San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Sign Damion James To 10-Day Deal

April 3rd, 2014 at 10:13am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 10:13am: The deal is official, the team announced.

WEDNESDAY, 1:59pm: The Spurs are set to sign former first-round pick Damion James to a 10-day contract, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Nuggets brought him to preseason camp on a non-guaranteed deal, and while he seemed to play Jordan Hamilton to a draw, Denver opted to cut him and keep Hamilton’s guaranteed contract instead. James has spent most of the season in the D-League, splitting time between the Bakersfield Jam and his current team, the Texas Legends, which is the one-to-one affiliate of the Mavs.

The Mark Bartelstein client reportedly drew interest from other NBA teams soon after the Nuggets let him go, but no team had been identified as a suitor. His last official NBA action came last season on a 10-day contract with the Nets, the only team for which he’s played a regular season game. He started nine games for the team as a rookie in 2010/11, but he broke his right foot, and persistent trouble with that foot derailed his career. He appeared in only 34 games on his rookie scale contract.

The Spurs have been carrying an open roster spot, so they don’t need to make a corresponding move before their deal with James becomes official. The 26-year-old has been averaging 21.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in 14 games since joining the Texas Legends, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get significant minutes in a couple of games for the Spurs as they rest players in preparation for the postseason.

And-Ones: Williams, Carmelo, Leonard, Isiah

March 27th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jazz forward Marvin Williams hasn’t had any discussions with management about his future, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. However, Falk reminds that Utah rejected a deadline deal that would have sent Williams out in an exchange for a first round pick, hoping that the 6’9 forward would eventually re-sign this summer. Williams is finishing up the final year of a deal that will pay him $7.5MM this season, and based on glowing approbation from his teammates and coaches recently, it’d appear that Utah remains strongly interested in keeping him for the long-term.

Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:

Carmelo Anthony finally had his first conversation with Phil Jackson before the Knicks‘ loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, though the 29-year-old forward tells Newsday’s Al Iannazzone that it was nothing more than small talk: “He told me to get ready, go out there and play, try to finish the season off strong, that’s it…We didn’t really talk about too much. Talked about him being in New York, him coming back out to L.A., the weather. Just generic. We really didn’t talk about nothing.”
There’s an argument to be made that Kawhi Leonard is the most valuable player on the league’s best team, writes Sam Amick of USA today, who also thinks it’s safe to assume that securing Leonard’s services will be a top priority for the Spurs this summer. The 6’7 forward will be eligible for a contract extension in July.
Isiah Thomas neither confirmed nor denied an interest in taking a job with the Pistons in the near future, but he did intimate his strong loyalty to the franchise: “My heart has never left this organization…I don’t think you will find a person on this earth that loves the Pistons more than I do” (Eric Lacy of MLive.com reports).
Bill Laimbeer was also asked about a potential role with the Pistons but declined comment.
At the recommendation of a Los Angeles-based ankle specialist, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova will sit out the remainder of the 2013/14 season (Twitter links via the team’s official Twitter account).
Some may contend that Taj Gibson is a strong candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year title, but Sam Smith of Bulls.com argues that the Bulls forward exemplifies the NBA’s Most Improved award.
Former 76ers swingman Rodney Carney is headed to Lebanon to play for Al Riyadi Beirut, reports Enea Trapani of Sportando.

Spurs First-Rounder To Stay Overseas In 2014/15

March 27th, 2014 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Spurs 2013 first-round draft pick Livio Jean-Charles will remain with French team Asvel Villeurbanne next season, according to Tony Parker, the Spurs point guard who owns part of Asvel, as Catch-and-Shoot reports (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The 20-year-old forward hasn’t played this season because of a knee injury.

San Antonio took Jean-Charles with the 28th overall pick last year after an impressive performance in the Nike Hoop Summit in which he competed against many of this year’s premiere draft prospects, including Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Noah Vonleh. Still, the 6’9″ forward put up underwhelming numbers with Asvel in 2012/13, notching just 3.3 points in 14.0 minutes per game.

The extra year overseas isn’t altogether surprising, given that the injury kept him from using this season to improve his game. If he had signed this summer, the Spurs would have given him a rookie scale contract worth the equivalent of what this year’s 28th overall pick is set to receive. There might be some degree of pressure for the Spurs to sign Jean-Charles in the summer of 2015, the last year he’d be subject to the rookie scale. Still, he’d be unlikely to command more money unless he shows significant improvement in his game, and Parker, who’s buying a majority stake in Asvel, probably wouldn’t attach an exorbitant buyout to Jean-Charles’ deal with the French team.

