Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Drummond, Cook
Bob Finnan of The News-Herald blames Cavs GM Chris Grant and coach Byron Scott for the team's struggles this season, and calls on the team to take a more aggressive approach and pull the trigger on a deal for a "good, young piece" at the trade deadline if someone like that is available. The Cavs should carry that aggression into free agency, Finnan believes, and use their cap space for better assets than they've pursued recently. Finnan has more on the team, which we'll round up along with other notes from their Central Division rivals.
- We've heard before that the Cavs and Wolves have had brief discussion about an Anderson Varejao trade, and Finnan confirms those talks, speculating that Minnesota would probably want to include Derrick Williams, a potential deal-breaker. Finnan believes the Cavs may have interest in taking back Nikola Pekovic instead.
- There's been little talk of Scott's job security this season, but if the losing continues, Finnan doesn't foresee that immunity lasting into 2013/14.
- Former Bucks swingman Stephen Jackson said he spoke with GM John Hammond about a contract extension during his time in Milwaukee, but never took a confrontational tone, as Jackson told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Jackson expressed respect for Hammond and said he can envision working for him someday, though I'd guess he's referring to a front-office role rather than a return to the Bucks as a player. Jackson said Hammond was the only person from the Bucks organization he still spoke to, and balked at the suggestion that he'd reached out to coach Scott Skiles, with whom he feuded last season.
- Andre Drummond has improved as the season has gone on, but he's content with the Pistons' plan to bring him along slowly, MLive's David Mayo observes.
- Mayo and fellow MLive scribe Brendan Savage debate who got the better of Detroit's offseason trade with the Bobcats that swapped Ben Gordon for Corey Maggette.
- Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com writes that Daequan Cook understands that he must earn playing time with the Bulls after signing in Chicago this morning.
Bulls Sign Daequan Cook
SUNDAY, 10:22am: The Bulls officially announced their signing of Cook, via press release. The move brings the team's roster to 14 players.
FRIDAY, 5:15pm: Cook has cleared waivers and will sign with the Bulls, according to his agent, Mike Conley Sr., Stein reports (Twitter link). Given Chicago's salary constraints, the deal will have to be for the minimum.
4:12pm: Cook has indeed cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Stein.
4:03pm: Daequan Cook was waived by the Rockets two days ago, which means he's set to clear waivers today. While it's possible that a team submitted a waiver claim for him, it's more likely that no club is willing to take on his guaranteed $3MM+ 2012/13 salary. Assuming Cook clears waivers, the Bulls are "firmly in the lead" to sign him, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
The Bulls' roster moves this season have been limited by the club's proximity to the hard cap, which doesn't allow for much flexibility. Still, Chicago has the room necessary to take on a minimum-salary player for the rest of the year. 10-day contracts can also be signed starting on Monday, though it's not clear if Cook would be open to a 10-day deal or whether he's seeking a full-season guarantee.
Cook, 25, headed to Houston in October's James Harden blockbuster, and averaged career-lows in minutes (10.3) and points (3.4) per game in his 16 appearances for the Rockets. He was still effective from three-point range, however, with his 36.7% mark this season right in line with his career average (36.5%).
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Rose, DeQuan Jones
It's a 10-game night in the NBA, and the best game might be the last one to tip off, as the Warriors and Clippers square off for the second time in four days. The teams, who occupy the top two spots in the Pacific Division, will also meet January 21st, so it's a taste of playoff-level familiarity for untested Golden State. Here's more from around the Association.
- Mark Heisler, writing for The New York Times, reveals that part of the reason the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni instead of Phil Jackson was because the front office was concerned the triangle offense would minimize Steve Nash's effect on the offense.
- People who've seen Derrick Rose work out believe he's almost ready to return, but the Bulls front office and coaching staff have different opinions on when the star point guard will be back on the court, as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News writes.
- The Magic can place DeQuan Jones on waivers by Monday afternoon and avoid paying him his full rookie minimum salary this season, but as Josh Robbins affirms via Twitter, it's unlikely the team will do that with the 6'8" small forward who rejoined the team's starting lineup this week.
- With another bumper crop of prospects on the way, including point guard Andrew Harrison, No. 3 on the Draft Express 2014 mock, and twin brother Aaron Harrison, 13th on that list, next year's University of Kentucky team is already drawing plenty of interest from NBA scouts. Some teams will assign scouts to Lexington for the entire season, notes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter links).
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside engages Mike James in a Q&A after the 37-year-old guard signed this week with the Texas Legends of the D-League in hopes of getting a call-up from the Mavericks.
Bulls Rumors: Cook, Deng, Radmanovic
It's an active Friday for Chicago. The Bulls zeroed in on their first in-season signing, as they're set to bring Daequan Cook aboard, and they're taking on the Heat in Miami tonight. A win and a Pacers loss could leave them in a tie for first place in the Central Division, even with Derrick Rose still on the shelf. Amid that sort of optimism, here's the latest out of the Windy City.
