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Odds & Ends: LeBron/Melo, J.R. Smith, Deng

January 9th, 2014 at 9:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Both Al Iannazzone of Newsday and Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News passed along some of LeBron James‘ comments on Carmelo Anthony with regards to free agency:

“You got to do whatever makes you happy…When you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun for you. Strive to be great every day and live with whatever else happens. So we’ll see.”

Asked further if he’d recommend Anthony leave some money on the table when he signs his next contract, LeBron had this to say:

“I recommend it to me…It doesn’t work for everybody. The way I live my life don’t work for everybody. All I care about is winning. I came to Miami to win. Money didn’t make me happy. Winning made me happy, and it still does. That’s what matters to me.”

We’ve got more links to pass along out of the Association tonight, and you can find them below:

  • Not surprisingly, George Karl deplored J.R. Smith‘s recent behavior, telling Michael Kay on 98.7 ESPN radio in New York that his former player is going to wake up one day and realize how much he’s wasted great opportunities because of this “mockery he brings to the game.” In spite of that, Karl added that Smith still has a “skill that championship teams need” and suggested that a team like the Heat or Spurs may be able to corral the erratic shooting guard: “There’s that possibility…I think right now that’s the position if I was J.R.’s agent [I would take]. I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure…I know San Antonio has always liked (J.R.) and I know they’ve thought about bringing him in…San Antonio doesn’t make a lot of mistakes” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).   
  • Although Luol Deng‘s agent Herb Rudoy didn’t expand upon how far apart the numbers were with the Bulls regarding contract extension discussions, he mentioned Andre Iguodala‘s contract with the Warriors (four years, $48MM) as one that would be commensurate with Deng’s ability, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
  • When asked about a potential return to Chicago for his client in the near future, Rudoy responded: “Never discussed…I have no idea. We didn’t talk about it.” 
  • Tom Haberstroh of ESPN explores the topic of whether or not Andrew Bynum would be a good fit with the Heat (Insiders only).
  • Ian Begley and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York, Robert Silverman of Knickerblogger, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of TrueHoop, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN have a roundtable discussion on the Knicks and Nets‘ chances of making the playoffs, winning the Atlantic Division, getting to the second round of the playoffs, and which has the brighter future.
  • K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune goes in-depth about how the Deng trade presents an enormous opportunity for Bulls rookie Tony Snell (Subscribers only).
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Players Whose Contracts Will Be Guaranteed

January 7th, 2014 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined earlier today, players on non-guaranteed contracts who aren’t released by 4:00pm central time will have their full 2013/14 salaries guaranteed. We’ll be keeping tabs in this post on players who have been informed they’ll remain on their respective teams’ rosters, with new updates added to the top of the list throughout the afternoon:

  • Barring an unexpected development, the Pacers will guarantee Rasual Butler‘s contract today, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.

Earlier updates:

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D-League Moves: Sixers, Spurs, Mavs

January 6th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a busy day so far for D-League transactions, with several teams either calling up or sending down young players. We heard earlier that the Nets re-assigned Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor. Now, let’s round up the rest of Monday’s moves:

  • The Sixers have recalled both Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Williams was just assigned to the Delaware 87ers yesterday, while Brown had been with the Sixers’ D-League affiliate for the last week and a half.
  • Nando De Colo has been sent to the Austin Toros for the sixth time this season, the Spurs announced in a press release. De Colo’s assignments have each been brief, as he’s played just five total games during his time with Austin, averaging 24.6 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 6.2 RPG.
  • The Mavericks have recalled Ricky Ledo from the Texas Legends, according to a team release. Ledo was assigned back on November 30th, and appeared in 14 contests with the Legends, helping to lead the club to a 10-5 overall record.
  • C.J. McCollum has been informed by the Blazers that he’ll be active for Tuesday’s game, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. McCollum hasn’t officially been recalled from the D-League’s Idaho Stampede yet, but it appears that will officially happen today or tomorrow, in advance of what could be McCollum’s NBA debut in Sacramento.
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D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, T’Wolves

January 4th, 2014 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s look at the D-League..

  • The Spurs announced that they have recalled guard Nando De Colo from the Austin Toros of the D-League.  De Colo made his fifth appearance for the Toros this season Friday evening helping Austin to a 122-97 home victory over the Texas Legends finishing with 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.  For now, teammate Malcolm Thomas remains in Austin.
  • Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark will be staying in L.A. following last night’s game against the Lakers because they’re both being assigned to the D-League once more, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
  • The T’Wolves are giving some thought to purchasing a D-League team, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.  “Eventually that might be something that we want to do, where we have a team where we can send (players) back and forth,” president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said.  The Wolves plan on sending Shabazz Muhammad to their shared affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa.  It’ll be their first D-League assignment since 2011/12.
  • Brandon Parker of the Washington Post wonders what kind of impact it will have on the D-League if Celtics star Rajon Rondo is sent down to rehab from injury.  Having household names rehab on a farm team would increase the D-League’s exposure and attendance.  It also, of course, would give NBA players a great way to ease back into regular action.
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D-League Notes: Muhammad, N’Diaye, De Colo

January 3rd, 2014 at 5:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s today’s D-League assignments and recalls..

