Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Thunder, Vesely, Morris

December 22nd, 2012 at 6:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In addtion to Steve Nash's Lakers debut tonight, another major talking point in the Pacific Division involves the Kings' suspension of DeMarcus Cousins. According to Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today, a source close the team's plans says that the former Kentucky big man isn't untouchable. Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM feels that Sacramento and the Magic would benefit by exploring trade talks, as both have pieces that could help the other side (Twitter link). Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops also weighed in, offering four different scenarios in which the Kings could deal the fourth-year player. With that aside, here are some of the other notable stories we're hearing from the NBA this evening:

Jim Eichenhoffer of Hornets.com tweets that Eric Gordon has been cleared for full contact practice.
Jenni Carlson of NewsOK believes that dealing James Harden to Houston has made the Thunder a better and more fluid team, pointing to the significant increase in assist numbers by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Jan Vesely has yet to earn a consistent role during a turbulent start to his second-year campaign with the struggling Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s tough, especially when the team is losing,” Vesely said of his current role. “Everybody try to stay positive but sometimes it’s hard. I try to practice everyday, work on my game and stay ready for my chance to play.”
Darius Morris may not be ready for a starting job, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes about how the Lakers' sophomore guard has found a significant role in Mike D'Antoni's rotation (Sulia link).
Two years ago and just months removed from "The Decision", Jazz guard Mo Williams (then with Cleveland) and Heat superstar LeBron James may not have necessarily been on each other's holiday greetings list. Today, Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune notes how the two former teammates had nothing but glowing remarks to say about each other heading into tonight's matchup between Utah and Miami.

Eastern Rumors: Jamison, Celtics, D-Will, Wall

December 19th, 2012 at 4:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

Just three games separate the 10th-place Magic from the fourth-place Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, so it could be quite a scramble for the last few playoff spots. In the meantime, here's what's making news for Eastern teams.

Antawn Jamison called Bobcats basketball president Rod Higgins when he chose a one-year deal with the Lakers over signing with the Cats this summer, and the veteran power forward, who played his high school ball in the Queen City, won't rule out a return to Charlotte. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer provides detail. "If they still want me back home, I’d sure listen." he said. "I have another couple of years in this body. If they want me, I’d have no reservations about putting on a Bobcats uniform."
As part of a chat that also touches on several draft prospects, Chad Ford of ESPN.com says the Celtics are high on Tyreke Evans, though they're not as enamored with the fourth-year guard as they were some time ago, when they were willing to trade Rajon Rondo for him. Ford isn't sure the C's possess what the Kings would want in a swap for their soon-to-be restricted free agent.
The Celtics made moves in the offseason to improve their depth, but advanced statistics show they're not getting much production from anyone other than Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, as Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe highlights.
Deron Williams blamed the media for putting too much credence into his comparison of the Nets' offense to the motion sets he ran with the Jazz, while Brooklyn coach Avery Johnson said he doesn't take Williams' comments personally. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has the story.
With John Wall believing his chances of returning to play soon are 50-50, Deron Snyder of The Washington Times argues the Wizards should just shut him down for the season if he isn't back in a month. That would give him ample time to heal, and there isn't much the Wizards can accomplish this season with or without him, Snyder believes.

Latest On John Wall

December 17th, 2012 at 2:15pm CST by Sean Highkin

John Wall addressed media Monday after the Washington Wizards' morning practice in Miami. He revealed for the first time that he had a stress fracture in his knee in addition to cartelige problems. Amin Vafa of Bullets Forever has a full transcript of his comments, where he discussed his injury, rehab, and the state of the Wizards.

On whether he has a timetable to return:

No, no timetable. Basically, I just got to see how this shot goes, and see if I can get back to ramping it up without having any problems or pain or soreness.

On being cautious:

So, that's the 50-50 chance you got. I mean, you never know how it's going to go. You just hope it heals the right way, and I think I've been doing the right things I'm supposed to do: just rest, do my exercises, try to stay in shape as best as possible without going out there and injuring myself and hurting myself for the rest of my career. I want to be out there playing basketball with my teammates, but I just want to make sure I'm fully healthy.

On the Wizards' current struggles:

I still understand that things happen for a reason. I just feel like God is testing me to see how strong I am mentally, and it's tough for me because I want to be out there and play. It's tough watching basketball when you can't play. I don't really know what to say.

Aldridge On Raptors, Varejao, LeBron, Thunder

December 17th, 2012 at 12:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT's David Aldridge checks in as usual on a Monday with his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, and this week's edition is full of trade rumors as talk heats up around the league. Here's a digest of Aldridge's latest scuttlebutt, with a heavy focus on the Raptors.