- The Rockets shopped Cook in trades before waiving him, but couldn't find anyone willing to take on his $3MM salary, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reveals.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports took to Twitter to break down the ramifications the Cook signing will have on Chicago's space under the $74.307MM hard cap. The Bulls will have $235,917 available if, as expected, Cook inks for the prorated minimum salary, enough for four 10-day contracts. They could instead add another minimum-salary player for the rest of the year starting March 3. A third option is to acquire a player via trade, and the Bulls can now only take back an additional $1,235,916 in a swap, which Deeks believes they'll try to use in a deal that sends out Richard Hamilton.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com dips into his mailbag to answer reader questions, and says he isn't expecting much movement for the Bulls between now and the trade deadline, particularly regarding Luol Deng, who is "probably as solidly entrenched with the team" as he's ever been. Smith notes that the Bulls were offered high draft choices for Deng last season, but they didn't pursue them aggressively.
- With Cook, a shooter, on his way to Chicago, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wonders why the team hasn't given outside-shooting big man Vladimir Radmanovic more playing time. Responding to a question about whether Radmanovic or Nazr Mohammed, both on minimum-salary deals, Deeks says it would complicate the already difficult task the Bulls would have in pulling off a trade, given their proximity to the hard cap (Twitter links).
Nate Robinson’s Contract Guaranteed For Season
Tuesday was just another day for most NBA players, but for Nate Robinson, remaining on the Bulls' roster through the day ensured that he'll receive a full-season salary. The guarantee date on Robinson's contract, January 1st, came about a week earlier than the league-wide guarantee date, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.
Had the Bulls elected to waive Robinson before his contract became guaranteed, they would have paid him a prorated minimum-salary for his service so far, saving a few hundred thousand dollars. Instead, the veteran point guard will earn a salary of $1,146,337 for 2012/13, regardless of whether he remains on the team's roster until season's end. His minimum salary counts for $854,389 against Chicago's cap.
Robinson has been productive for the Bulls in his first 29 games, averaging 11.0 PPG and recording a 16.6 PER. However, there was still some uncertainty about whether he'd be retained for the season, given Chicago's cap situation. With less than $1MM of wiggle room before they reach their hard cap, the Bulls could have gained a little more flexibility by releasing Robinson.
As is, the Bulls still have the ability to add a player on a rest-of-season contract, or hand out multiple 10-day deals. However, the club won't be able to add any significant salary via trade.
Odds & Ends: Robinson, Raptors, Batum
As we turn the calendar to 2013, two Eastern Conference contenders are prepared to welcome back players who missed the 2012 portion of the '12/13 season: Amare Stoudemire is expected to play his first game of the season tonight, while Avery Bradley is prepared to make his season debut on Wednesday. While the Knicks and Celtics prepare to welcome those guys back to their respective lineups, let's round up a few more notes from around the NBA….
- All signs point to Nate Robinson's contract being guaranteed for the rest of the season by the Bulls, according to Dave van Dyck and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The deadline for the Bulls to waive Robinson and avoid guaranteeing his deal is today, so as of tomorrow, the point guard will be in line for a full-season salary.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post examines a number of question marks facing the Raptors as 2013 begins, including the futures of GM Bryan Colangelo and big man Andrea Bargnani.
- Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that it's not fair to expect Nicolas Batum to drastically improve his game overnight just because he signed a lucrative new contract. However, as Zillgitt writes, Batum has been living up to the deal so far.
Kyler On Bargnani, Gasol, Jamison, Hamilton
In this morning’s column, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld looks at the top trade candidates in the league. Let’s dive in..
- League sources say it would be almost impossible for the Raptors to move Andrea Bargnani and the three years and $32.25MM remaining on his deal until he returns and proves his elbow isn’t going to be a problem. Toronto hopes that he can return sometime in early February so teams can get a good look at him before the February 21st trade deadline and won’t seek much in return. However, club sources say they don’t want a ton of long-term salary unless they’re getting exactly the right player.
- The stance from the Lakers is that they are not looking at deals for Pau Gasol and word is that they’re not looking at deals at all. The Lakers have taken stock of the marketplace for the big man and have found it to be somewhat disappointing. There are deals for Gasol, but all of them either have the Lakers taking back multiple assets, which they cannot do without eating some contracts or taking on bad deals. Team sources say the goal is to compete for a championship this year and that Gasol, at this point, gives them the best chance for that.
- On January 7th, the Lakers will need to decide on guaranteeing the non-guaranteed contracts of rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom. The Lakers could opt to cut one or both and open roster spots for free agents, other cut players with non-guaranteed deals, or 10-day contracts (which begin on January 10th).
