “I love the organization and now that a greater opportunity has presented itself, I think a lot more people are embracing me. I’d love to be here. That’s my hope. But I don’t know if I’ll get an extension. I don’t know what will happen after this year. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Al Harrington said in March that he was retiring, but instead the 16-year NBA veteran is joining the Sydney Kings of Australia on a four-week deal, league sources told Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia.

Kings, Blazers Lead West, NBA In Newcomers

October 28th, 2015 at 10:15am CST by Chuck Myron

Lost amid the turmoil and apparent reconciliation for DeMarcus Cousins, George Karl and the Kings front office was the overhaul of the team’s roster. Nine of the team’s 15 players to start the season weren’t on the roster at the end of 2014/15, a level of turnover that only the Trail Blazers can match in the Western Conference and no team can match in the East. New front office chief Vlade Divac used the draft, trades and free agency this summer to change 60% of his roster this summer, clearly putting his stamp on the team.

Still, the Trail Blazers would have eclipsed them had Tim Frazier not beaten Phil Pressey in their preseason battle for the third point guard job. The departure of LaMarcus Aldridge touched off an exodus of all seven of Portland’s free agents, and by the time Aldridge left, GM Neil Olshey was already active in trades, sending out Nicolas Batum and Steve Blake for four of his team’s nine newcomers.

Meanwhile, as the focus in Oklahoma City turned to Kevin Durant and his 2016 free agency, the Thunder were quiet on the 2015 market, adding only a pair of draft picks, including draft-and-stash signee Josh Huestis. Like the Bulls, the only other team in the NBA this year to have only two new players this season, the Thunder did change coaches, replacing Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan.

See the newcomers in the Western Conference and how the teams stack up in terms of roster turnover:

Kings (9) — Quincy Acy, James Anderson, Marco Belinelli, Caron Butler, Willie Cauley-Stein, Seth Curry, Duje Dukan, Kosta Koufos, Rajon Rondo.

Trail Blazers (9) — Cliff Alexander, Al-Farouq Aminu, Pat Connaughton, Ed Davis, Maurice Harkless, Gerald Henderson, Luis Montero, Mason Plumlee, Noah Vonleh.

Clippers (8) — Cole Aldrich, Branden Dawson, Wesley Johnson, Luc Mbah a Moute, Paul Pierce, Pablo Prigioni, Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson.

Lakers (8) — Brandon Bass, Anthony Brown, Roy Hibbert, Marcelo Huertas, Larry Nance Jr., D’Angelo Russell, Lou Williams, Metta World Peace.

Mavericks (8) — Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans, John Jenkins, Wesley Matthews, JaVale McGee, Salah Mejri, Zaza Pachulia, Deron Williams.

Suns (7) — Devin Booker, Tyson Chandler, Cory Jefferson, Jon Leuer, Ronnie Price, Mirza Teletovic, Sonny Weems.

Spurs (6) — LaMarcus Aldridge, Rasual Butler, Boban Marjanovic, Ray McCallum, Jonathon Simmons, David West.

Timberwolves (6) — Nemanja Bjelica, Tyus Jones, Andre Miller, Tayshaun Prince, Damjan Rudez, Karl-Anthony Towns.

Jazz (4) — Trey Lyles, Raul Neto, Tibor Pleiss, Jeff Withey.

Pelicans (4) — Alonzo Gee, Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Ish Smith.

Rockets (4) — Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Ty Lawson, Marcus Thornton.

Grizzlies (3) — Matt Barnes, Jarell Martin, Brandan Wright.

Nuggets (3) — Nikola Jokic, Mike Miller, Emmanuel Mudiay.

Warriors (3) — Ian Clark, Kevon Looney, Jason Thompson.

Thunder (2) — Josh Huestis, Cameron Payne.

And-Ones: Colangelo, Timberwolves, Leonard

October 26th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerry Colangelo will step down as chairman of USA Basketball after the 2020 Olympics, he confirms to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes about it in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Colangelo nonetheless committed to remain in his job that long to help persuade Gregg Popovich to take over as Team USA head coach, Aldridge notes. Popovich is also signed only through 2020, though it’s unclear if he’s open to coaching the team beyond then. “For sure, I’m done in ’20,” Colangelo said. “There’s an end date.”

