2013 March | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Lakers, Dirk, Clippers

March 21st, 2013 at 9:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com writes that with the exception of Jordan Hill, the Lakers appear on the verge of being the healthiest they've been all season when Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are expected return to the lineup on Friday. Though Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times noted that Kobe left practice early after his ankle stiffined during scrimmages, coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters after practice that the Lakers star will be ready tomorrow. We've got a few more links to share out of the Western Conference below:

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki briefly discussed his NBA future with Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. When asked about playing for three more seasons: "I’m not sure about all that. We’ll just have to wait and see…Hopefully I can finish this season strong and have a good summer like I basically did last year with a lot of lifting and running and hopefully not have a setback with a surgery. We’ll see how consistent I can be again next season."
Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles says that the Clippers are still searching for an identity at this point in the season, mostly because of how their defense has regressed since their 17-game winning streak earlier in the year.
John Reid of NOLA.com talks with Eric Gordon about being the Hornets' go-to-scorer, becoming familiar with his teammates this year after returning from his injury, and where he is in terms of his knee rehab.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com takes a look at what has motivated Warriors All-Star David Lee throughout his career, including a fear of failure.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Knicks, Green

March 21st, 2013 at 8:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With an All-Star appearance and two championships on his resume, Andrew Bynum looked primed to stake his claim as the Eastern Conference's premier center after joining the 76ers last summer. Unfortunately, injury setbacks have kept Bynum from suiting up in a regular season game in Philadelphia, and a huge question mark looms over his future as he approaches free agency this summer. ESPN's Chris Broussard, who originally thought that the 76ers were the biggest beneficiaries of the Dwight Howard trade, spoke with six other NBA executives about how they would handle the 7-foot center's contract situation this summer (Insiders only). Although they each offer unique approaches, it's not much of a surprise that none would offer a max contract. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division:

Jared Zwerling and Ian Begley of ESPN New York discussed the latest on the Knicks, most notably about the health of Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert. Begley also added that he thinks that the team will revisit adding another player before the playoffs start, being that it would be a big gamble to start the postseason with three players unavailable due to season-ending injuries.
Newsday's Barbara Baker says that Shumpert appears healthy today after a scare during last night's game against the Magic, when the second year guard said he felt a "pop" in the same knee that he suffered an ACL injury almost one year ago.
Tim Smith of the New York Daily News talks about Kenyon Martin's resurgence with the Knicks as the former number one pick fills in for the team's injured big men.
Danny Ainge told Salk and Holley of 93.7 WEEI FM that Celtics swingman Jeff Green is starting to prove that he deserves to be on the court for "most minutes of the game" (Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com reports).

Odds & Ends: LeBron/Cavs, Wafer, Harrington

March 21st, 2013 at 7:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Without leading scorers Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters yesterday, the Cavaliers had the surging Heat against the ropes in Cleveland through three quarters, leading by nine before ultimately losing in a heartbreaker. The last few years have represented some trying times for Cavs fans, although with the rise of Irving as a young potential superstar, Dion Waiters showing flashes as a promising scorer, and Tristan Thompson continuing to improve, the horizon is beginning to look bright in Cleveland. A promising young core on a team with cap space could only be a selling point toward a possible homecoming for LeBron James in 2014, although ESPN's Marc Stein (Twitter link) believes that the Akron native and Dwyane Wade are too close for LeBron to just "bolt Miami." Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the NBA:

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld highlights that several clubs have considered signing Von Wafer, particularly teams looking to bolster their rosters before the playoffs start. The former second-round pick had recently returned from a stint in China and last played in the NBA during the 2011/12 season. In the same piece, Kennedy identifies players who have helped their free agency stock with their strong play this year.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes that Al Harrington could decide to sit out the rest of the season for the Magic for the sake of their young players benefiting from major playing time. The 33-year-old forward, who overcame a staph infection after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, insists that his knees are fine now and that he will focus on preparing them for next year. Robbins adds that although Harrington is due about $14.7MM over the next two seasons, those years are partially guaranteed and could be bought out for nearly half that number this summer.
Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro discusses his job status with Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. Now in his third season in LA and nearing the end of his contract, Dwyre writes that Chris Paul's contract status, the level of preference for Del Negro, and the team's performance in the playoffs are all substantial factors that are in play with regard to the coach's future with the team.
Pistons coach Lawrence Frank tells David Mayo of MLive.com that, considering their record this year, none of the players – as well as the coaches – should feel safe about retaining their role for next season.