While Andrea Bargnani's elbow injury will keep him out for a month, delaying trade talk, one rival GM is convinced he'll eventually be leaving the Raptors, feeling as though there's no doubt GM Bryan Colangelo will trade him.
The Raptors are leery of adding another international player, according to Aldridge, which would make them reluctant to trade for Pau Gasol.
Aldridge speculates the Raptors won't deal Jose Calderon to the Lakers, and instead ship him somewhere for a draft pick to create a massive trade exception. Aldridge writes that such a trade exception would be $15.6MM, but I believe it would be closer to $10.6MM, reflecting Calderon's salary.
A league executive speculates that the Cavs will hold on to Varejao through the summer of 2014, when LeBron James can become a free agent, so they can make a pitch to their erstwhile superstar. In any case, the Cavs have set Varejao's asking price too high for other teams' tastes, as they often do with their many of their players, according to Aldridge.
Though the Thunder are reportedly content to stand pat for now, Aldridge believes they could try to move the Raptors pick they got from the Rockets in the James Harden trade, speculating that one of their targets could be Varejao.
Aldridge spoke with a GM who joins the seeming consensus that the Jazz are more likely to deal Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson. The GM believes Jefferson is a better fit with Derrick Favors.
The Bucks want an upgrade at small forward, and Aldridge thinks the team is more likely to move "one of its undersized four or oversized threes" than trade Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis.
The Wizards are open to trading one of their big men for veteran help at the point, where they're woefully thin in John Wall's absence.
The Pacers are willing to tinker, but aren't putting Paul George or George Hill on the table.
No one aside from Jrue Holiday is off-limits as the Sixers seek a big man, though it would take a lot to pry Thaddeus Young or Evan Turner from their hands.

Steven Gray Signs In France

December 16th, 2012 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steven Gray, who was in training camp with the Wizards, has signed with Chorale Roanne in France, according to the team's website (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). Gray, a 6'5" combo guard, went undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2011, but hooked on with the Wizards summer league team this past offseason. He played just 17.3 minutes per game in three summer contests, but nonetheless earned the invitation to Washington's camp.

Gray was with the Wizards until shortly before opening night, but the team didn't look his way when they switched out point guards last month, replacing Jannero Pargo with Shaun Livingston. They also didn't bring him in to work out along with Ben Uzoh and Blake Ahearn when they went auditioned the pair of point guards last week after A.J. Price suffered a broken hand.

The journey to France is a return to Europe for Gray, who spent last season with BK Ventspils of Latvia. On Chorale Roanne, Gray joins Ryan Reid, who appeared in five games last season with the Thunder.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Ebanks, Nets, Celtics

December 14th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis used his personal blog to address a report this week by Michael Lee of The Washington Post that the Wizards turned down a trade for James Harden. Leonsis denies that finances were a factor in the team's decision, and points out the trade wouldn't have put the team over the luxury tax. However, Lee didn't write that the trade would make Washington a taxpayer, surmising instead that the team would eventually have to pay the tax if it wanted to keep Harden, John Wall and the rest of its post-trade core together. Here's who else is making news on an 11-game night in the NBA.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times thinks Devin Ebanks might not be with the Lakers much longer, though he points out that he's one of a handful of players who can veto trades this season (Sulia link).
More than half of the players on the Nets roster become eligible to be traded tomorrow, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets that the team isn't planning any moves.
Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen isn't high on the Celtics, but he doesn't foresee the team making changes in an effort to win a title this season, he tells CSNNE's Sports Tonight (link via CSNNE.com).
This year's class of college sophomore draft prospects is especially deep, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only). Centers Cody Zeller and Alex Len, two potential No. 1 overall picks, sit atop Ford's ranking of the top 10 sophomores.
Eddie Johnson of HoopsHype points to the shortcomings of Eric Maynor this season and speculates that the Thunder may look to add another point guard to back up Russell Westbrook.
Pacers rookie guard Orlando Johnson would have been sent down this weekend for his second D-League assignment if not for Lance Stephenson's right ankle injury, notes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
After passing along a pair of reports that linked Carlos Arroyo to teams in Italy and Turkey, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia believes the nine-year NBA vet is down to a single option overseas. Arroyo last played in the Association in 2010/11, splitting the season between the Heat and Celtics.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Harden, Terry, Draft

December 12th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com writes that Mike Woodson has been more successful at coaching Carmelo Anthony than Mike D'Antoni was.
James Harden was indifferent in his reaction to reports that the Wizards had rejected an offer from the Thunder to send him to Washington.
Jason Terry did not rule out a return to the Mavericks later in his career, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford took a variety of questions from fans relating to the 2013 NBA Draft in a live chat.
SNY.com's Adam Zagoria reports that Jabari Parker, the second-rated prospect of the 2014 Draft, is down to Duke and Michigan State in his choice of colleges.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports that John Wall will have his knee re-examined on Friday.
Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that youth is not an excuse for the Cavs' poor play.
D.J. Augustin has been a disappointment since signing with the Pacers this summer.
Sean Michael Meager of the Oregonian has an interview with Trail Blazers rookie Will Barton about his recent D-League assignment and the adjustment from college to the NBA.
Brandon Jennings was perhaps the best player up for a rookie-scale extension who didn't get one, but he's drawing comparisons to Chris Paul and Mike Conley from Bucks coach Scott Skiles for his play this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel documents.
Stephen Curry is feeling happy with his level of play this season and is not disappointed with his contract extension, he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Wizards Turned Down Trade For James Harden

December 11th, 2012 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis didn't want to commit a five-year maximum-salary contract to James Harden, so the team turned down an offer of Harden for Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post. One Wizards official, who disputes that such a proposal was ever on the table, said the Thunder were also seeking an established player of the caliber the Wizards don't possess, Lee adds.