In other news around the league:

The Timberwolves spoke with league officials about postponing Wednesday’s season opener against the Lakers after coach Flip Saunders succumbed to complications from cancer treatments on Sunday, but the talks never reached a serious stage, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The sorrowful Timberwolves know it will be difficult to play so soon after their coach’s untimely death, Zgoda adds. “We’re definitely in a tough spot, but we’re gonna do the best we can,” veteran small forward Tayshaun Prince said.
The Trail Blazers have not engaged in extension talks with center Meyers Leonard, according to Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ president of basketball operations, delayed the process because he wanted to avoid drawn-out negotiations with Leonard’s agent Aaron Mintz, Quick continues. The Blazers can preserve cap space for next summer by putting off the extension, Quick points out, because the first year of his salary would count against the cap if they sign him before the Nov. 2nd deadline.
Owners are looking to former agent Arn Tellem, who joined the Pistons organization as an executive this year, for perspective as they prepare to negotiate on labor issues with the players, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). Tellem, who is the vice chairman of the Palace Sports and Entertainment group that controls the Pistons, addressed owners at last week’s Board of Governors meeting.

Western Rumors: World Peace, Clippers, McGee

October 26th, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Metta World Peace not only made the Lakers‘ opening-day roster, but the club also plans to make him an assistant coach after his playing career, league sources told Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania. The veteran small forward, who beat out Jabari Brown for the final roster spot, has been mentoring several young Lakers players, including 2014 lottery pick and power forward Julius Randle, Charania adds. World Peace is excited about the possibility of being a coach, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets. “It would be fun,” World Peace said. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a coach? It’s a great life.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Luc Mbah a Moute secured the Clippers’ final roster spot over veteran forward Chuck Hayes because of his defensive prowess, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers told Woike that he views Mbah a Moute as a defensive specialist. “He’s one of those guys that can be a great team defender,” Rivers said. The small forward wound up with the Clippers after the Kings voided Mbah a Moute’s free agent deal with the team this summer, claiming he failed his physical because of a shoulder injury, Woike adds.
Center JaVale McGee is still “weeks away” from being cleared to play but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is encouraged by his progress, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. McGee is rehabbing from a left tibial stress fracture. Salah Mejri appears to be the main backup to Zaza Pachulia until McGee returns.
Al-Farouq Aminu has made a strong impression on his Trail Blazers teammates with his defensive versatility, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Aminu was signed as a free agent to a four-year, $30MM deal to be their defensive stopper, Freeman continues. “He’s a jack-of-all-trades, a guy who can do everything,” shooting guard C.J. McCollum said to Freeman. “I think he’s really, really talented defensively. He’s a guy who can guard multiple positions, can guard a point guard, he can get switched on the four or five and hold his own, rebound, block shots, run the floor.” However, he may miss the season opener because of a left hamstring strain, Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com reports.
Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley is ready for the season opener after a hand injury that required surgery prevented him from playing during the team’s postseason run, Jenny Creech of the Houston Chronicle writes. Beverley missed one preseason game with groin soreness, but averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 assists in seven other preseason outings.

Pistons Sign Ryan Boatright

October 23rd, 2015 at 9:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have signed point guard Ryan Boatright, the team announced via a press release. Detroit intends to waive Boatright and assign him to its D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter). Teams can retain the D-League rights for up to four players.

The Suns, Hornets and Blazers were also reportedly interested in Boatright, whom the Nets waived Tuesday. The undrafted point guard from Connecticut performed well during limited preseason action, averaging 4.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 turnover in 13.9 minutes per game. His career NCAA numbers were 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, with a slash line of .416/.380/.794.

The addition of Boatright raises the Pistons’ roster count to 17 players, including 16 with fully guaranteed pacts. The team is expected to waive veteran Danny Granger, who along with Boatright, would reduce the team’s roster to the regular season maximum of 15 once they are indeed let go.

