2012 May | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Gasol, Odom, Brown

May 30th, 2012 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Sam Smith of Bulls.com reported earlier this week that Pau Gasol would have interest in playing in Chicago if the Bulls and Lakers were able to work out a trade. However, Gasol reiterated to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times that he continues to want to play in Los Angeles for as long as he can.

"My position is still the same," Gasol said. "I still would love to be a part of the Lakers and continue to be here to help the team win more championships as soon as possible. It's out of my control and it's out of my hands, no matter what."

Here are a couple more Wednesday morning notes on Gasol and the Lakers….

Odds & Ends: Lottery, Raptors, Lin, Heat

May 29th, 2012 at 10:25pm CST by Michael Pina

Tomorrow night's draft lottery will have huge implications for the Warriors and Jazz, writes the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. Here are a few more items from around the NBA:

Hoopsworld.com's Stephen Brotherston asks what position the Raptors should be targeting as they head into the draft.
On June 13, a hearing to determine whether the Knicks can re-sign Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak without using any of their exceptions will be held, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. The union is seeking the restoration of both players' Bird rights, and a decision will be made before July 1. The union is expected to lose the hearing.
The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes about the Trail Blazers working out two centers today: North Carolina's Tyler Zeller and Illinois' Meyers Leonard.
Sources have told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin that the Lakers are talking about making Los Angeles D-Fenders general manager Glenn Carraro their team's assistant general manager.
ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan writes about how tomorrow night's draft lottery could have an especially large impact on the Nets and Mavericks.
FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson says LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are doing more than enough to fill in for Chris Bosh's absence.
CBSSports.com's Ken Berger writes that at a time he's badly needed by his team, there's something wrong with Ray Allen.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Matt Barnes

May 29th, 2012 at 9:45pm CST by Michael Pina

In his nine year career, Matt Barnes has suited up for eight different teams. Take from that what you will, as another season ends in disappointment for the Lakers, and Barnes becomes a free agent yet again. At the age of 32, stripped of his athleticism and ability to act as a versatile two-way presence, Barnes’ offensive duties in recent years have been limited to that of a spot up shooter. He stretches the floor by standing in the corner and receiving passes from his team’s more capable on-ball play makers, but relative to the league’s better fits in this specific role, Barnes didn’t do a great job.

Barnes started the season slow—shooting 25.5 percent from behind the arc before the All-Star break—but turned it up later on, knocking down 37.2 percent of his three-pointers in the month of April. Battling an ankle injury in the playoffs, Barnes was more stationary than normal, and wasn’t able to take advantage of his idle play by knocking down open shots from beyond the arc (Barnes shot 16.1 percent from down town in 11 playoff games, and was benched for Game 5 of the second round).

In his exit interview last week, Barnes said where he chose to sign in recent years was mostly based on his pursuit of a championship. That decision making process could change this off season, as the Lakers don't appear to be a championship contending team given their current makeup. Also, if Barnes is in search of a high bidder, his current team likely won't be it.

“The last few teams I’ve went to, it was in search of a ring, and have fallen short. I’ve always turned down a significant amount of money to do that. So that’s something we’ll have to sit down and see."

With averages of 7.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG this season, there will probably be a suitor or two out there who believes Barnes can add depth and a little bit of toughness to its bench, but as has been the primary theme throughout his career, anything more than a one-year deal is unlikely. He can still play, but the role needs to be a limited one.

In July 2010, the Lakers decided to use their mid-level exception on Barnes with a two-year, $3.6MM contract. In a way, his poor play down the stretched symbolized the team’s need to become more athletic, and if the they take him back for anything more than the league minimum it would be a serious surprise.

Categories:
Free Agent Stock Watch

Pacers Notes: Bird, Vogel

May 29th, 2012 at 7:45pm CST by Michael Pina

It's been a little over one week since the Heat eliminated the Pacers from the playoffs, but this rising team remains in the news. Here are a few recent items relating to the team.

Pacers head coach Frank Vogel believes the success his team had this season is only the beginning of what they'll eventually accomplish, according to The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells. "I feel like we have more room for growth than any team that's competing for a championship right now. We're excited to get back to work at some point here soon and build on what we started," Vogel said.
Hoopsworld.com's Joel Brigham writes about where the Pacers are headed as a team, now that they've started to make a little noise.
Larry Bird will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11 AM EST to discuss this year's team, and where they're going in the future.

Categories:
Indiana Pacers

Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Wizards, Mason

May 29th, 2012 at 7:03pm CST by Michael Pina

Here are a few interesting bits from around the NBA's Southeast Division:

From the Charlotte Observer, Tom Sorensen writes that the Bobcats didn't tank games this season. They just weren't a very good team. He follows that up by comparing possible number one pick Anthony Davis' impact with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
From the same outlet, Rick Bonnell writes about ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy's assertion that the Bobcats did in fact tank their season in order to have the best odds at tomorrow night's lottery.
The Washington Post's Michael Lee brings Wizards center Kevin Seraphin's late season surge to light.
Roger Mason would like to return to the Wizards after ending his season with some stellar play. Mason shot 42.5% from the three-point line in his final 31 games.

