2012 March | Hoops Rumors

Minor Moves: Henry

March 18th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Michael Pina

The Hornets have sent Xavier Henry to the D-league’s Iowa Energy, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune’s John Reid. Now in his second season, the former lottery pick has appeared in 25 games for New Orleans this season, and is posting averages of 5.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG. He was acquired from Memphis in a three-team trade in January that also included the Sixers.

The move was most likely made because Eric Gordon is soon to return from a knee injury that’s plagued him all season long. There is no expected timetable for Henry’s return.

Nuggets Waive Ronny Turiaf

March 18th, 2012 at 12:06pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Nuggets have waived center Ronny Turiaf after receiving the former Gonzaga star from the Wizards in the Nene trade that became official on Sunday. Turiaf, was acquired along with JaVale McGee and a second-round pick in a three-team trade with the Wizards and Clippers on March 15. He played four games with the Wizards this season, averaging 1.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG.

The 29-year-old Frenchman has played for the Lakers, Warriors, Knicks and Wizards over the course of his seven-year career. Per the new collective bargaining agreement, Turiaf may not return to the Wizards until after the season. There is no word on whether the former second-round draft pick by the Lakers plans to continue his NBA career or head overseas to play in Europe.

Nets Re-Sign Green For Remainder Of Season

March 18th, 2012 at 11:52am CST by Daniel Seco

11:45am: The Nets have officially come to terms with Gerald Green on a contract that will keep him in New Jersey for the rest of the 2011/2012 season.

8:52am: With his second 10-contract set to expire on Sunday, Gerald Green is close to signing a deal with the Nets that will keep him in Newark for the remainder of the season. Initial reports suggested that the contract would extend beyond this season, but both parties want to keep their options open moving forward, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Green, 26, is averaging 18.6 PPG over his last five contests after spending the majority of the past two seasons playing overseas before signing with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of D-League prior to the start of the 2011/2012 season.

“I’ve seen a lot of players on 10-day contracts and I would say what he’s done, independent of tonight’s game, he’s been really good,” said coach Avery Johnson.

The former first-round draft pick by the Celtics in 2005 has had an inconsistent career ever since entering the league seven seasons ago. After a nondescript rookie season, Green showed signs of promise during his sophomore campaign where he averaged 10.4 PPG while grabbing 2.6 RPG. The former Mavericks forward has enjoyed a career renaissance during his 11-game stint with the Nets as he is currently averaging 11.7 PPG in 21.9 MPG.

Arenas To Work Out For Memphis

March 18th, 2012 at 11:38am CST by Daniel Seco

Former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas will work out for the Grizzlies on Monday with hopes of securing a contract, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The former All-Star point guard most recently worked out for the Lakers in February, but was not tendered a contract. Arenas, 30, was waived under the amnesty provision by the Magic in the offseason and has not played anywhere else since then.

Thanks to platelet-rich plasma therapy, Arenas is reported to be feeling healthy and in good shape after multiple seasons in which his conditioning had been questioned. Arenas struggled during the 2010/2011 season as he only averaged 10.8 PPG, far below his career average of 21.2 PPG. The Grizzlies would potentially use Arenas as a backup point guard to spell Mike Conley as the team looks ahead to the playoffs.

Odds & Ends: 76ers, Pistons, Hornets, Barbosa

March 18th, 2012 at 11:17am CST by Daniel Seco

With recently-acquired players beginning to make their respective debuts with new teams, let's take a look around the league to see what's going on before the first of eight Sunday games gets underway.

John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Sixers had little reason to make a deal prior to the trade deadline. With a young nucleus, the team had little to gain and much to lose in tinkering with the roster. The Sixers are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division.
None of the Pistons' unhappy players were traded at the deadline, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
John Reid of The Times-Picayune says the Hornets should benefit in free agency now that they have a long-term plan in place to keep the team in New Orleans. Reid makes mention of the fact that David West expressed concern over the club's future in New Orleans and perhaps didn't remain with the team as a result.
Leandro Barbosa is excited to join the Pacers and help the team solidify its playoff standing, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.

Finnan On Sessions, Kapono, Walton, Boykins

March 18th, 2012 at 9:44am CST by Daniel Seco

Three games behind the surging Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Cavaliers have a vastly different roster than they did a week ago heading into the final stretch of the season. They'll play host Sunday afternoon to the Hawks amidst a full slate of NBA action. Let's take a look at what The News-Herald's Bob Finnan has to say about the current state of the Cavaliers in the wake of what was a busy trade deadline for the club.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is very pleased to have been able to acquire Ramon Sessions from the Cavaliers for a first-round pick projected in the mid-20s. "In terms of the draft picks, I don't think we could've found a Ramon Sessions if he were available in the 20s this year in the draft," Kupchak said.
The Cavs' decision to cut Jason Kapono wasn't a premeditated move by the team but rather a numbers game given that the Cavs needed to find a roster spot for Manny Harris. As part of the Sessions trade, the Lakers provided the Cavs with enough money to cover the cost of waiving Kapono.
Much of the criticism surrounding what the Cavaliers received from the Lakers stems from Luke Walton's $6.1MM contract for next year. The hefty price tag for adding a first-round pick hasn't deterred Cavs head coach Byron Scott from feeling optimistic about the team's standing heading into the draft. "I'm very excited about what we did as far as getting another first-round pick, which is very exciting for us to go along with the one we have and our two second-round picks," Scott said. "So, like I said in the short term and in the long term, it was the best thing for us to do and we feel pretty good about it."
If the Cavs didn't resign Harris, they would have seriously considered adding Earl Boykins to the mix. Boykins, 35, was serviceable last season with the Bucks where he averaged 7.2 PPG in limited action.

