2012 March | Hoops Rumors

Kennedy On Williams, Buyouts, Nets, Magic

March 17th, 2012 at 4:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld chatted with readers this afternoon, and passed along a few intriguing nuggets. Here are the highlights:

He rounded up the buyout candidates, listing Chris Kaman, Derek Fisher, Jermaine O’Neal, Shawne Williams, Boris Diaw, Marquis Daniels, Brian Cook and Ronny Turiaf.
Kennedy says he's been told free agent-to-be Deron Williams wants to play in Dallas, he and predicts the point guard winds up with the Mavs.
Since Dwight Howard's option only covers one more season, Kennedy wouldn't rule out the Nets pursuing D12 again next year.
The Magic won't go after Derek Fisher if he's bought out by the Rockets, but they may try to work a sign and trade with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson this summer as they try to get creative to bring in the talent necessary to appease Howard.

Billionaire Wants To Buy Grizzlies, Move Team

March 17th, 2012 at 4:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:24pm: Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area reports that Ellison is closer to buying the team than Heisley indicates. Steinmetz hears Ellison and Heisley may have a "handshake agreement" on a deal. A source also tells Steinmetz that the Grizzlies could get out of their arena lease as early as 2017 if attendance thresholds are not met. Joe Lacob, part of the ownership team that beat out Ellison for the Warriors, has said repeatedly he considers San Jose as part of Golden State's territory and doubts the league would give the OK to another team moving there, according to Steinmetz.

2:39pm: California software company CEO Larry Ellison has inquired about buying the Grizzlies in hopes of moving the team to San Jose, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley downplayed the possibility, saying he'd be surprised if Ellison buys the team, and cited a lease that ties the Grizzlies to Memphis and the FedEx Forum until 2021.

Heisley said talks with Ellison, whose $36 billion makes him the country's third-richest person according to Forbes magazine, are in the initial stages. Heisley said he's received several dozen other inquiries and prefers to sell the team to a Memphis buyer. The price tag Heisley has set is $350MM, according to Tillery.

Ellison, who heads up Oracle Corp., has made previous attempts in the last five years to buy the Grizzlies, according to Tillery's report, and has made unsuccessful bids for the Hornets and Warriors in recent years.

Categories:
Memphis Grizzlies

Warriors Waive T.J. Ford

March 17th, 2012 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have waived point guard T.J. Ford, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Ford, who had been playing for the Spurs, announced his retirement this week and was included for financial reasons in the deal that sent Richard Jefferson to the Warriors and Stephen Jackson to the Spurs.

Ford was on a one-year minimum-salary contract for $1,223,166. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 assists in 13.6 minutes as a backup for San Antonio this season. In his eight-year career, he averaged 11.2 PPG and 5.8 APG before injuries drove him to call it quits just shy of his 29th birthday.

Southwest Rumors: Fisher, Mills, Jackson

March 17th, 2012 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Mavs and first-place Spurs, who meet in Dallas. Here's a quick check around the division:

Though reports suggest Houston will buy out Derek Fisher, coach Kevin McHale's comments, as noted by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, seem to suggest he'd like to see the point guard in uniform for the team tonight. Fisher has yet to report to the Rockets.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the Spurs would go after Fisher if his rumored buyout takes place, given the team's need at point guard in the wake of T.J. Ford's sudden retirement this week.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports via Twitter that the Rockets are pursuing former Blazers guard Patrick Mills, who has received FIBA clearance to play in the U.S. after signing with a Chinese team earlier this year. That's further suggestion that the Rockets will let Fisher go, as they also signed guard Courtney Fortson today.
Jason Terry believes San Antonio's trade of Richard Jefferson for Stephen Jackson was a "no brainer," reports Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth. Jackson, scheduled to make his debut tonight according to a tweet from Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, gives them scoring and toughness, Terry says.

Rockets Sign Courtney Fortson

March 17th, 2012 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

2:07pm: RealGM confirms that Fortson has signed. The 5'11", 185-pound former Arkansas Razorback averaged 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in a brief four-game stint with the Clippers earlier this year. As fate would have it, the Rockets and Clippers play this afternoon.

11:34am: The Rockets will sign free agent guard Courtney Fortson today, according to Mark Berman of MyFOXHouston.com. The former D-League standout played in four games for the Clippers this season before being waived in late January.

Signing Fortson fills one of two vacant roster spots for Houston and adds a guard to the fold in advance of their expected buyout of Derek Fisher. Fortson, 23, averaged 17 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 29 games for the Los Angeles D-Fenders this year.

Cavs Waive Kapono, Sign Harris

March 17th, 2012 at 1:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs have waived forward Jason Kapono and signed guard Manny Harris, the Associated Press confirms. The moves had been anticipated last night.

Harris returns to the team after signing a pair of 10-day contracts earlier this year. His contract, likely for the minimum salary, will be guaranteed for the rest of the season. Harris played 54 games with the Cavs last year and with the team in training camp before this season began, but was cut after suffering a bizarre freezer burn injury at Nike facilities in Oregon. The 6'5", 185-pound University of Michigan product has averaged 5.8 points, 1.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in two seasons.