Eastern Notes: Young, Rose, Murry

March 26th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Cray Allred

Former Bulls MVP Derrick Rose has begun practicing with the team in non-contract drills, coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters including K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. His progress puts him on track to participate in USA Basketball’s July minicamp, but doesn’t change his status as out for the season. Here’s more from the East:

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told Andy Greder of Pioneer Press that frontcourt injuries spurred Atlanta to bring rookie Mike Muscala over from Europe sooner than planned, but the coach added that the big man is in their long term plans. “It is because of the injuries, but it’s also because he is somebody that we really think has a future with us,” said Budenholzer. “He is a smart player and he is picking things up quickly.” After selecting Muscala in the second round of the 2013 draft, the Hawks signed him mid-season to a four-year contract that isn’t fully guaranteed beyond 2013/14.
The Sixers‘ Thaddeus Young would have embraced a trade to the Spurs, had rumors along those lines come to fruition at the deadline, he tells Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. “You know, it’s a great opportunity … I want to play for a winning team, I want to win a championship. At the end day, right now, the trade deadline is over and I’m just trying to develop guys and rebuild the culture,” said Young, who sounded open to the possibility of joining the Spurs in the future. “It can happen. Like I said, I can play with anybody.”
Toure’ Murry is living his dream, telling Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders that time spent in Summer League, overseas, and the D-League have all been worth it now that he has a spot at the end of the Knicks bench. “Everybody’s dream is to get to the NBA. It just makes me feel great to say I play in the NBA and (my family and peers are) basically living their dream through me,” Murry said. “It’s kind of like a real story when I look back on it. It just shows you never give up, never get sidetracked because there’s a lot of things that can do that, and just know you can do it if you have a strong mental state and always believe in yourself. Even when you’re short, you’re skinny, always believe in yourself.”

Spurs Rumors: Ginobili, Duncan, Spurs

March 24th, 2014 at 8:58pm CST by Zachary Links

A look at the Spurs as they face the Sixers on their home floor tonight..

Manu Ginobili wasn’t sure he’d play both seasons of his two-year deal when he re-signed with the Spurs this summer, but now he’s “pretty sure” he’s going to return for 2014/15, as he tells Sam Amick of USA Today.
When asked if he’d honor his contract through next season, Spurs star Tim Duncan said he’s taking it “game by game,” notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Duncan, who turns 38 next month, is averaging 15 PPG and 10 RPG with a career-low PER of 21.1. Even if they’re not his best numbers, it’s clear that the big man still has lots of quality basketball left.
While with the Spurs, Sixers coach Brett Brown watched Gary Neal and Danny Green, among others, thrive in the NBA after leaving Europe. Now, Brown is looking to do the same in Philly, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. This morning, the Sixers welcomed guard Casper Ware, who just finished up his second consecutive season in Italy.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Young, Jackson, Thompson

March 23rd, 2014 at 12:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers coach Brett Brown and GM Sam Hinkie have publicly expressed their desires to make Thaddeus Young feel as comfortable in his current situation as he can be, writes Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times. As the team overhauls its roster in preparation for this summer’s draft and the free-agency period, Young is the last remaining high-profile veteran on the roster. Young said, “They’ve been making a conscious effort to continue talking to me, keep trying to keep me on board as far as what’s going on with construction and rebuilding effort.” Young is posting career-best numbers of 17.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.1 APG, but he knows that his situation is less than desirable, writes Vito. “This is definitely a situation that, really, nobody wants to take on. Hey, sometimes this is how the cards are dealt to you and this is the situation that was dealt to me,” Young said.

More from around the Eastern Conference:

According to Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, the best way for Phil Jackson to change the culture of the Knicks is to step in and coach the team himself. Lupica thinks that if Jackson has the energy to work in the front office, then he has the energy to coach. The article also uses the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich as an example. Lupica notes that Popovich’s first important move as the team’s executive vice-president and GM was to hire himself as coach. Years later he made R.C. Buford the general manager and the two of them have been a formidable team for a long time, opines Lupica.
In addition to working out a contract extension with Kyrie Irving and possibly pursuing LeBron James, another big offseason decision the Cavaliers will have to make is in regards to Tristan Thompson, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Thompson, like Irving, can be extended this summer. He is under the Cavs’ control for next season at $5.4MM, and any extension he signs would kick in for the 2015/16 season. By then Thompson could be in line to command upwards of $12MM a year and the team will need to decide if he’s worth the investment, writes Lloyd.
Tim Bontemps of The New York Post examines the possibility and cap ramifications of the Nets re-signing Shaun Livingston this summer.

