2012 October | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: McGrady, Curry, Spurs, Vujacic

October 18th, 2012 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics are considered the most dangerous threats to the Heat this season, but ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh thinks he's put together the team most capable of knocking off the defending champs. In an Insider-only piece, Haberstroh puts together a squad of "Heat Beaters" that adheres to the NBA's salary cap rules by surrounding a pair of superstars (Chris Paul and Dwight Howard) with a number of players on rookie-scale deals, including Serge Ibaka, Taj Gibson, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard.

Here are a few other Thursday links from around the league:

NBA commissioner David Stern and former teammate Shane Battier are among those applauding Tracy McGrady's decision to sign in China, according to Alastair Himmer of 560 WGAN.
Though there's no real update on extension talks between Stephen Curry and the Warriors, both sides remain optimistic that a deal will be worked out by Halloween, says Sam Amick of SI.com (Sulia link). Amick adds that Curry's next contract is now being negotiated by Octagon's Jeff Austin after the point guard's previous agent, Lance Young, left Octagon.
The battle for the Spurs' 15th roster spot is going down to the wire, according to Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News, who breaks down the four candidates for the opening. McCarney believes the Spurs' decision will come down to Eddy Curry and Josh Powell.
In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford names his top five 2013 draft prospects out of the Big 12.
Sasha Vujacic says he'll consider returning to the NBA next summer, according to a Sport24.gr report (translation via HoopsHype).
Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside previews the NBA D-League draft, which is set to take place on November 2nd.

NBA Execs Looking Ahead To Post-Kobe Lakers

October 18th, 2012 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

While the Lakers' payroll hovers around the $100MM mark this season and could potentially be even higher next year, the team doesn't have much long-term salary on its books. Kobe Bryant's contract ends in the summer of 2014, along with many of the other major Lakers deals. At the moment, Steve Nash is the only player the Lakers have under contract for 2014/15, at $9.7MM. Considering Kobe has talked about retiring after his current contract expires, opposing executives looking to the summer of '14 believe L.A. has big plans in store, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

"It's not a mistake that all those deals end the same year Kobe's does. They have probably been planning for their next phase for a while," one general manager told Windhorst. "The Busses and [Lakers GM] Mitch [Kupchak] are always thinking about the next big deal."

According to Windhorst, many executives around the NBA think LeBron James could be the Lakers' top target in 2014 if Bryant is really ready to retire. James is under contract through 2016, but has an opt-out clause that he's expected to exercise in 2014, even if he wants to remain with the Heat.

"LeBron is the best player in the league and he's making less than the max, so unless he's seriously hurt he's going to opt out in 2014, if only because I would assume he wants and deserves to get a true max," said one league executive. "Even if the Heat win the next two titles there's a feeling that LeBron is going to become a free agent in two years no matter what."

We're still nearly two years away from 2014's free agency period, so it's far too early to start seriously speculating about which players will land with which teams. However, as Windhorst writes, rival executives looking at long-term plans for their respective franchises are expecting the Lakers to be a significant threat in the summer of '14.

Pacific Notes: Scola, Suns, Odom, Clippers, Bogut

October 18th, 2012 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up the latest notes out of the Pacific Division, where the preseason standings, which feature the Warriors at the top and the Lakers at the bottom, are nearly an inverse of last year's regular-season standings….

While many players weren't happy on the Rockets last season, Suns forward Luis Scola wasn't one of them, says Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld (via Sulia). According to Ingram, Scola had been hoping to finish his career in Houston.
Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson feel as if they've been cast off by their previous teams and are hoping to prove themselves with the Suns, according to Ingram (Sulia link). Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry still believes both players can live up to their draft slots (No. 2 for Beasley, No. 4 for Johnson).
Lamar Odom, acquired by the Clippers in the offseason, was held out of the team's game last night, and coach Vinny Del Negro attributed it in part to conditioning issues. "He's got to work through some conditioning things and some health things right now, which he's doing," Del Negro said, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. "Yeah, I wish he was in a little bit better conditioning, and he wishes he was. But he's just got to continue to work every day and I'm sure he'll get there eventually."
On the other hand, Chauncey Billups, who was re-signed by the Clippers this summer, is ahead of schedule in his rehab from an achilles injury, and Del Negro believes he could return in late November, according to Turner.
After having been traded by the Clippers to the Jazz this offseason, Mo Williams told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com he holds no ill will toward the Clips.
Andrew Bogut will have his left ankle, which continues to keep him out of action, examined on Monday in Los Angeles, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group writes. Bogut hopes to be ready to play in the Warriors' regular-season opener, but he's "still a ways away," according to coach Mark Jackson.

Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors

October 18th, 2012 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

As we've outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Hoops Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don't want to follow all the site's updates, you can follow team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don't have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, you can also easily follow all our updates on your favorite player.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Jrue Holiday as he and the 76ers attempt to work out a contract extension, you can visit this page. If you're interested in whether the Rockets may consider trading Kevin Martin to your favorite team, all Martin-related updates are located here.

Every player we've written about has his own rumors page. You can find your player of choice by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post where he's discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Martin's page is located at hoopsrumors.com/kevin-martin.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags we use at the bottom of posts. Early updates on the 2013 NBA draft, for instance, can be found on its rumors page. If you want to check out updates on Chris Hansen's quest to bring the NBA back to Seattle, those are all available here.

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Southwest Links: Martin, Cuban, Mavs, Dirk

October 17th, 2012 at 11:06pm CST by Alex Lee

The Rockets upended the Grizzlies while the Mavericks fell to the Suns tonight in preseason action, where the Hornets and Spurs are both 3-1 thus far. Here are some other links from the Southwest division:

As the Rockets go-to guy in a contract year, Kevin Martin will be playing for himself in 2012-13 as much as he will be playing for his team, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Martin has never really been part of a good team and seems to be constantly injured, but if he can stay healthy and thrive as the main option in Houston, he should be able to cash in.
According to Mark Cuban, just because nearly all of the Mavericks roster may be free agents after the season, doesn't mean the team may not return a similar bunch in 2013/14, says Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. “I’ll tell you exactly what I told them,’’ Cuban said. "The best situation is
everybody kills it, and they’re all back. Then, I don’t have to deal with all the idiot questions over the
summer and we’ve got a great team to build on. That’s what I want.’’
Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News held a chat today and implied that the Mavericks may be better off if Dirk Nowitzki gets his knee cleaned out and misses half the season. Sherrington's thought process is that, without Nowitzki, the Mavs would miss the playoffs, get help through the lottery and free agency, and have a fresh Dirk in 2013/14.

Northwest Links: Jazz, Thunder, Harden, Karl

October 17th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Alex Lee

In a lengthy insider piece at ESPN.com, Chad Ford explains why the Jazz placed fourth in ESPN's recent Future Power Rankings, a position that surprised even team GM Dennis Lindsey. "We are a long way from No. 4 right now," Lindsey said. "I can understand on the future ratings why there's reason to be optimistic — with the cap flexibility Kevin has created and the young players that we do have — but cap room doesn't win you games. Young players, almost by definition, don't win you games."

Regardless of whether ESPN's optimistic ranking is justified, Jazz fans certainly have reason to be excited about the future of the team. In fact, most of the teams in the Northwest have solid young cores. Let's take a look at some other links from the division:

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman gives us his two cents on the Thunder's 15th roster spot, saying that DeAndre Liggins has been the surprise of training camp and has the inside track on the final job. Marberry says Liggins' toughness has made him stand out.
Blazers general manager Neil Olshey says that will not make a decision on whether he will the exercise options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams until much closer to the October 31 deadline, tweets Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest.
Scott Brooks says that whoever plays the best will secure the Thunder's 15th roster spot, writes Royce Young of DailyThunder.com. It sounds like Brooks is comfortable enough with his top 14 to take the "best available" player that is left over. Young handicaps the potential candidates, from most to least likely: Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, Andy Rautins, Hollis Thompson and longshot Walker Russell.
Janni Carlson of the Oklahoman opines that while signing James Harden will certainly help the Thunder now, it may hinder the team's long-term future. If the Thunder choose to sign Harden and pay the luxury tax, Carlson says, they may get burned in the same fashion as other small markets have in Minnesota, Cleveland and Sacramento.
In a lengthy feature, Candace Buckner of the Columbian highlights the relationship between George Karl and Portland head coach Terry Stotts, and how that long friendship landed Coby Karl in training camp with the Blazers.

Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Holiday, Wilkins, 76ers

October 17th, 2012 at 10:16pm CST by Alex Lee

As was long rumored, we learned earlier today that the Celtics added Leandro Barbosa to back up both guard positions. After losing Ray Allen to the rival Heat, it appears the Celts have more than replaced him by adding Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and now Barbosa. Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston breaks down the move in his rapid reaction, even pointing out that Barbosa could facilitate the development of rookie and fellow Brazilian Fab Melo. Forsberg also offers a "roster reset" complete with the team's current obligations and some thoughts on how it will shake out. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that a big reason behind the move was a desire for more scoring punch from reserve guards.