  • The T’Wolves informed rookie Shabazz Muhammad that he’s being assigned to their D-League affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.  “He can play more minutes in those four or five games down there than he might play here all year,” team president Flip Saunders said.  The 14th overall pick has played sparingly in just 11 of 32 games so far this season.  Meanwhile, Saunders says he hasn’t considered asking Robbie Hummel and rookie center Gorgui Dieng to do the same because both have been part of coach Rick Adelman‘s rotation.
  • The Kings announced that they have assigned center Hamady N’Diaye to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.  The 7-foot Rutgers product is averaging 0.4 points (3-9 FG, 0-1 FT), 1.3 rebounds and 5.3 minutes per game in 14 appearances this season for the Kings.  He will be in the Bighorns lineup tonight when Reno faces the Santa Cruz Warriors.
  • The Spurs announced that they have assigned guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas to the Austin Toros of the D-League.  This will mark De Colo’s fifth assignment to the Toros this season and Thomas’ fourth.  In four games in Austin, De Colo has averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.25 steals in 38.8 minutes.  In his four games with the Toros, Thomas has averaged 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.25 blocks in 30.3 minutes.
  • The Raptors announced that they have assigned guard Dwight Buycks to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.  Buycks will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will be placed on the team’s inactive list.  Buycks has appeared in 12 games for the Raptors this season recording a total of 41 points, 10 assists, 20 rebounds and six steals in 121 minutes. He posted a season-best ten points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals December 10th versus San Antonio.
  • To keep up with all of this season’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
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Western Notes: Dudley, Thompson, Spurs

December 31st, 2013 at 8:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Jared Dudley was the glue that helped hold the Suns together and this season he’s brought his chemistry-boosting power to the Clippers, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.  Meanwhile, the Suns’ acquisition of Eric Bledsoe has made them a surprisingly solid team this season and turned them into a much more athletic squad.  More from the Western Conference..

  • Kings forward Jason Thompson is struggling in his sixth NBA season and while his name has been involved in trade rumors, he’s determined not to let them become another roadblock.  “All of my teammates over the years give you different advice and tell you how other organizations are,” Thompson said in a conversation with Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “I have been on this team a good amount of years, so there’s nothing — like trade rumors — I haven’t seen before. “If a team wants to get rid of you, another team wants you. It’s good that you’re wanted. You only control what you can control. We’ll see what happens. I’ll play to the best of my abilities no matter how the situation goes.”
  • The Spurs announced that they have recalled guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas from the Austin Toros of the D-League.  Both players made their fourth appearance for the Toros this season on Sunday when they led Austin to a 96-93 home victory over the Tulsa 66ers.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com if Andrew Bynum is worth the risk for the Mavs if he becomes available.
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Tony Parker Hoping For Extension With Spurs

December 30th, 2013 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in December, I listed Tony Parker among the players on de facto expiring contracts, meaning their deals are only partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed beyond this season. While that’s technically true in Parker’s case, there’s virtually no chance the Spurs release him rather than guaranteeing his 2014/15 salary. Still, the veteran point guard tells Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News that he’s hoping to stick around in San Antonio even beyond 2015.

“The history here, they always take care of the guys,” Parker said. “They did it with [Tim Duncan] and Manu [Ginobili], so hopefully they take care of me…. I just don’t want a guarantee, I want an extension, too.”

Parker became extension-eligible two months ago, so the Spurs could ink him to a new deal at any point between now and June 2015, when his current deal expires. However, it may make more sense for the team to wait until at least next July. Veteran contract extensions can only span four total years, which includes the seasons remaining on a player’s existing deal. So if Parker were to re-up this season, he could only tack two new years onto his current contract.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no guarantee the Spurs’ current core will still be in place by the time Parker’s current deal expires, which could affect both his and the team’s plans. For now, Tiago Splitter is the only Spur under contract beyond 2015, so if San Antonio enters a retooling period, Parker, who turns 32 this May, would have to carefully consider whether he wants to stick around long-term.

“My wish is to stay here and play my whole career here,” Parker said. “But if there is no more Pop or Timmy or Manu, I’m not against going somewhere. I’m not against that.”

