San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Josh Howard Seeking Camp Invite

September 28th, 2013 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh Howard's 2012/13 season was cut short after just 11 games when he suffered a torn ACL, becoming one of many Timberwolves to miss time due to injury last year. But Howard is looking to return to the NBA, and is hoping to land a camp invite before the preseason gets underway next week, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

We heard back in May that Howard was participating in a workout that included many veteran free agents represented by ASM Sports. There haven't been any reports on potential suitors for Howard since then, but Spears indicates that the veteran forward had "good workouts" for the Spurs and Rockets. It's not clear if either of those teams is interested in bringing him to camp, but it sounds as if he at least showed he was healthy.

Howard, 33, spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Mavericks before stints in Washington, Utah, and Minnesota. He's extremely unlikely to replicate his Dallas numbers again, but he could be a useful piece coming off the bench on a minimum-salary deal, assuming he's back to 100% health.

Mickael Pietrus Seeking Guaranteed Deal

September 27th, 2013 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly all of the NBA contracts being signed in the weeks leading up to training camp are non-guaranteed, but Mickael Pietrus is looking for more than a make-good deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that Pietrus turned down a camp invitation from the Spurs and continues to seek an offer that includes a guaranteed salary.

We heard earlier in September that Pietrus was working out for the Spurs, and it's no surprise that he received a camp invite, since the team seems to be bringing in veteran wings to compete for its final roster spot. Sam Young and Corey Maggette are among the players who will be in camp with the Spurs.

According to Charania, Pietrus has worked out for a few teams besides the Spurs, but presumably no other club was willing to offer a fully guaranteed contract either. There's something of a precedent here for Pietrus, who didn't participate in training camp last fall, and ultimately landed a guaranteed pact with the Raptors a month into the season. With word of a few injuries already beginning to trickle in, it's probably not a bad strategy for Pietrus and his reps to wait out the market for now, in the hopes that a desperate team will be willing to up its offer within the next few weeks.

Pietrus' 2012/13 season was cut short due in part to knee issues, which plagued him even when he did suit up. He appeared in 19 contests for Toronto, averaging career-lows in PPG (5.3), FG% (.347), and PER (6.0), among other categories. However, Charania says the French swingman has spent the offseason working out to regain his old form.

Myck Kabongo To Join Spurs For Camp

September 27th, 2013 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted rookie Myck Kabongo has reached an agreement with the Spurs and will attend camp with the team, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Kabongo figures to ultimately end up with San Antonio's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.

Kabongo, 20, left Texas after his sophomore year, ranked among Chad Ford's top 50 prospects for 2013, and was getting buzz during draft week as a potential late first-round pick, so it was a little surprising when he wasn't selected on draft night. The Canadian point guard played for the Heat in Summer League action, and switched agents last month, leaving Rich Paul for Bill Duffy.

NBA teams are permitted to retain the D-League rights to three players that attend training camp and don't make the NBA roster, so it appears that Kabongo will be one of those players for the Spurs. He'll become the 17th player on a roster that includes 14 guaranteed contracts and camp invitees Sam Young and Corey Maggette.

Odds & Ends: Bibby, Graham, Kuester

September 26th, 2013 at 6:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, Mike Bibby – who is reportedly well-liked by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich - was invited to San Antonio's training camp and had a good chance of making the team. However, the veteran guard now won't be able to attend because of a foot/heel injury (Twitter link). It's been a bit of a Jazz fest as far as news goes this evening, but here are some other noteworthy links we've gathered up from around the Association:

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com ranks the league's top ten frontcourts (Insiders only).
Stephen Graham could possibly have an invitation to participate in Bucks camp this fall (Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times via Twitter). There hasn't been any further mention of an official invitation, but we'll look to relay any updates as they surface.
76ers rookie head coach Brett Brown doesn't feel inclined to bring along a former head coach as an assistant, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “I don’t feel with this team that it’s mandatory that I have to surround myself with perspective or wisdom or, you know, an Owl that’s been there, done that…I feel that this year’s team is about development. And I feel like it’s about … teaching, relationships and energy more than NBA wisdom."
Former Pistons head coach and Lakers assistant John Kuester, however, has been rumored to be a potential candidate for Brown's coaching staff in Philadelphia.
The Score's Mark Deeks discusses Paul George's max contract extension as well as a potential one for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. While Deeks understands the logic behind securing George for the long term, he feels that offering the same type of deal to Cousins would be an enormous gamble.

Corey Maggette To Join For Spurs To Camp

September 26th, 2013 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Of all the free agents still on the market, none made a higher salary last season than Corey Maggette's $10.92MM. Maggette won't earn anywhere near that amount this year, but it appears he'll at least be given a chance to earn an NBA roster spot. According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), the veteran swingman will join the Spurs for training camp.