Northwest Notes: Stotts, Monroe, Waiters, Mitchell

October 16th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The future of Terry Stotts is unresolved beyond this season, as the Trail Blazers have yet to pick up the team option on his deal for 2016/17, but Blazers players, including Damian Lillard, are fully supportive of the coach, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick details.

“As long as I am here,” Lillard said, “I would like him to be here.”

Lillard signed a five-year extension this summer that will run through 2020/21, and the Blazers are making him the centerpiece of their retool, but time will tell if Portland retains Stotts as one of its building blocks. See more on the Blazers amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:

Greg Monroe narrowed his choices to the Bucks and Trail Blazers before selecting Milwaukee in free agency this summer, according to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, who recounts Monroe’s decision making that led up to his three-year max deal with the Bucks. That means he first eliminated the Knicks and Lakers, who, as Lee notes, also met with him.
The Thunder aren’t worried about making too many commitments to middling talents that would be tough to build around if Kevin Durant bolts next summer, and instead they’re focused on building a stable supporting cast around Durant for the long term, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. That, plus Oklahoma City’s penchant for rewarding players who want to stick around, helps explain the team’s reported willingness to explore an extension for Dion Waiters, as Young examines.
Sam Mitchell didn’t feel a burning desire to coach again when Flip Saunders called to offer him a job with the Timberwolves last year, Mitchell tells Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Saunders nonetheless made a convincing case, and Mitchell joined as an assistant, which led to his promotion to interim head coach when cancer treatment forced Saunders to take a leave of absence. “He thought I did a good job in the media — I thought I did an excellent job — but he said to me ‘you’re always going to be a basketball coach,’” Mitchell said of his conversation with Saunders.

Henry Walker Signs With Amerileague

October 15th, 2015 at 12:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Five-year NBA veteran Henry Walker has signed with the Amerileague, the league announced (hat tip to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders). It’s a milestone of sorts for the six-team startup minor league, as Walker is the first of its signees who saw regular season action in the NBA last season. Walker, Josh Selby, Terrence Williams, Dajuan Wagner, Royce White, David Harrison and Antoine Wright are among those with NBA experience in the more distant past to join the Amerileague, Kennedy notes (Twitter link). Walker, who turned 28 last week, started 13 times in his 24-game stint with the Heat last season.

Walker joined Miami on a pair of 10-day contracts that led to a deal for the rest of the season with a non-guaranteed 2015/16 included. It was his first time back in the NBA since 2011/12, and the Mike Naiditch client made the most of it, as his 26.2 minutes per game for the Heat were a career high. Miami nonetheless released him in July, but Sam Amico reported soon after for Hoops Rumors that the Blazers had interest in the swingman.

The Amerileague is reportedly handing out salaries worth up to as much as $50K per month, about twice what the most well-compensated D-League players make. It’s not immediately clear if Walker will see that sort of money, but those salaries make the Amerileague more competitive with European teams. That helps explain why veterans like Walker are joining. The D-League has instead largely been the purview of younger, less-experienced players willing to sacrifice money for a chance to play with NBA-affiliated organizations.

Do you think the Amerileague will last for the long term as a legitimate minor league? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Mensah-Bonsu, Neto

October 14th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes that Timberwolves interim head man Sam Mitchell will be an improved leader now that he is getting another head coaching opportunity, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. “Huge,” Casey said of the difference between the first and second times around as a coach. “You learn so much from your mistakes, more from your mistakes than the success you have. So I’m sure Sam has learned. I don’t know a coach who has been fired who felt like he should have been fired. I didn’t feel like I should have been fired in Minnesota. We were in the playoff hunt. You never feel that way. I made mistakes in Minnesota. Everybody does. But you learn from them, you grow from them. I’m sure Sam has. He’ll tell you that.”

Mitchell agrees with Casey’s assessment, and said that he is a better coach now because of his past failures, Zgoda notes. “You just try to get better,” Mitchell said. “You try to have more patience. You understand Rome wasn’t built in a day and you’re not going to win a championship in a day. You understand the process, the ups and downs a little bit better. You understand how difficult the league is. Everybody wants to win right now, but it just doesn’t work. You put in your time and you keep your players focused, understanding it’s a process.”

