Southwest Notes: Rockets, Dragic, Batum, Terry
The Southwest Division will be well represented in this year's postseason, with the defending champion Mavericks getting their series underway tomorrow night in Oklahoma City. The Spurs and Grizzlies will join the action on Sunday, hosting Game Ones against the Jazz and Clippers, respectively. While we look forward to what should be some excellent series, let's round up the latest news and rumors out of the division….
- Following Thursday's regular-season finale, there was a sense in the Rockets' locker room that the team could look much different next season, says Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. According to Feigen, Houston's primary goal, to find a star player to be the team's foundation, remains unchanged.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey seems very interested in re-signing Goran Dragic, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Morey took to Twitter last night to lobby for Dragic's return, tweeting: "Rockets fans,tell Goran Dragic how much U want him 2extend his time with Hou. I will get your message 2him."
- Nicolas Batum talked to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com about the possibility of signing with the Spurs this summer.
- Rick Gosselin and Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News discuss Jason Terry's contract situation with the Mavericks, and whether the free-agent-to-be will be "playing for his money" during the postseason.
Spurs Sign Derrick Byars
The Spurs have officially signed Derrick Byars, the team announced. San Antonio had an extra roster spot, so the team didn't need to make a corresponding move to clear room for Byars.
Byars, who turns 28 today, has played for the D-League's Bakersfield Jam for the past three seasons, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game in 104 career contests for the team. The wing player was selected in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Trail Blazers and was in camp with the Heat this preseason, though he has never appeared in a regular season NBA game.
It would be surprising if Byars received any playing time in the postseason for San Antonio, but he'll provide extra depth at the end of the bench in a spot that otherwise wouldn't have been used. The Spurs also recalled Cory Joseph from their own D-League squad Wednesday.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside first reported that the Spurs would sign Byars. According to RealGM's transactions log, the 28-year-old inked a multiyear deal, so there's likely a non-guaranteed year in addition to the remainder of this season.
Minor Moves: Eyenga, Joseph, Wright
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here, with the newest up top:
- Christian Eyenga practiced with the Lakers today and is expected to play tomorrow in Sacramento, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. Eyenga, who was acquired along with Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline, had been playing with the D-League's D-Fenders since the deal, but persumably has now been recalled.
- The Spurs have recalled Cory Joseph from their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced today. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News first tweeted that the move was expected, noting that it wouldn't bode well for the Toros in the D-League Finals. As our log of D-League assignments and recalls shows, Joseph has been optioned to Austin three times this season, so he won't be able to rejoin the Toros again for the end of their season.
- Former 15th-overall pick Antoine Wright has signed with Venezuelan team Guaiqueries de Margarita, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando). Wright, 28, had joined the D-League earlier this season in hopes of making it back to the NBA.
Spurs Eyeing Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum will become a restricted free agent at season's end, and it's not clear yet how the Trail Blazers will value him, since the team could have a new general manager in place in a matter of weeks. However, one team that figures to make a "hard push" for Batum is the Spurs, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
When Batum entered the league in 2008, he expected to be drafted by the Spurs and was "confused" when he was selected by the Rockets, who traded him to Portland. Batum is close friends and international teammates with Tony Parker and would love to play in Gregg Popovich's system, says Haynes.
Since Batum will be a restricted free agent, the Blazers will have the option of matching any offer sheet the 23-year-old signs. Team president Larry Miller has said the plan is to retain Batum, as long as another club doesn't make him a "crazy" offer. While we don't know how high Portland would be willing to go to keep its starting small forward, the team will have plenty of cap space this summer. Haynes hears from league executives that Batum could command as much as $10-11MM per season.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Batum's free agent stock last night.
Minor Moves: Justin Dentmon, Derrick Caracter
We'll round up today's news from the D-League and international circuits here, with the latest up top:
- Guard Justin Dentmon has been named D-League MVP, RealGM.com reports. Dentmon, playing for the Austin Toros, was D-League's fourth-leading scorer at 22.8 PPG, and also racked up 5.5 APG and 1.6 steals a night. As our 10-day tracker shows, the University of Washington product signed a pair of 10-day deals with NBA teams this season, averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.7 APG in a total of six games with the Spurs and Raptors.
- Former Laker Derrick Caracter has signed with the Puerto Rican team Mets de Guaynabo, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. Caracter, a 2010 second-round pick who appeared in 41 games for the Lakers last year, was waived by the team in February and let go by the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers last month.
Tim Duncan Not Thinking About Free Agency
Tim Duncan will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but if you ask him about it, he'll tell you he hasn't spent a single idle moment considering his future, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
"That’s something I’ll think about after the season ends," Duncan said. "For now, I’m not worrying about anything except our next game. I don’t even have an agent."
Duncan's former agent, Lon Babby, became the general manager of the Suns, meaning he could no longer represent Duncan or his other clients. But with no end to his career in sight, Duncan figures to hire a new representative before July. Even though he'll turn 36 next week, the longtime Spur has still been very productive this season, averaging 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in a career-low 28.2 minutes per game.