- There has been speculation that Antawn Jamison wants off of the Lakers because of his decreased playing time, but the forward and sources close to him say that’s not the case.
- League sources say Anderson Varejao is one of the more talked about trade targets in the league, but the Cavs are asking the moon for the big man. If they cling to their evaluation of Varejao as an All-Star type talent, they may not find many buyers.
- League sources openly question if there is a marketplace for Richard Hamilton, who has had a lot of injuries since joining the Bulls and question whether or not he’ll be anything more than a role player on another team.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Hamilton, Gelabale, Ahearn
A few Sunday morning odds and ends from around the Association:
- Given the number of Western Conference contenders with strong frontcourts, Lang Greene of HoopsWorld wonders if the Jazz would be better off hanging to all their big men. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are both in the final seasons of their deals, while Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter are considered Utah's bigs of the future.
- Back in the Bulls' lineup, Richard Hamilton tells Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com that he isn't let trade rumors bother him. "It happens every year," Hamilton said. "Every year, if you ain't in a trade rumor, then you ain't doing something right. That's how I always looked at it. That's the way this game goes, you hear about stuff every day because GMs are talking to different players every day. It's nothing that I even get caught up or think about or anything like that."
- French forward Mickael Gelabale would be open to signing with the Timberwolves if he received a 20-day guarantee, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). Because all contracts become guaranteed on January 10th, the team can't exactly offer a 20-day guarantee at this point, but the Wolves could be willing to sign Gelabale to a pair of 10-day deals, or perhaps write buyout terms into a contract ahead of time.
- Blake Ahearn, who was released by the Pacers before the season began, has agreed to sign with China's Dongguan Leopards, according to a Weibo report (passed along by HoopsHype).
- With the Mavericks struggling, and at least nine of the team's 15 players set for free agency at season's end, coach Rick Carlisle will have a challenging stretch ahead of him over the next few weeks, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Bulls Rumors: Bogans, 2014, Hamilton, Cousins
The Bulls, at 15-12 following a Christmas Day pasting at home at the hands of the Rockets, aren't too far ahead of the 14-14 Nets, who felt compelled to change coaches. But Chicago is only a half-game behind the Pacers for first-place in the Central Division even without Derrick Rose, so there's a lot more optimism in the Windy City than there is in Brooklyn. We've got more on the Bulls here, including another tie-in with the Nets.
- Former Bulls shooting guard Keith Bogans came close to returning to Chicago in the offseason, telling Shams Charania of RealGM.com that agent Dan Fegan had talks with the Bulls. Bogans has a strong relationship with Tom Thibodeau, and though they didn't talk over the summer about the possibility of his return, the coach pushed the front office to bring him back, Charania reports. When Bogans chose the Nets instead, the Bulls signed Marco Belinelli.
- The Bulls are unlikely to take on any long-term contracts in trades this year, Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes in his mailbag column. Smith theorizes that the team has its eyes on the 2014 free agent market, when LeBron James and other flashy names may become available.
- Though the Suns reportedly have interest in trading for Richard Hamilton, Smith doesn't think a swap that would send Hamilton to Phoenix would work for either team.
- Answering a question about whether the Bulls could be players for DeMarcus Cousins as long as he comes cheaply, Smith said he doesn't think the Kings are willing to dump him for a pittance just yet, though he believes Sacramento will be active on several fronts between now and the trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Varejao, Asik, Pistons, Mavs, Mack
After a busy Christmas Day in the NBA, there's no let-up on Boxing Day, with all but six teams in action later tonight — the Bulls and the Pacers will be two of the teams with today off, after Indiana announced that tonight's game would be postponed due to poor weather conditions. As we look forward to a full evening slate, we'll check in on a few updates from around the NBA:
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio answered reader questions about the Cavaliers in a chat, saying that he believes that if Cleveland is to trade Anderson Varejao, it's likely that would happen this season, with the Cavs looking for a big man and multiple first-round picks in return.
- Omer Asik burned his old team for 20 points and 18 rebounds yesterday, and what makes it even more painful for the Bulls is that backup center has been one of Chicago’s weaknesses this season, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
- According to coach Lawrence Frank, the Pistons aren't ready to hand over major minutes to Andre Drummond and other young players at the cost of trying to win games now. If the organization goes in that direction later this season, the club will be upfront about the decision, says Frank. MLive.com's David Mayo has the details.
- The Mavericks also continue to prioritize wins over player development, though coach Rick Carlisle tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that player development is a "major focus of our team."
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman told Shelvin Mack that what prompted the team to sign him wasn't his prior experience with Washington, but his play in the D-League, where he was in the top 10 in both scoring and assists, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post chronicles.
- Mo Williams, playing in a contract year, will be sidelined indefinitely with what the Jazz are calling a "severely sprained" right thumb, says Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.