Parker is in line to make $12.5MM in each of the next two seasons, though only $3.5MM of his 2014/15 salary is guaranteed for now.

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Odds & Ends: Spurs, De Colo, Suns, Lottery

December 29th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The NBA is thinking about doing away with divisions and it doesn’t sound like Cavs coach Mike Brown would be too upset if that happens.  “I don’t necessarily look at a division foe as any more important than anybody else,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said, according to Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. “I think it’s natural that you look at just your conference teams a little bit more than you do the other conference. You try not to, but I think it’s natural that you do.”  More from around the Association..

  • The Spurs announced that they have assigned guard Nando De Colo and forward Malcolm Thomas to the Austin Toros.  Both players have had multiple trips to the D-League affiliate.  In three games in Austin, De Colo has averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 4.33 steals in 38.0 minutes.  In his three games with the Toros, Thomas has averaged 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.33 blocks in 37.3 minutes.  Keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments with Hoops Rumors’ running list.
  • Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks denies that he’s at odds with offseason pickup Josh Smith, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
  • The Suns are catching teams off-guard under first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Marc J. Spears and Evan Doherty of Yahoo Sports (video link) discuss the pros of the NBA potentially getting rid of the draft lottery.  The league is reportedly considering a wheel system.
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Several Teams Interested In Luol Deng

December 27th, 2013 at 6:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:06pm: Sam clarifies in a pair of tweets that the teams mentioned in his story are more interested in Deng as a free agent than a trade target, since they wouldn’t want to give up assets to rent him for a half-season.

4:59pm: The Cavaliers, Mavericks, Lakers, Raptors, Spurs, Grizzlies and Nets are among the teams interested in Luol Deng, sources tell Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. It’s not clear whether those teams are looking to trade for Deng this season or sign him in the summer, when he’ll be a free agent. The Bulls, while reportedly determined not to trade Deng, would apparently do so if they receive the right offer, and according to Sam, such an offer would involve a productive young player and a first-round pick.

Deng and the Bulls had extension talks this summer, but agent Ron Shade, who represents Deng along with Herb Rudoy, tells Sam that the Bulls never even made an extension offer to his client and says that many were “shocked” that Chicago wouldn’t do so.

“Honestly, I wanted something to be done,” Deng said. “I wanted to be here. I really felt we were going to. I don’t know how the money works. I don’t know what needed to be done. I really don’t know any of that stuff. But after the spinal tap, I went away and everything, I think I was waiting to hear from the Bulls. I was waiting to hear from [GM] Gar [Forman], and I really thought there would be weeks, maybe months of going back and forth, and trying to get it done. I felt like I’ve been here since I was 18. I’ve worked hard. They’ve seen me come in and do everything. But for whatever reason, Gar felt like it wasn’t the time yet.”

Still, Deng insists Forman “didn’t do anything wrong,” and remains open to staying with the team. The Bulls could have plenty of competition if they don’t deal him, Sam writes, believing that Deng could become the most sought-after free agent of the summer if marquee stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony decide not to opt out of their deals.

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Free Agency Notes: Hayward, Billups, Parker

December 27th, 2013 at 12:34pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Although a report came out this morning that Mike Woodson’s job is currently safe it hasn’t stopped anyone from speculating otherwise. Another person to come to Woodson’s defense is former University of Indiana teammate, and former Knicks head coach, Isiah Thomas. Thomas told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he expects Woodson to hold up well and succeed once he gets all his players back from injury.

A few notes regarding players who could join Woodson in looking for jobs soon.

  • Since Gordon Hayward and the Jazz were unable to reach an agreement on an extension this offseason, Hayward will be headed to restricted free agency next summer. Hayward expressed to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that the Jazz remain his preferred option because he loves the way the franchise is headed. Of particular interest to Hayward is the Jazz’s core group of players, a bunch of young players whom he thinks will be successful in the near future. As Greene points out, the Jazz only have $27MM in guaranteed salaries next season which will allow them to be a competitor in free agency next summer.
  • David Mayo of MLive Media Group passed along in a Q&A session that he doesn’t think either the Pistons or Chauncey Billups will want Detroit to exercise their team option on Billups $2.5MM contract next year.
  • Although the Knicks have been promised no trades for the near future, their moves in free agency are still a major focal point of discussion around the league. One upcoming free agent that has been linked with the Knicks is the Spurs‘ Tony Parker. Dan McCarney broke down the likelihood of Parker signing with the Knicks in 2015. McCarney believes Parker’s past loyalty to the Spurs will continue through his next round of free agency and doesn’t imagine we will ever see Parker in any jersey other than San Antonio’s. 
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