Southeast Notes: Augustin, Heat, Magic, Wizards

March 17th, 2012 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Just one team from the Southeast division was in action tonight – the Bobcats. Charlotte outscored the Raptors 38-14 in the third quarter to power their way to a 107-103 victory at home. Here's a look at the rest of the division..

Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin told reporters that the trade deadline wasn't a distraction for him because his name has been in rumors since he was a rookie, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Derek Fisher would be a good fit for the Heat. Winderman won't rule Fisher out as a possibility for the Heat if he is bought out of his deal, though he wouldn't be a great fit due to his lackluster defense.
The Magic will be fighting an uphill battle as they look to surround Dwight Howard with the talent he seeks, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. GM Otis Smith will have to be extremely creative with his roster this summer and every player outside of D12 and Ryan Anderson will surely be shopped.
At his introductory press conference in Los Angeles, Nick Young sounded relieved to be traded from the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Young says he was bothered not only by the losing but the ridicule he and his former team received on a national level.
The Bobcats players and coach Paul Silas seem to trust Michael Jordan's vision for the club, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.com. While Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin are optimistic about the future in Charlotte, the club has received a great deal of criticism from the outside.

Sixers Allow Nocioni To Explore Other Options

March 17th, 2012 at 8:31pm CST by Zachary Links

8:31pm: Nocioni is technically still on the team's active roster but will be allowed to look at other options in the NBA and overseas, coach Doug Collins told reporters (article from Associated Press).

"His official status is that I don't know if the paperwork is done, but we've worked out a deal with him to allow him to either go on with another team maybe, or if not, I talked to him last night, go to Argentina and get ready for the Olympics," Collins said.

8:13am: The 76ers bought out the contract of Andres Nocioni last night, a source tells Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. The forward could look to catch on with a team for the home stretch of the season or possibly return to his home country of Argentina.

Nocioni, 32, was making $6.65MM in the final year of his contract with a $7.5MM team option that clearly was not going to be exercised. Nocioni played just 56 minutes across eleven games in 2011/12 for Philadelphia.

The Sixers acquired the Argentinian in June of 2010 from Sacramento along with Spencer Hawes for Samuel Dalembert. For his career, Nocioni has averaged 10.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in eight NBA seasons.

Blazers To Target Backcourt Help

March 17th, 2012 at 7:39pm CST by Zachary Links

By dealing Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby at the trade deadline, the Blazers gave themselves the flexibility to eventually acquire a star to put alongside LaMarcus Aldridge. Interim General Manager Chad Buchanan told Mike Tokito of The Oregonian that he'll be looking to land either a one- or two-guard to pair with the big man this offseason.

“I feel like that’s what we need on this team to take the next step,” Buchanan said. “We need another high-caliber, top-30 player in the league, preferably in the backcourt, with LaMarcus, who we already have in the frontcourt.”

Buchanan estimates the Blazers could be between $15MM to $20MM under the cap this summer, although that number go as low as $12MM and as high as $27MM, depending on a variety of factors. While the GM obviously cannot discuss specific players, he did say that he would prefer that a second star player be close in age to Aldridge, who turns 27 in July.

With Nets star Deron Williams set to exercise his Early Termination Option, the Blazers should at least have the chance to court the top-tier point guard. For a complete look at this summer's free agent class, check out our comprehensive list.

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Portland Trail Blazers

Central Notes: Nocioni, Pistons, Kaman, Walton

March 17th, 2012 at 6:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls are the class of the Central Division and the league, topping the NBA with a 36-10 mark heading into tonight's game with the Sixers. Here's what's happening with a couple of other teams in the division trying to build toward what Chicago has now:

Don't expect to see Andres Nocioni back with the Bulls as the team would add a shooting guard or a big man if they were to make an addition, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. The Sixers released the forward this morning.
According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the Pistons were not in the running for Patrick Mills, who is close to joining the Spurs (Twitter link). That contradicts an earlier report from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Langlois also looks at the patient approach of Pistons GM Joe Dumars and passes along that Detroit may look to sign Chris Kaman, a Michigan native, as a free agent in the offseason.
New Cav Luke Walton, acquired this week in the Ramon Sessions deal, said he and Lakers coach Mike Brown "weren't on the same page" in L.A., according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Nonetheless, Walton was still caught off guard by the trade. Cleveland coach Byron Scott is complimentary of Walton's skills and basketball IQ, but isn't sure what his role will be, Amico writes.

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