When they open negotiations with their star forward, the Spurs will have to be careful how much of a discount they request, says Monroe. Duncan had a 2011/12 cap figure of $21.16MM, and no team, including the Spurs will want to pay him that amount annually going forward. Monroe identifies a pair of recent examples of teams attempting to re-sign stars to new deals, pointing out that the Mavericks and Jason Kidd serve as a better case study than the Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Cavs Rumors: Ferry, Jamison, Sloan
The idea that the Cavs might make a run at the playoffs this season has long since faded to a distant memory now that they have the fifth-worst record in the league. The focus is clearly on the future, with two first-round draft picks lined up for June. Here's the latest on Cavs past, present and, possibly, future:
- After looking at the progress former Cav J.J. Hickson has made since his arrival in Portland, as we noted earlier this evening, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares a pair of front-office rumors involving former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, now working in the Spurs front office. Ferry, along with Celtics GM Danny Ainge, is a candidate for the Blazers GM job, and Ferry could also be next in line for the Wizards GM job should they decide to replace Ernie Grunfeld.
- Antawn Jamison will turn 36 in June, right before he goes out on the market as an unrestricted free agent. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looks at how Jamison's offseason body maintenance helped him start every game of the season for the Cavs until coach Byron Scott gave him a night off for rest on Saturday. Ryan Raroque profiled Jamison for the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Stock Watch series last night.
- Donald Sloan has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next season, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes he's performed well enough in place of injured Kyrie Irving to come back to the team next season as Irving's backup.
Pacific Rumors: Barnes, Kings, Udoh, Hill
Three of the five Pacific Division teams are in action today, as the Clippers and Warriors clash in a matinee while the Suns travel to San Antonio for a game tonight. Let's check the pulse of the Pacific:
- Matt Barnes is in the waning days of his two-year, $3.67MM contract with the Lakers, but his ability to step up while Kobe Bryant has missed games with a shin injury has helped keep the team afloat, write Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
- Kings coach Keith Smart is trying to keep his players focused amidst all the arena-related upheaval in Sacramento, and speaks favorably of the progress center Hassan Whiteside made this year before getting knocked out for the rest of the season with a sprained right ankle, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The team must decide by July 15 whether to guarantee his $854K contract for next season.
- Ekpe Udoh was caught off guard when he found out from a television report that the Warriors had dealt him to the Bucks, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. "Coming off the court in Sacramento, I will never forget seeing on TV that I had been traded," Udoh said. "It's surreal, really. But it's a business, and I got a firsthand glimpse of that. I understand that now, and now I'm with the Bucks, and I'm going to give it my all."
- Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News talked to a few Spurs players who are impressed with the way 39-year-old Grant Hill continues to perform as one of the league's top perimeter defenders for the Suns. Hill will be a free agent this summer.
Southwest Notes: Boykins, Duncan, Diaw
If the postseason began today, the Southwest Division would boast the greatest number of playoff participants, with four. The Spurs can clinch the division title in the next few days, while the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Rockets scramble for favorable seedings behind them. Even the lowly Hornets have gotten positive news lately, as Eric Gordon has returned from injury and new owner Tom Benson is already providing stability. Here's the rest of what's up around the Southwest:
- Earl Boykins' second 10-day contract with the Rockets expires after today, but indications are the Rockets will sign him for the rest of the season, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. He practiced with the team today and boarded a flight to Denver ahead of Sunday's game with the Nuggets (Twitter links). Keep tabs on all the 10-day deals with our tracker.
- Speaking with Harvey Araton of the New York Times, Tim Duncan said he doesn't understand why players change teams simply to get to a larger market, and said none of the league's young superstars have sought his advice on becoming a franchise fixture as he has with the Spurs.
- Boris Diaw speaks fondly of his time in Phoenix to Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News as the Spurs and Suns prepare for a possible preview of a first-round matchup tonight. Diaw, who signed with the Spurs after being bought out by the Bobcats, is a free agent this summer.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Bynum, Howard, Spurs, Wolves
It's been a full day in the NBA, with a dozen games on the schedule and plenty of news coming out of the Board of Governors meetings in New York, including a new owner for the Hornets and turmoil in Sacramento. Here are a few links to round out an eventful Friday the 13th:
- David Lee is likely out for the year with a groin strain and stress reaction, the Associated Press reports. The Warriors announced that team doctors have advised him to rest until he's healed. Golden State may put a fourth rookie, Mickell Gladness, in their depleted starting lineup, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Fran Blinebury of NBA.com argues a change of scenery might have been best for Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard, and speculates that the Lakers and Magic may regret not swapping their centers before the trade deadline this year.
- Mike Monroe of the Express-News takes a look at how the Spurs are integrating midseason pickups Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson into their system.
- The last days of the season will be critical for Wolves Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, Malcolm Lee and Wesley Johnson, whose futures are up in the air, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
- The NBA expects to lose money this season on the heels of significant losses the last two years, but is projecting a profit for next season, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (hat tip to TNT's David Aldridge).