Valanciunas Close To Signing With Raptors

May 29th, 2012 at 6:05pm CST by Michael Pina

Jonas Valanciunas, the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, has begun negotiating a release agreement with his current team in Lithuania, according to NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. The agreement will ultimately consist of a $2.4MM buyout that Valanciunas will have to pay his team, Lietuvos Rytas. By league rules, the Raptors are allowed to contribute as much as $550K of the total buyout.

At the time he was drafted, Valanciunas was a seven-foot, 19-year-old prospect at center, with major questions regarding when he'd be allowed to come overseas and play in the NBA. It forced most teams to balk at the notion of drafting him, but Raptor GM Bryan Colangelo didn't hesitate.

“I have no doubt that is the right pick or was the right pick for us…despite the pressure of picking a so-called sexy pick or someone that might be a more-popular pick, we made the pick that we felt was the best decision, long term and short term, for the franchise because it fit right into this building process that we’re going through right now.”

The Raptors have a 3.5% chance at receiving the number one overall pick in tomorrow night's lottery, and a 12.3% chance at selecting in the top three. Should they get lucky, the team's roster will be filled with youth, and manageable cap space.

Clippers Exercise Option On Vinny Del Negro

May 29th, 2012 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have informed Vinny Del Negro that they will pick up his contract option for the 2012/13 season, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The Clippers confirmed the decision today in a press release.

In his second season with the team, Del Negro led the Clippers to a 40-26 record, the best winning percentage in franchise history. The Clips topped Memphis in the first round of the playoffs before being swept by San Antonio in round two.

Despite Del Negro's success, reports earlier in the year indicated that his job could be in jeopardy. As recently as this week, Del Negro's future was unknown, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne suggesting potential alternatives for the Clippers' position. While a number of notable free agent coaches are available, Del Negro's positive relationship with owner Donald Sterling may have played a significant part in the Clippers' decision, as the ESPN scribes noted.

Blazers, Idaho Stampede Announce Partnership

May 29th, 2012 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers will take over the basketball operations of the D-League's Idaho Stampede in a "hybrid" partnership, the Blazers announced today (Twitter link). As Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside explains (via Twitter), Idaho will still control the business side of the franchise, but the Blazers will have full control of coaching staff, player roster, and other baskebtall operations.

The Stampede had previously been the D-League affiliate for the Nuggets and Jazz, as well as the Blazers, but the new agreement will make Portland the Stampede's sole NBA affiliate. Interim Blazers GM Chad Buchanan called the move a "great opportunity" for Portland to develop young players and coaches, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.

"The benefits can be great," Buchanan said. "You have a coach you hire that’s going to mirror what we’re running up here with the Blazers. You’ve got a roster that you’ve put together that you want to see. If we want to send (this year’s) draft pick down, we can send him down for two weeks and play him 48 minutes a night, get him 25 touches and 30 shots a game. We have control over that."

The Blazers become the fourth team to enter a hybrid partnership with a D-League franchise, joining the Rockets, Nets, and Knicks.

Draft Updates: Celtics, Lillard, Zeller, Leonard

May 29th, 2012 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

We're just a little over 24 hours away from tomorrow night's draft lottery, aka the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. While fans of the Bobcats, Wizards, Cavaliers, Hornets, and the rest of the lottery teams hold their breath, let's round up a few of today's draft-related items:

The Celtics may be trying to package their two first-round picks to move up in the draft, tweets SI.com's Zach Lowe.
Damian Lillard appears to be a likely top-10 pick, writes ESPN.com's Chad Ford in an Insider-only piece that also touches on Terrence Ross, Arnett Moultrie, Fab Melo, and a number of other prospects.
Ford also fielded draft questions in his weekly ESPN.com chat earlier this afternoon.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio identifies his picks for the sleepers of this year's draft class.
Seven-footers Tyler Zeller and Meyers Leonard highlighted the participants at the Trail Blazers' first draft workout today, and interim Kaleb Canales had compliments for both players, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes.

Warriors, Jazz Trade Talks “All But Dead”

May 29th, 2012 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Talks between the Warriors and Jazz on a trade that would guarantee Golden State keeps its draft pick tomorrow are "all but dead," reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Assuming no deal is consummated, the Warriors will keep their pick if it lands in the top seven, or send it to Utah if it falls to eighth or lower.

The two sides had been discussing a trade that would allow Golden State to keep its pick regardless of tomorrow's lottery results. The Warriors were "working diligently" on some sort of agreement that may have included future draft considerations or cash, rather than players. However, according to Thompson's source, such a deal is "probably not going to happen" now, leaving the fate of the Warriors' pick to the ping pong balls tomorrow night.

The Warriors currently rank seventh in the lottery standings, which gives them a 3.6% chance at the first overall pick. More importantly, it gives the team about a 72.7% chance of securing its top-seven-protected first-rounder. If Golden State keeps its pick this year, it will still owe a first-rounder to the Jazz. The pick would become top-six-protected next season.

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