Eastern Notes: Vasquez, Miller, Stoudemire

March 21st, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune details the close relationship between Pelicans coach Monty Williams and Raptors point guard Greivis Vasquez, who played for New Orleans last season. The trade that split up the pairing last summer stung Vasquez, who’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end. “It hurt,” Vasquez said. “It really touched me a little bit. I was close not only with Coach Monty, but I was close with (assistant) Fred Vinson, all the coaching staff, the guys, messing around with Austin Rivers, Chief (Al-Farouq Aminu), Anthony Davis . . . . it was hard for me to let it go. But it’s part of the business.”

Western Notes: Buss, White, Mekel

March 21st, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers ownership and decision making has been complicated since the passing of Jerry Buss, but Jeanie Buss has stated emphatically that she’s the “boss”, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. In an interview on the “Mason and Ireland”show, Buss said, “I am responsible ultimately for anything with the team and decisions that are made. In my position, I empower people that are in positions to do their jobs. [Executive vice president of player personnel] Jim Buss and [general manager] Mitch Kupchak are responsible for all basketball decisions. They are empowered to do that. My job is to make sure, as a boss, that I provide them the tools to do the job successfully. But it’s up to them to make the day-to-day decisions on how they operate their area of the business.”

West Notes: D’Antoni, Jackson, Blazers, Spurs

March 16th, 2014 at 8:09pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a lot of different takes on coach Mike D’Antoni within the Lakers organization, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. One league source says the Lakers have not offered any indication D’Antoni’s job has become in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the Lakers don’t plan to evaluate him until after this season ends on April 16th and they may not decide definitely then, either. More out of the West..

The Knicks’ hire of Phil Jackson puts pressure on Blazers owner Paul Allen and GM Neil Olshey, writes John Canzano of The Oregonian. If Jackson can pull the Knicks out of their mediocre spin and make a deep run in the playoffs before the Blazers do, it’s going to confirm what many have said all along – that Allen would be better off simply hiring good basketball people and getting out of the way.
The Blazers announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled guard Allen Crabbe from the Idaho Stampede of the D-League. During Crabbe’s three-game stint in Idaho he averaged 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds and shot 42.6 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three-point range.
The Spurs announced that they have recalled forward Austin Daye from the Austin Toros of the D-League. In Saturday night’s contest against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Daye recorded 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots in 40 total minutes. The California native has appeared in two games for the Spurs’ varsity squad, averaging 3.0 points in 1.5 minutes per contest.

And-Ones: Harden, Collins, Daye, Williams

March 15th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Cray Allred

In a series of tweets, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says there was more to the Thunder‘s decision to trade James Harden before last season than money concerns. Coming off their Finals loss, Harden wanted an increased role on the team, believing himself to be the superstar talent we now know he is. Kyler says Harden wanted to stay, but the Thunder didn’t want to change their roster dynamics to accommodate his wishes. Here’s more from around the league:

Jason Collins is happy stay with the Nets for the rest of the season, he tells Roderick Boone of Newsday. “Thank you to the Nets organization, coaches and players,” Collins said.“Our team is playing really well right now and I’m glad to continue to be here.”
The Spurs have assigned Austin Daye to their D-League affiliate per a team release.
After showing promise in some extended playing time with the Raptors, Ed Davis has struggled to see many minutes with the Grizzlies, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The lack of playing time has come because of a crowded frontcourt in Memphis, not a lack of skill on Davis’s part, says coach Dave Joerger. “It’s tough and he’s a similar style to the guys that are at that position,” said Joerger. “What his athleticism is, is a different look for us. But it’s tough with Marc [Gasol] and Zach [Randolph] in front of him.”
Derrick Williams has been debated as a “true” small forward or power forward since coming into the league, but Kings coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that Williams’ versatility is a good thing. “You go back to his days at Arizona, when he was the No. 2 pick, he played a lot of four (power forward),” Malone said. “I see in the NBA if a bigger guy is guarding him, he can take that guy out on the perimeter. If you play him at the small forward, you can post him up some. He’s got that versatility and athleticism that is very attractive. The league is getting a lot smaller it seems, and I think Derrick’s versatility is a real advantage when you play him at the four.” If small forward Rudy Gay picks up his $19.3MM player option in Sacramento for next season, Williams will likely have to establish his ability to thrive at the power forward spot.