Latest On Sacramento Arena

March 21st, 2013 at 6:10pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjak, and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee, a deal for a new arena at Downtown Plaza in Sacramento still hasn't been reached between city officials and billionaire Ron Burkle. The city had placed a self-imposed deadline to reach an agreement by today, but nothing appears imminent.

City Manager John Shirey, who wanted a term sheet that contained points of a deal today in time for review before a city council meeting next week, spoke about where he currently stands in these talks: "We continue to make progress and have productive discussions with the Investor Group…It is important to get this right and not rush to make an artificial deadline. The bottom line for me is to get the best deal possible while adhering to the Council’s adopted core principles, including a city commitment comparable to last year, no new taxes, and protection for the General Fund."

Lillis, Bizjack, and Kasler aren't sure what the 'sticking points' in the deal are or whether the two sides will look to reach an agreement soon.

Categories:
Sacramento Kings

Another Potential Owner Emerges For Kings?

March 21st, 2013 at 5:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Sam Amick of USA Today reports that Vivek Ranadive – founder of the multi-billion dollar software company Tibco and a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors – has emerged as a new figure who could take the lead for the Sacramento group previously spearheaded by Mark Mastrov. Amick's source spoke on the condition of anonymity because there has been no official agreement as of yet.

Amick writes that while Mastrov and Ron Burkle are still involved in both the bid for the team and plans for a downtown arena, Ranadive agreed to enter the picture after strong efforts to have a larger influence in personnel matters. In order for Ranadive to purchase the team, he would first have to sell his minority stake in the Warriors. Yahoo's Marc J. Spears tweets that the Tibco CEO will only sell his share of Golden State if the city of Sacramento is able to retain the Kings. Otherwise, he would keep his investment with the Warriors.

Having another 'whale investor' can't hurt Sacramento's effort to keep the Kings, especially after David Stern recently commented that the initial bid offered by the Mastrov-led group was short of being a competitive offer. Amick mentions that although Kings minority owner John Kehriotis has been planning a bid of his own, Ranadive will be joining Mastrov and Burkle with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who will try to persuade owners at the NBA Board of Governors meeting in April to block the approval of the sale agreed upon by the Maloof Brothers and the Chris Hansen-led Seattle group.

Amick identifies other issues that would need to be addressed, namely the $77MM in loans that the Maloofs owe the city of Sacramento, along with the non-refundable $30MM that the Maloofs received from the Seattle group as a deposit for the team's sale earlier this month.

Mavs Notes: Deron Williams, Cap, Beaubois

March 21st, 2013 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Deron Williams finally returned to his hometown last night, playing at the American Airlines Center in Dallas for the first time since he turned down the Mavericks in favor of the Nets last summer. Although Brooklyn rolled to a 113-96 win, it's still too early to tell whether Williams and the Nets or Mark Cuban and the Mavericks will be the long-term winners of D-Will's free agent decision, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Here are a few more Mavs-related notes:

Within Townsend's piece, Cuban notes that the Nets' current situation – well over the tax and still not quite a legit title contender – is one the Mavs wanted to avoid. "That’s the position we didn’t want to be in," Cuban said. "Not talking about any one player, but that’s why we were concerned in our approach because if you sign a max-out guy, well, you get to a point where you’re above that tax plus $4MM, you’re limited."
The Mavericks announced yesterday in a press release that Rodrigue Beaubois underwent surgery on his left hand. With no timetable set for Beaubois' return, it appears he has played his last game of the season, and possibly his last game as a Maverick — the fourth-year guard is eligible for free agency this summer. The Mavs could make him a restricted FA by making him a qualifying offer, but I think the team will likely let him become unrestricted.
Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of SI.com examine the Western Conference's current lottery teams, answering a variety of questions about which teams have bright or dim futures. The Mavs earn a dishonorable mention from Mahoney, who says Dallas might have "the bleakest future relative to franchise expectations."

Poll: Western Conference Playoff Matchups

March 21st, 2013 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Heading into tonight's action, the Spurs and Thunder look fairly safe as the top two seeds in the Western Conference. The Spurs have a five and a half game lead on the third-place Grizzlies, while the Thunder remain three games up on the Grizz, even after last night's loss in Memphis.