Kapono, acquired in the deal that sent Ramon Sessions to the Lakers, is a three-point specialist who's fallen on hard times. A career 43.4% three-point shooter, his long-distance accuracy has slipped to 25.7% over the last two seasons.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first tweeted last night that Kapono would likely be waived. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported via Twitter that Harris would replace him. Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer added detail.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Fisher, Kaman, Rockets

March 17th, 2012 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

If you've gotten a little too caught up in March Madness, don't worry. We'll get you caught up with a look at what's happening around the Association ..

After dealing Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace at the deadline, Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld.com wonders what's next for the Blazers.
The Wizards would be willing to accommodate Brian Cook if he wishes to play elsewhere, a league source told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Cook’s agent Mark Bartelstein said on Saturday the two sides will likely engage in buyout discussions this week.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is sad to see longtime teammate Derek Fisher leave, writes Dave Menamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Rockets will likely buy out Fisher's contract, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits the veteran from rejoining the Lakers.
Hornets General Manager Dell Demps now says that the club is open to offering center Chris Kaman an extension at the end of the season, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Kaman's name was involved in trade talks but ultimately wound up staying put. It's still possible that the Hornets could buy out the big man, allowing him to latch on with a contender.
General Manager Joe Dumars said that the Pistons stood pat at the trade deadline because there were no quality offers on the table, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Plenty of deals were put in front of Dumars but none of them were enticing enough for him to pull the trigger.
The Rockets' moves at the trade deadline were solid but the club didn't make the kind of blockbuster that some were expecting, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Commissioner David Stern & the NBA did a tremendous job facilitating the new lease agreement between the Hornets and the state of Louisiana, writes John DeShazier of the Times Picayune. The new deal will keep the Hornets in New Orleans through 2024.

Nuggets Close To Long-Term Deal With Chandler

March 17th, 2012 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 9:34am: The Nuggets and Chandler are making progress as they negotiate a long-term deal, sources to close to the situation tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com. The two sides are hoping to reach an agreement this weekend and Chandler's agent, Chris Luchey, will return to Denver tonight or tomorrow morning to resume talks.

THURSDAY, 4:32pm: The Nuggets and Wilson Chandler are nearing an agreement on a long-term contract for the restricted free agent, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The Nuggets' trade of Nene earlier today helped the team create future cap flexibility for Chandler.

According to Stein, final parameters for the deal are still being discussed, but one scenario has Chandler earning $30MM over five years, with a team option for the fifth year.

Chandler and agent Chris Luchey had set a Friday deadline for negotiations with the Nuggets. If the two sides haven't reached a deal by then, Chandler intends to play in Italy for the rest of the season. Sitting out the season would enable the forward to be a restricted free agent again this summer, when more teams have the cap space to bid on him.

Odds & Ends: Buyouts, Thunder, Williams, Camby

March 16th, 2012 at 11:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

A few teams got a first look at their new acquisitions tonight, while others still await players to arrive and take physicals in their new cities. It's a league that's still in flux less than 36 hours after the trade deadline. Let's take a look at what's going on as everyone gets settled:

Marquis Daniels of the Celtics and Brian Cook of the Wizards are buyout candidates, says agent Mark Bartelstein via Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. (Twitter link)
The Thunder have assigned forward Ryan Reid to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, via Twitter. Oklahoma City signed the undrafted 25-year-old forward to a partially guaranteed two-year contract before the season, but he's only appeared in five games so far, scoring a total of eight points in 17 minutes. The 6'8", 232-pound Reid played 48 games with Tulsa last year, averaging 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while posting a 14.7 PER.
According to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld, Nets GM Billy King is confident his team can re-sign Deron Williams this summer, even though the point guard said today he will not opt in to the final season of his deal, a la Dwight Howard.
Marcus Camby, who sees himself playing four more years, wants to finish his career with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops takes a look at the NBA prospects of Cincinnati's Yancy Gates.
ESPN's Chad Ford believes NCAA tournament hero C.J. McCollum of Lehigh is a "serious draft sleeper" (Twitter link). Ford reported a few weeks ago that scouts had McCollum pegged as a late first-round or early second-round selection (Insider only).
J.A. Adande of ESPN looks at what we've learned from the trade deadline. The most significant takeaway is that it pays to have a Plan B, Adande says.

Warriors Rumors: Ellis, Bogut, Curry

March 16th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Just as the Magic and Nets played together tonight in the wake of their non-trade, the Bucks and Warriors got together in Oakland tonight a few days after their deal. Here's the latest from Golden State:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports looks at how the trade may pay off for the Warriors.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob expressed great regard for Monta Ellis, saying that it was "incredibly difficult" to trade him, but that he would have dealt either Ellis or Stephen Curry to move the franchise forward, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ellis received plenty of love from the Golden State crowd, too, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
Curry's balky ankle will keep him out either a month or for the rest of the season, judging Lacob's comments to Simmons about the matter. “We’re going to continue to look at all of the doctors’ reports and get as much information as we can, but no one can really say for sure why this keeps occurring," Lacob said. "We need to know, though. We’ll get another opinion if we have to. If it requires shutting him down, then we’ll do it. If it doesn’t, he’ll be back playing in a month. It’s very important that he’s healthy, and we’re not going to risk further injury.”
Andrew Bogut was ready to leave Milwaukee, telling Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that he and the Bucks experienced a mutual divorce. (Twitter link)

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