San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Texas Notes: Parker, Larkin, Carmelo

March 14th, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

At the start of every game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle‘s gameplan is rather simple: get the rock to Dirk Nowitzki. “We want to get him touching the ball early in the game in every game,” Carlisle said, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “If it doesn’t happen, I blame myself for it. We want to play a flowing, random type game as often as we can because we feel it’s a strength, but the ball has to move through the best players. When it doesn’t, I have to intervene and make play calls to get him involved touching it, to get Monta involved touching it, things like that. But we’re at our best when we’re playing a free-flowing game without play calls with good recognition.” More out of the Lone Star State..

In an update to his earlier report, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) now hears that only Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo are headed to the D-League, not Gal Mekel. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out our running list.
In an era of tumult and turnover, the Spurs‘ Big Three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili has managed to stay together, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The Spurs are humble about what they’ve accomplished over the years, but fans should stop and admire what they’ve done, even if the team won’t.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) wonders if Carmelo Anthony would ditch New York for Houston and if the Rockets would give up Terrence Jones or a future first round pick to pull it off. A report yesterday linked the Knicks star to Dwight Howard & Co. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News explains why it’s a long shot from a financial standpoint.

Spurs Made Late Push To Trade For Evan Turner

March 12th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs made a deadline-day effort to trade for Evan Turner before the Sixers sent him to the Pacers instead, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A rival executive made public mention the Spurs as a possible destination for Turner a couple of weeks in advance of the deadline, but aside from that, there wasn’t much chatter connecting San Antonio to the former No. 2 overall pick.

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird told Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star shortly after the deadline that he didn’t think the Sixers were able to find a team willing to give up a first-round pick for Turner, the asset Philadelphia was seeking. The Sixers instead wound up with Danny Granger, whom they later waived in a buyout agreement, and a 2015 second-round pick. It’s unclear exactly what the Spurs offered, but since Philly is left with only a second-rounder to show for Turner at this point, the Sixers might have been better off dealing with San Antonio.

The only deadline move the Spurs made was swapping Nando De Colo to the Raptors for Austin Daye. San Antonio was also in the mix to acquire Granger after he bought his way off the Sixers, but he signed with the Clippers instead. Still, the Spurs sit atop the NBA with a 47-16 record, a half-game ahead of Turner and the Pacers. Turner will become a free agent at season’s end, and if Indiana’s wary that Turner might accept a qualifying offer of more than $8.7MM for next season, the Pacers may decline to make that tender and turn him into an unrestricted free agent. The report linking San Antonio to Turner early last month suggested that the Spurs might have been just as interested in acquiring him via free agency as they were in trading for him at the deadline.

And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson

March 11th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.

You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:

With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

D-League Notes: Bowles, Williams, Nedovic

March 11th, 2014 at 8:31pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Iowa Energy – who share an NBA affiliation with the Bulls, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Wizards – have acquired center Denzel Bowles (Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest reports). The 6’10 big man was previously a member of the Pelicans’ (then-Hornets) summer league team in 2012/13, where he averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 16.1 MPG. Most recently, Bowles played in China before entering the D-League player pool.

Here are a few more NBDL-related notes worth passing along tonight:

The Thunder announced via press release that forward Reggie Williams has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers. Oklahoma City assigned Williams to the D-League earlier today before announcing his recall. Williams has yet to see action with the Thunder on the 10-day deal he signed Thursday, but he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in today’s matinee for Tulsa.
The Warriors announced earlier today that they’ve recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBDL.
The Cavaliers have recalled Sergey Karasev from the Canton Charge, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Texas Notes: Ellis, Rockets, Spurs

March 10th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

All three Texas teams have the night off, but we’ve got plenty of news to keep those in the Lone Star state occupied..

