2013 January | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies, Raptors Discussing Rudy Gay

January 29th, 2013 at 9:57pm CST by Alex Lee

TUESDAY, 9:57pm: Wojnarowski reports that the final hurdle for a deal that would send Gay to Toronto hinges on finding a third team to take Calderon's contract. He adds that within the deal's current framework, the Grizzlies are likely to receive another young Raptors player along with a future draft pick. Terrence Ross is not one of the names being considered, as the Raptors have reportedly deemed the rookie untouchable.

8:11pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun says that the Raptors have little interest in taking additional salary in the form of Darrell Arthur's contract, and thus a third team would be needed if he were included into discussions.

12:46pm: As they try to find a way to land Gay, the Raptors are engaging teams about a possible three-team deal, but are having trouble finding a taker for Calderon, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 7:00pm: The Grizzlies are engaged in active trade discussions with the Raptors centering on Rudy Gay, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. Stein says that while the Raptors are Gay's most active suitor, no initial framework for a deal has been agreed upon. Stein confirms that, due to last week's trade, the Grizzlies feel that they no longer must trade Gay and can instead wait and consider more fair value offers.

The Raptors have been determined in their pursuit of Gay and also are interested in Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur. Toronto is offering up Jose Calderon and third-year forward Ed Davis as two of the main pieces in a potential deal.

Stein says that the Celtics have also inquired on Gay's availability, but was told that they balked at the prospect at giving up Paul Pierce in the deal. In light of Rajon Rondo's injury, Stein was also told that Boston would be more likely to pursue Kyle Lowry and his cap friendly deal than Gay and his bulky contract. As talks heat up, Stein says, more teams could become involved in a potential deal.

Grizzlies' coach Lionel Hollins, as well as several of the team's players, have reportedly lobbied management for a chance to play the season out as currently constructed. But the Memphis front office is worried about its ability to improve the roster in future years, Stein says, and is subsequently seeking first round picks in any deal.

Sefko On Dwight, Marion, Kaman

January 29th, 2013 at 9:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW, who believes that the Mavericks will have at least one new player after the trade deadline, engaged in a chat with his readers today and answered a number of questions about the team. Here are some of the highlights:

Any possible deal for Dwight Howard would have to hinge on the inclusion of Shawn Marion, and adding O.J. Mayo to the discussion could give the deal some legs. Since the Nets still possess the more attractive players, Dallas would have to get a third team into the mix in order to sweeten their offer to the Lakers.
Chris Kaman could be of worth to a team looking to shed a large contract within the next coming weeks. One hypothetical scenario would include Kaman being packaged with younger assets to the Celtics in exchange for Paul Pierce (with a third team involved). Although the Mavericks would have to bear Pierce's contract in 2013/14, they would subsequently have a good amount of cap room that summer. Sefko makes it clear that while he isn't necessarily promoting a Kaman-for-Pierce swap, he suggests that those type of deals may be available.
Free agency remains the team's best avenue toward rebuilding, especially since they don't currently possess enough trade assets to pull off a major deal or can acquire anything that would be considered long-term help via trade. He also notes that other than Marion, the only enticing pieces on the Mavericks are the one-year contracts that might interest teams looking for financial relief.
Sefko wonders if Rodrigue Beaubois' recent increase in playing time is meant to to boost his trade market value, or if it's because Rick Carlisle thinks he can be a viable contributor down the stretch.
With better financial opportunities possibly waiting in the wings this summer, Elton Brand could be tough to retain once his contract expires at the end of the year.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Carlesimo, Rondo, Raptors

January 29th, 2013 at 8:35pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Led by Jrue Holiday, the 76ers remain three games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Significant help in the form of another all-star caliber player could be on the way within the next several weeks, as Andrew Bynum has continued to make progress toward his goal of possibly returning to practice next week, notes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com. The 7'0 center has been plagued by bone bruises in both knees since the start of the season. With that aside, here are more news and notes from the Atlantic Division:

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York reports that Nets GM Billy King will meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Wednesday to discuss P.J. Carlesimo and the job he's done so far as the interim head coach. While Carlesimo has done an exceptional job after replacing Avery Johnson, Prokhorov is said to still be enamored with going after big names such as Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the offseason.
According to A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will get a second opinion on his ACL injury from Dr. James Andrews, who is considered be arguably "the best orthopedic surgeon in the business."
Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun lays out the Raptors' top five pressing issues as they inch closer to the deadline, calling their interest in Rudy Gay the "most likely to come to fruition" rumor, examining the return of both Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas from injury, Terrence Ross' progression into coach Dwane Casey's crunch-time lineup, and the continued acclimation of Landry Fields. With regard to Bargnani, Ganter thinks that Casey may have to provide a significant role at the expense of Ed Davis' minutes in order to showcase the 7-footer's health.
Eric Koreen of the National Post doesn't think that Gay is the cure-all answer for the Raptors, who still have many other important questions to answer regardless of whether they land him or not. Among those question marks involve the franchise's commitment to GM Bryan Colangelo, the need for more significant roster moves, and the struggles of point guard Kyle Lowry.
Doc Rivers doesn't appear too concerned about his players making an adjustment without Rondo, saying that a "no-point guard system" is something that the second unit has already found success with, writes Greg Payne of ESPN Boston.
Mike Woodson will place a higher priority on getting Knicks three point sharpshooter Steve Novak more involved in the offense, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York.

Kings/Seattle Rumors: Tuesday

January 29th, 2013 at 6:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

We'll keep any of today's Kings/Seattle-related updates below:

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com says that even if Sacramento's legal challenges buy more time, he isn't sure it necessarily means an eventual victory against the move to Seattle (Sulia link). He also mentions that although the league would prefer to have the situation resolved by the Board of Governors meeting on April 18-19, it would be willing to carry on discussions into the summer, even if it meant having to prepare individual season schedules for Sacramento and Seattle.
Mark Mastrov made a strong impression on local investors yesterday after explaining his vision of building a new arena and keeping the Kings in Sacramento, wrote Ryan Lillis, Dale Kasler, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. Mayor Kevin Johnson described the meeting as a “positive step forward in our effort to keep the Kings,” while others who attended added that Mastrov has brought added confidence, optimism, and hope to the table.
Kasler also reports that a bankruptcy trustee who controls seven percent of the Kings will bring in “special litigation counsel” to help make the claim that the team's minority owners are illegally being denied the right to match the purchase offer from Chris Hansen and the Seattle group. While the Maloofs and Hansen view this claim as a non-issue, University of New Hampshire sports law expert Michael McCann thinks that litigation may interfere with the Seattle group’s plan to have the sale approved by mid-April and could possibly delay the franchise from moving for another year at the least.

Celtics Notes: Pierce, Dooling, Trade Options

January 29th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Sunday's win over the Heat was officially the first game of the post-Rajon Rondo portion of the Celtics' 2012/13 season, but news of Rondo's injury broke during the game, and Boston players didn't hear about it until after the fact. As such, tomorrow's contest against the Kings feels more like our first real glimpse of the new-look Celtics, who are set to run a "no point guard"-type offense, according to coach Doc Rivers. Here's the latest out of Boston:

Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com reports that Keyon Dooling has already increased his workout regimen in preparation for a potential call from the Celtics, telling reporters: "I'm definitely considering…I've upped my exercise starting today and if Doc (Rivers) gives me the word I will be ready."
Earlier today, Paul Pierce told reporters, including Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com, that he hopes to retire as a Celtic, though he recognizes that the decision may not be entirely in his hands.
Rivers confirmed today that Dooling, who retired before the season, could return to the Celtics, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. "He would be the closest for me if we had to go in another direction (at point guard)," Rivers said. "We'd have to find out if he could still do it. He knows our stuff. He's the easiest by far. He's going to (get in shape) anyway."
Celtics president Danny Ainge isn't about to make a panic move to replace Rondo, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Ainge intends to assess his team's performance over the next couple weeks before deciding on the next step.
In a video segment, CSNNE.com's analysts take a look at what that next move for Ainge might be.
ESPN.com also has a pair of pieces examining the Celtics' options, as J.A. Adande and Israel Gutierrez debate whether Ainge should blow up the roster, while the 5-on-5 crew examines whether this represents the end of an era in Boston.

Odds & Ends: Josh Smith, Suns, Iverson, Stuckey

January 29th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….