Maggette, 33, was sent to the Pistons by the Bobcats last summer, and didn't see much playing time in Detroit during the last year of his contract. Still, at least one report indicated there was mutual interest in a new deal, and we heard as recently as last month that Maggette was still open to re-signing with the Pistons. Instead, he'll join a Spurs team that has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, leaving one open roster spot.

Shams Charania of RealGM.com reported yesterday that the Spurs had reached an agreement to bring Sam Young to camp as well, so it appears Maggette and Young will compete for that last opening on the club's roster. It's not clear yet whether more players will be invited to Spurs camp before October.

Spurs Sign Sam Young

September 25th, 2013 at 6:17pm CST by Alex Lee

The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent Sam Young, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, citing a league source. We haven't heard much about Young's eventual destination this offseason, but the silver and black of San Antonio seems like a pretty good fit for the defensive-minded Pittsburgh alum. Charania reports that the Kings and Knicks also kicked the tires on the 6-foot-6 swingman.

After being drafted 36th overall by Memphis in 2009, Young was traded to Philadelphia in 2012 and then latched on with the Pacers last year. Young was cut in early January last year by the Pacers in a strategic roster move, but was re-signed to the team less than a month later. He's averaged 5.8 points and 15.9 minutes per game over his four-year career, but is better known for his defensive intangibles than his statistical production.

Western Notes: Spurs, Jackson, Johnson

September 24th, 2013 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

A few notes from the Western Conference.

The Spurs have named Ken McDonald the head coach of the team's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first had the story (Twitter link).
Pierre Jackson, whose NBA rights are held by New Orleans, has left his team in France to return to America, according to a report from Le Progres (translation via Sportando). It's not clear whether the Pelicans could fit Jackson into their plans immediately, so he may end up playing elsewhere this season.
Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell writes about new Lakers forward Wesley Johnson, and what sort of impact the former lottery pick should have on the team this season.

Western Notes: Kobe, Kelly, Parker

September 19th, 2013 at 6:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As Lakers' star Kobe Bryant continues his path toward recovery, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News hears from team athletic trainer Gary Vitti that the 35-year-old guard is a few weeks away from advancing to full-weight bearing running and hasn't suffered any setbacks. With that being said, Vitti added that there still isn't a projected return date. Here's more out of the Western Conference tonight, including another injury update from Medina:

As for most recent second-round pick Ryan Kelly (whom Vitti says is "asymptomatic"), the trainers have still decided to take a conservative approach with his rehab and aren't sure when he'll be returning to action either.
Tony Parker tells Mark Woods of ESPN that general manager R.C. Buford wants him to play less minutes at Eurobasket, but added that he has a great relationship with the Spurs and appreciates them letting him play for the French national team.
Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation relays a snippet of Marco Belinelli's interview with HoopsHype, noting that the 27-year-old guard chose San Antonio over several other teams because of the opportunity to play for Gregg Popovich and a chance to win a championship.
Rockets guard Jeremy Lin tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 about how great it was to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon and says that "anybody with (Dwight Howard) is a deadly combination" in response to the 50-year-old's recent comments about Lin and Howard being a potent duo next season (All Twitter links).

Western Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Iguodala, Spurs

September 19th, 2013 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday notes from around the Western Conference….

In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains how Utah's past has informed its present. As Deeks writes, the team is retooling by stocking up on draft picks rather than signing a slew of free agents. The Jazz did the same thing nearly a decade ago, but are doing it better this time around, says Deeks.
Kobe Bryant's health and his ability to return to form in the 2013/14 season could play a significant role in next summer's free agent market, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who explains that the Lakers' plans could be significantly affected by whether or not Kobe shows signs of slowing down.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News spoke to Andre Iguodala about working out with his new teammates, as the swingman prepares to enter the first season of his four-year deal with the Warriors.
The Spurs announced a number of front office promotions and hirings in a press release today. Among them: Director of scouting Brian Pauga has been named the new general manager of the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros.

Jeff Pendergraph Changes Name To Jeff Ayres

September 19th, 2013 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Jeff Pendergraph hit free agency this July and inked a two-year deal with the Spurs, but the player who showed up in San Antonio this fall no longer goes by that name. The former Pacer legally changed his name to Jeff Ayres last month, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

The 26-year-old was born Jeff Orcutt, his mother's maiden name, and assumed the last name Pendergraph in elementary school when she married. That stepfather hasn't been in the picture since the Spurs forward was in high school, which eventually inspired him to assume the surname of his biological father, James Ayres.

As noted above, Ayres signed a two-year contract with the Spurs this offseason, so we shouldn't expect to hear any trade or free agency rumors involving him anytime soon. But when we refer to him going forward, it'll be by his new name. If you're looking for our archive on Ayres, you'll be able to find it at a new URL: hoopsrumors.com/jeff-ayres.