Monta Ellis described his first season with the Mavericks as escaping from “a deep hole,” saying he’s enjoying basketball as much as he has since his second season in the NBA, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “I would have to say my last time feeling like this was 2007, when we made the playoffs,” Ellis said Monday, referring to the eighth-seeded Warriors, who upset the top-seeded Mavs in the first round. “This happy? 2007.“
The Rockets have been focused on chemistry ever since their busy offseason and coach Kevin McHale believes that the team has made major strides, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “They have much better collective chemistry,” McHale said. “I think that is one of the most underrated things in sports — how well does everybody play with everybody? How well do they know their strengths and weaknesses? And they have a common goal of being really good together and that common goal is overriding any of the little stuff that was happening earlier.”
The Spurs boast the deepest roster in the NBA, but Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News wonders if that’s a good thing.

D-League Notes: Byars, Karasev, Buycks

March 5th, 2014 at 9:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Derrick Byars has been acquired as a returning player by the Bakersfield Jam, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Byars’ last NBA action came during a call up by the Spurs during the 2011/2012 season. He attended training camp with the Grizzlies this season, and most recently had signed with the Russian club Krasny Oktybr, but left the team prior to ever playing in a game.

Western Notes: Thunder, Granger, Iguodala

March 2nd, 2014 at 8:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

One of the bigger stories of the week was the Clippers signing Danny Granger for the rest of the season. Despite being in uniform he was unable to play in last night’s game thanks to a “clerical error” that accidentally listed him as inactive. But going forward, Granger should help bolster the team’s weak front line, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLos Angeles.com. Coach Doc Rivers thinks that his best fit on the team might be as a starter, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. This would allow Matt Barnes to return to a bench role and have Granger be more of a defensive asset for the first-team.

Here’s more from out west:

The Spurs didn’t land Granger, but Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News doesn’t think the team needs him. Instead, he points to how Boris Diaw‘s numbers and production are comparable to Granger’s.
Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman explores the possibility of the Thunder signing Ben Gordon if he is waived by the Bobcats. Since March 1st has passed, Gordon would be able to play for another team in the regular season, but not in the playoffs.
In a separate article, Mayberry looks at 15 possible players the Thunder could sign to fill their 15th roster spot.
The recently signed Caron Butler is expected to be in uniform for Tuesday’s game when the Thunder take on the Sixers, tweets Mayberry.
Suns GM Ryan McDonough says the team’s long-term approach hasn’t changed, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “We’re trying to get great players, through the draft or trade or free agency, but in the short term I think we’re ahead of what most people thought we would be. If we can use things like our cap space to help solidify our team we’ll do that, but at the same time we’re happy with the group we have”, McDonough said. Washburn also analyzes how the Suns are set heading into the offseason and some moves the team might make.
Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders analyzes the dividends that the signing of Andre Iguodala has paid to the Warriors.

Caron Butler Signs With Thunder

March 1st, 2014 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder have signed Caron Butler, the team announced. The Raymond Brothers client spurns the Heat, who had been co-favorites with Oklahoma City. The Bulls, Spurs and Rockets were also in contention for the 12th-year veteran. The deal covers the rest of the season, and perhaps there’s a player option for 2014/15, as Glen Davis recently received from the Clippers.

“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” GM Sam Presti said. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness. hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”

Oklahoma City had reportedly been seeking a two-way wing player before the trade deadline, and were willing to give up their own 2014 first-round pick to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. New York turned the Thunder down, and while Butler isn’t quite the defensive presence that Shumpert is, the Thunder appear to be better off, particularly since they’ll get to keep their draft pick and they’re likely making only a minimum-salary investment. Oklahoma City had been carrying just 13 players, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move.

Butler, who turns 34 in March, has been enduring one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 minutes per game for Milwaukee, which is close to his native Racine, Wisconsin. Butler’s homecoming this season to the league-worst Bucks was no fairy tale, and the team made him a part of trade talks before agreeing to a buyout this week. It’s unclear how much of this season’s $8MM salary he gave up to pry his way out his contract, which was set to end this summer.