Here are some other updates from around the Atlantic division:

Tim Keown of ESPN the Magazine writes a lengthy piece that centers on the enigma that is Carmelo Anthony. While Anthony is as gifted as they come scoring-wise, Keown implies that he may not be the "alpha dog" that most NBA teams, Knicks included, need. Anthony seems to thrive in international play when he is amongst stars, but when he is the best player on the court things seem to stall.
We've been hearing all week about a possible long-term contract extension for Sixers guard Jrue Holiday. John Finger of CSN Philly heard today from a source that the talks have begun to pick up. The Sixers have until October 31 to either extend Holiday or make him a qualifying offer for one year and $3.77MM. If Holiday does not take the offer, he will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Tom Moore from Philly Burbs tweets that he believes that the Sixers will soon cut their roster down to 14, with Damien Wilkins nabbing the last spot. If true, that would make Devin Searcy and Dan Gadzuric free agents in the very near future.
Michael Levin of Sixers blog Liberty Ballers writes a guest column on Sheridan Hoops, listing five reasons to feel positive about the 76ers. If everything goes according the plan, Philly could be a rare example of a team that emerges from the typically inescapable depths of NBA mediocrity to become a legitimate contender.

Lakers Notes: Rumors, Aguilar, Finances, Gasol

October 17th, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Lee

There has been no shortage of buzz this offseason when it comes to the Lakers, and while their big pieces are in place, that doesn't mean they're done dealing. We heard last week that Steve Blake and/or Chris Duhon may be available and then today from Mitch Kupchak that the team is not actively looking to move anyone. As we all wait patiently to see how their roster shakes out, let's round up some other notes out of the Staples Center:

David Wharton of the L.A. Times profiles Lakers center Ronnie Aguilar, who is working hard in hopes of going from training camp longshot to backup center. As of three weeks ago, Aguilar's efforts were not going unnoticed, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo reported that Aguilar was a "dark horse candidate" to make the Lakers roster.
Also from the L.A. Times, Mike Bresnahan writes that the Lakers have become an economic juggernaut. Bresnahan says that the team makes up to $90MM in ticket sales per year, and is in the first year of new television deal that pays them $120MM this year. While they owe $30MM in luxury tax and are projected to pay $49MM in revenue-sharing in 2013, the franchise seems to be in as good of financial shape as it's ever been.
Living in constant fear of being shipped out of Los Angeles this offseason, Pau Gasol had to temper his excitement for playing with Steve Nash, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. While swapping out Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard shouldn't majorly affect Gasol's game, no one should benefit from the existence of Nash more than the mid-range capable Spaniard.

Raptors Pick Up Option On Ed Davis

October 17th, 2012 at 5:51pm CST by Alex Lee

The Raptors have announced, via press release, that they have exercised the fourth year option on the rookie contract of Ed Davis, keeping him in a Toronto uniform through at least 2013-14. The Raptors had until October 31 to pick up the option on Davis or risk losing him in free agency next summer. While the team didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, Davis should be due about $3.15MM in 2013-14.

After being drafted 13th overall in 2010 by Toronto, Davis has mostly come off the bench for the Raptors, averaging 7.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just under 24 minutes per game. While Davis certainly hasn't emerged as anything more than a rotation player yet, this decision was probably an easy one for the Raptors given his ability to grab boards and block shots.

With the October 31 deadline looming, we should expect a lot of teams to make decisions in the next few weeks. We saw earlier today that the Kings picked up options on the rookie deals of DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette. Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker for the latest.

Odds & Ends: Magic, Bucks, 2013 Draft, D-League

October 17th, 2012 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After rounding up a few stories out of the west this morning, let's turn our attention this afternoon to the Eastern Conference and to a pair of drafts….

Competition for playing time and roster spots is still wide open, according to Magic coach Jacque Vaughn. "I am completely honest when I say I have not filled out my top 10, top nine, top 12 guys on the team yet," Vaughn told the media, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, after last night's game. "And guys should take advantage of that, and tonight was a night that guys should’ve taken advantage of that opportunity."
Coach Scott Skiles says the Bucks talked "many times" about how trading Andrew Bogut would impact their interior defense, and made it a priority this offseason to add size and length. Truman Reed of NBA.com has the details.
In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks the top prospects out of the Big East for next year's NBA draft. Meanwhile, Ford's No. 1 2013 prospect, Nerlens Noel, has been cleared by the NCAA to practice and play for the Kentucky Wildcats, according to a USA Today report.
Speaking of drafts, the NBA D-League's 2012 draft will take place on the evening of November 2nd, according to the league's official Twitter account.
The Cavs won't necessarily keep both Jeremy Pargo and Donald Sloan on their regular-season roster, but neither player has really pulled away as the favorite to earn a roster spot, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.

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