There's a growing expectation that the Hawks will end up moving Josh Smith before the trade deadline, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Smith and the team are expected to meet this week to discuss the forward's future in Atlanta.
After researching 25 years of NBA franchise methods, the Suns concluded that a full-fledged rebuild was an impractical approach. So while the Suns' current place in the standings may indicate that a rebuild is underway, Phoenix is hoping for a quicker turnaround, as owner Robert Sarver tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
In announcing that he wouldn't be taking the Mavericks up on their offer to join their D-League affiliate, Allen Iverson hinted that he still wants to return to the NBA. Manager Gary Moore confirms that, telling Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that his client is working out and may explore NBA opportunities later this season. "He's going to continue to work very hard to get his mind and his body back to a place where he can help a team in the future," Moore said. "Sooner more so than later."
Rodney Stuckey's name often comes up when teams call the Pistons about trades, but despite the latest incident in Detroit, the team says no deal involving Stuckey is in the works, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

Trade Candidate: Timofey Mozgov

January 29th, 2013 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

There are plenty of big names rumored to be on the trade block as we approach this year's deadline, including Rudy Gay and Pau Gasol. Other players, such as Jose Calderon and J.J. Redick, are intriguing not just because of their expiring contracts, but because they could be the final piece of the puzzle for a contending team.

Timofey Mozgov, like Calderon and Redick, is on an expiring contract, but he's unlikely to be a real game-changer if he's moved at the deadline. Still, Grantland's Zach Lowe referred to the Nuggets big man as one of the league's "most available" players back in December, so that certainly makes him a trade candidate, even if he's not one of the more exciting ones out there.

Mozgov, 26, initially came to the Nuggets two years ago as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. While Mozgov was hardly the centerpiece of that trade, he was a piece the Nuggets insisted be included, due to a belief that he could develop into a solid big man. While the Russian has shown flashes of that promise in his two seasons with the Nuggets, there just aren't enough minutes to go around anymore now that Denver's frontline includes JaVale McGee and Kosta Koufos, two young centers that have outproduced Mozgov.

Mozgov's best season came in 2011/12, when he averaged 5.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG while playing 15.6 minutes per contest. Those numbers won't turn many heads, but Mozgov's per-minute rates were solid, and he started 35 of his 44 games for the Nuggets, meaning he wasn't just playing against other teams' second-stringers. At 7'1", he should certainly have some appeal to teams in need of size in the middle, and according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, Denver has been fielding plenty of calls about Mozgov since the beginning of the season.

One team that's been linked to Mozgov as a potential suitor is the Heat, a club that could use one more big body in the frontcourt to help Chris Bosh and its bigs shoulder the rebounding load. But as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida pointed out earlier this month, there's not a perfect match between the two teams. Norris Cole, Miami's most appealing trade asset, doesn't fill a need for a Nuggets team that has Ty Lawson and Andre Miller at the point, and Cole's modest salary wouldn't be enough to match Mozgov's $3.14MM mark. I'm sure the Nuggets, who could use a shooter, would love to add Ray Allen ($3.09MM), but that's not the sort of price the Heat would want to pay for Mozgov.

Besides Miami, there are no particularly obvious suitors for Mozgov. The Warriors could be a fit if Andrew Bogut continues to be nagged by injuries, and the Celtics could use another big. But both teams are up against hard caps, making it difficult to add any salary, and Boston's plans have likely changed now that Rajon Rondo is out for the season. The Suns and Rockets, with cap space to absorb Mozgov's salary, could kick the tires — if they were to acquire Mozgov and liked what they saw over the season's final couple months, they'd have the first crack to re-sign him in July.

As Dempsey wrote in his previously-linked piece, Mozgov appears unlikely to remain in Denver past February 21st, simply because the Nuggets don't have room for him in their rotation. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem as if there will be a huge market for the big man. If he's moved and it's not part of a bigger deal, it's probably unrealistic to expect Denver to land much more than a second-round pick or a borderline rotation player in return.

Timberwolves Re-Sign Johnson, Gelabale

January 29th, 2013 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have re-signed center Chris Johnson to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Wolves have also inked Mickael Gelabale to a second 10-day deal (Twitter link). The initial contracts for both players expired last night.

Johnson, 27, had an excellent first 10 days with Minnesota, scoring 15 points in his debut and averaging 9.2 PPG on 72.0% shooting in five total games. He's not to be confused with the player with the same name who is currently on a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies.

Gelabale, meanwhile, got off to a strong start with the T-Wolves as well, posting 11 points and four rebounds in his first game with the club. The French forward also scored 15 in last Friday's loss in Washington.

With the signings, Minnesota's roster is back up to 16 players. The Wolves aren't required to waive anyone to get down to the usual maximum of 15, since they were granted an injury exception by the NBA earlier in the month, allowing them to carry an extra man.

Celtics Recall Fab Melo From D-League

January 29th, 2013 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. The last time Melo was recalled from the D-League, it was so his concussion could be treated by Celtics doctors. The rookie big man reportedly sat out Maine's most recent game with a quad strain, so the C's may have similar intentions this time around.

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January 29th, 2013 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

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