The Thunder reportedly had interest in trading up to take Beal right before the draft, but didn't want to part with Harden. Lee notes that the proposal including Harden was made two months after the draft, when the Wizards made Beal the third overall pick. An NBA executive pointed out to Lee that teams are much more reticent to give up recently drafted players than they are draft picks.

The revelation of this would-be deal surely isn't welcome news for Wizards fans, who've watched their team stumble to a 2-15 start. As Lee details, the Wizards would likely have become a taxpaying team if they had committed a max deal to Harden as the Rockets did after the Thunder traded him to Houston on the eve of the season. With stiffer tax penalties kicking in by 2014, it makes it easier to understand why Leonsis put the brakes on a Harden trade, but with John Wall's value seemingly declining each day he misses with a left patella injury, it's worth wondering if the team might have been better off committing to Harden and letting Wall walk as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014.

Beal is off to a slow start, shooting just 34.9% in his first 17 NBA games, and Singleton, the 18th pick in 2011, is averaging just 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game this year, so the Thunder appear to be much better off with the package they got from the Rockets that's centered around Kevin Martin. I'd have to think there's some legitimacy to the statement by the Wizards executive who said the Thunder were looking for something more in a deal with Washington. And the Rockets are assuredly glad they wound up with Harden, who's averaging 24.7 points, 5.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this year, all career highs.

Eastern Notes: Bynum, Blatche, Wizards, Scott

December 11th, 2012 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of Andrew Bynum's comments yesterday, in which he suggested he could miss another month, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld says league sources wonder if Bynum's prolonged rehab is about trying to get healthy for his upcoming free agency. However, 76ers sources tell Kyler that if the team remains in the hunt and Bynum returns at some point in January, they're okay with the wait.

Here are a few more Tuesday notes out of the Eastern Conference:

Andray Blatche and the Nets are both reaping the benefits of Brooklyn's willingness to bring the ex-Wizard aboard on a minimum-salary deal, writes ESPN.com's David Thorpe in an Insider-only piece.
Despite working out a couple point guards over the weekend, the Wizards are staying the course and not adding anyone to the roster for now, according to Gene Wang of the Washington Post. "We’re looking at different scenarios," coach Randy Wittman said. "Obviously brought a couple guys in [on Sunday], looked at, and we’re still, we haven’t done anything. Don’t know when or if we will do anything, but we’re looking at different scenarios, different options, different people. We’re not going to make a snap quick judgment. There’s not a guy out there right now that warrants that, so we’re going to take our time and look at some different guys and see what best fits us moving forward."
With the Bakersfield Jam not scheduled to play their next game until Friday, the Hawks are set to recall Mike Scott from their D-League affiliate, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
While one school of thought suggests the Bulls shouldn't bring Derrick Rose back from his ACL injury until the 2013/14 season, Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times explains why that would be playing it too safe.

Coaching Rumors: Suns, Wizards, Pistons, Kings

December 11th, 2012 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

We're about a quarter of the way through the NBA regular season, which is enough of a sample size that we can say certain teams have underperformed so far. Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today take a look at the coaching situations for a few of those teams in their latest piece, examining whether any head coaches are in danger of being let go. We touched on Dwane Casey's situation with the Raptors in a post this morning, but here are the rest of Amick's and Zillgitt's updates:

After Suns owner Robert Sarver told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard yesterday that Alvin Gentry wasn't on the hot seat, Amick and Zillgitt spoke to Sarver as well. Sarver's vote of confidence in this case was even stronger, as he told USA Today that Gentry's job is safe for the rest of the season.
Like the Raptors, the Suns may explore an on-court change rather than a coaching move, with Michael Beasley a candidate to be involved — according to USA Today, there's some disagreement between the team and player about what his role should be. However, Sarver still hopes Beasley will work things out in Phoenix: "We're working with him. He's working hard, and we still expect to be able to (salvage the situation)."
The Wizards are still paying their last head coach, Flip Saunders, so they're unlikely to replace Randy Wittman this year, since it would mean paying three different coaches.
Pistons owner Tom Gores has high expectations for his club, and wants to see some progress toward the playoffs this year in Detroit, making it a potential make-or-break season for Lawrence Frank.
Keith Smart's job with the Kings appears safe, though team president Geoff Petrie's future isn't quite so clear.
The Nets still have faith in Avery Johnson and expect some peaks and valleys with the team's overhauled roster. However, there's an expectation that the team will not only qualify for the postseason but be in position to "make an impact once they get there."
Despite a slow start for the Pacers, there's still hope in Indiana that Frank Vogel is around to coach the team for years to come.