The two-time All-Star goes from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to the top of the West with Oklahoma City, which figures to make Butler the backup to Kevin Durant and use them together in small-ball lineups. The early end of OKC’s pursuit of Danny Granger, who wound up picking the Clippers late Thursday night, reportedly led executives around the league to believe the Thunder were confident about their ability to land Butler. Miami had seemed like a natural fit, since the Heat made Butler the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he played his first two seasons with the team, developing a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, the godfather of one of Butler’s daughters.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement, noting that it covered the rest of the season.

Spurs Notes: Daye, Free Agents

February 28th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Cray Allred

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters, including Josh McDonald of San Antonio Express-News, that Nando De Colo‘s request for San Antonio to move him to a better situation was the impetus for GM R.C. Buford to trade him to the Raptors last week. Popovich says Buford was working to accommodate De Colo’s wishes for some time (Twitter links). Here’s more from San Antonio:

Popovich said in the same session that he isn’t feeling very anxious about what free agents the Spurs could add, per Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links): “R.C. and the boys are doing their due diligence but there’s nothing there we’re super excited about.” The Spurs have been linked to multiple players on the buyout market, but haven’t landed any to this point.
Austin Daye, whom the Spurs acquired in the De Colo trade, tells Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press that turbulence with the Pistons during his few years in the league helped him mature: “I saw a lot of things usually a lot of first-year guys don’t see, second-year guys don’t see—guys getting into it with coaches and stuff like that and all type of different stuff going on. It was tough when guys didn’t want to go to shootaround and all that stuff,” says Daye. “I kind of had to grow and mature as a player and as a person. I think I was able to do that my third to fourth year. Just be mature, come into work every day and beat somebody out for their spot. Just earn your minutes as best you can, instead of expecting stuff.”
Daye hopes to make enough of an impression for the Spurs to guarantee the final year of his contract next season, worth $1.1MM. He wants a chance to succeed like other Spurs reclamation projects have. “Look at what happened to [Danny Green]. He wasn’t playing at all in Cleveland, never sniffed the floor when he was there. He came into this system and the system really helps players like that. It helps players with perhaps a special skill-set or maybe even one skill-set,” says Daye. “I think it’s a great chance for me—I don’t think it’s the last chance for me. If that’s what they’ve been saying, that’s what they can think. I know I’m a good player in this league, I know I can play in this league.”

Bucks Waive Caron Butler In Buyout Deal

February 27th, 2014 at 4:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:43pm: The Bucks have officially waived Butler, the team announced. There’s no mention of a buyout arrangement in the statement, but presumably that’s what took place. He’s set to become a free agent on Saturday.

3:56pm: A source tells Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel that Butler’s parting of ways with the Bucks is official, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears he’ll be placed on waivers today (Twitter links). Still, there’s been no official announcement from the team.

8:01am: Caron Butler and the Bucks have reached agreement on a buyout, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who casts the Thunder and Heat as the favorites to sign the small forward once he clears waivers. The Bulls and Spurs are also in the running, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Butler will hit waivers once Milwaukee makes the move official, and presumably will become a free agent 48 hours later.

The Heat appeared to be the front runners for their former lottery pick when news broke earlier this week that Butler and the Bucks were talking about a buyout, but it appears they have strong competition from Oklahoma City. The Spurs have also previously been linked to Butler, but the Bulls appear to be a newcomer to the pursuit.

The 33-year-old Butler was in trade chatter leading up to the deadline, and while one report indicated the Bucks would be reluctant to give up the Wisconsin native, another suggested the team was ready to part ways, either via trade or buyout. Milwaukee acquired Butler in a trade with the Suns in the offseason, though he never played for Phoenix, which traded for him earlier in the summer in a deal with the Clippers. Butler’s expiring contract calls for him to make $8MM this season, though it’s unclear how much of that the Raymond Brothers client is giving up in the buyout.