Here’s the latest from the Northwest Division:

Former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu has officially retired from the game, Mark Woods of MVP247.com relays. The 32-year-old was in training camp with the Nuggets last year, but left the team due to personal reasons. Mensah-Bonsu appeared in 61 combined games over the course of his career and owns averages of 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds to accompany a shooting line of .410/.000/.589.
Rookie Jazz point guard Raul Neto, who will be counted on in Utah’s rotation with Dante Exum expected to miss the season, is becoming more comfortable with the team’s system as well as life in the U.S., Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News writes. “Each game I’m getting more comfortable with the team and with the plays, with everything, so I’m feeling great,’’ Neto told Sorensen. “You always have somebody close to you, helping you. I really like it here.’’
With the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge via free agency this summer, Damian Lillard is poised to have big season, according to teammate C.J. McCollum, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders relays. “I just expect him to continue to do a lot of the things he has done in the past: being a good leader, orchestrating the offense, being aggressive like he has been and just being a killer,” McCollum said of Lillard. “I always joke with him and tell him this is just like when he was at Weber State only he’s got more help. He’s going to take on the bulk load of attention from an in-game standpoint and a media standpoint so a lot of pressure is going to be on him, but I think he’s ready for it. Offensively, he has all the tools to be an All-Star again….”

Western Notes: Odom, Lillard, Randolph, Davis

October 13th, 2015 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Damian Lillard downplayed any rumored issues between him and LaMarcus Aldridge, and denied that their relationship was part of the reason Aldridge decided to leave the Trail Blazers for the Spurs as an unrestricted free agent this summer, Paul Flannery of SB Nation writes. “Our relationship was fine,” Lillard said. “Me and LA never had an argument. People are searching for something that’s not there. When you have two All-Stars on the same team and one of them decides to leave, it’s automatically, ‘They didn’t get along.’ We had back-to-back 50-win seasons. We both made the All-Star team. We played through him and after that it was me and that was that. We played well together. We never had an issue.”

Portland executive Neil Olshey noted that the franchise sought Lillard’s approval before embarking on a full-rebuild and surrounding the point guard with a younger crop of players, Flannery adds in the same piece. “This was not done without Dame’s participation,” Olshey said. “If he was at all reticent, if he said it would be great if you could get me another vet to help out, we would have gone out and found a couple of other guys to take the pressure off of him. He’s not that kind of kid. He embraces it. He thrives on it.”

Here’s more from out West:

Former NBA player Lamar Odom was hospitalized after he was found unconscious earlier this evening at a Nevada brothel, Andrew Dalton and Sally Ho of The Associated Press report. The 35-year-old was stabilized and taken to Desert View Hospital in nearby Pahrump, a sheriff’s office statement said. There was no further word on Odom’s condition. Odom’s last NBA action came during the 2012/13 season with the Clippers.
Zach Randolph is prepared to do whatever it takes to help the Grizzlies win this season, including accepting a reduction in his minutes in order to preserve his energy and health, Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press writes. “I think I’m still in my prime, and I’m going to let my game, the way I play, speak for itself,” Randolph said. “But I mean whatever I need to do to help this team, if it’s play less minutes, whatever, I’m with this team whatever we need to do.“
Blazers power forward Ed Davis has switched representation from Relativity Sports to IT Sports Management and agent Paolo Zamorano, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Davis inked a three-year, $20MM deal with Portland this offseason.
Dwight Howard has no desire to repeat the circus that accompanied his previous forays into free agency, and he intends to keep the focus on the Rockets‘ 2015/16 campaign, and not where he may be playing next season, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. The big man can opt out of his current deal after the season and become an unrestricted free agent, Blinebury adds, and Howard believes that he can play for another 10 seasons. “Even though this will be my 12th season in the NBA, I still feel like I’ve got a lot left in me,” Howard said. “I believe my best 10 years are still in front of me, if we play it smart and I appreciate the coaching staff, the training staff and everybody for working toward that.“