However, the last several weeks of the season figure to provide a very entertaining race for the No. 3 seed in the West. While the Grizzlies (46-21) currently hold the spot, it's only by percentage points over the Clippers (47-22) and Nuggets (47-22). All three teams are nine and a half games ahead of the sixth-place Warriors.

While the race for the third seed hasn't received as much coverage as the battle for the eighth seed, it figures to be crucial for a team's chances of getting out of the first round. For instance, if the Grizzlies hold onto the third spot, they would host a playoff series against an opponent like the Warriors and Rockets, rather than having to go up against the Clippers and Nuggets right away.

With five Western teams seemingly head and shoulders above the rest of the conference, at least two of those elite clubs will have to play one another in the first round. The Thunder and Spurs almost certainly won't be involved, so which of the other three potential matchups would intrigue you most? A rematch of last year's first-round series between the Grizzlies and Clippers? Or a series involving an entertaining Nuggets team that has won its last 13 games? Weigh in below!

Celtics Sign Shavlik Randolph For Season

March 21st, 2013 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 2:20pm: The Celtics have officially re-signed Randolph, the team announced in a press release. The release refers to it as a multiyear deal, which likely means, as Charania reported, that it will be guaranteed for this season and non-guaranteed for next season.

WEDNESDAY, 2:41pm: Randolph's deal with the Celtics will include a team option for next season, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.

11:25am: The Celtics officially signed D.J. White for the remainder of the season today, and will do the same tomorrow with another player whose second 10-day contract will expire. Head coach Doc Rivers told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) that, in the interest of continuity, Shavlik Randolph will be re-signed to a rest-of-season deal.

After not playing during his first 10 days with the club, Randolph has appeared in three contests during his second 10-day deal. His best performance came last Saturday in a 105-88 win over the Bobcats, as he piled up six points, eight rebounds, a pair of steals in just over 15 minutes of action. Prior to making his NBA return with Boston, the big man appeared in 28 games for the Foshan Long Lions in China, averaging 32.0 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes per contest while shooting 53.1% from the floor.

Once they formally announce their rest-of-season deals with White and Randolph, the Celtics will have 15 players under guaranteed contracts. So if the team wanted to add another player before season's end, a corresponding roster move would be necessary to open up a spot.

Latest On Andrew Bynum

March 21st, 2013 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Sixers announced yesterday in a press release, Andrew Bynum underwent bilateral arthroscopic surgery on both knees on Tuesday, effectively ending his season. The timeline for his recovery ensures he won't be off crutches until May, just weeks before he'll officially become a free agent. There likely won't be a more interesting case in free agency this summer than Bynum, who was once viewed as a lock for a maximum-salary contract, but is now considered a risk on more than a one-year deal. Here's the latest on the big man, who may never play a game for the Sixers:

As Jason Wolf of the Courier-Post writes, the Sixers should receive about $6.76MM in salary relief from insurance on Bynum's contract this season. Rod Thorn indicated last week that the club was covered under the league-wide program, which sees the insurance company pay 80% of a disabled player's salary, following a 41-game waiting period. That means insurance will cover 80% of half of Bynum's $16,889,000 salary, for a total of $6,755,600.
ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Insider link) spoke to a handful of executives, asking them what sort of deal they anticipate for Bynum this summer, and some were more bullish on the center's prospects than others. Said one exec: "I don't think the guy's going to make a ton of money this summer. He's sat out the whole year. He's not going to make the max. He was on his way to making that for sure. I'd say make him a one-year, partially guaranteed offer."
Another exec polled by Broussard was more optimistic about Bynum's chances of getting the max for at least the first year: "I think you've got to do a two-year deal; really, a four-year deal…. I would max him the first year, give him the second year half-guaranteed. It'd be fully guaranteed if he plays a certain number of games. So in a four-year deal, the first year is 100% guaranteed; the second year is 50% guaranteed but if you play 60 games the second year, it's fully guaranteed. Same thing in the third year."
The same exec said he could see the Rockets making an offer like that, but that Mark Cuban and the Mavericks would likely be reluctant to do such a deal.

D-League Moves: Terrence Jones, Jarvis Varnado

March 21st, 2013 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

We'll follow today's D-League assignments and recalls in this space, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The Rockets have re-assigned Terrence Jones to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today in a press release. Houston's D-League affiliate, which lost one power forward today, will add another in Jones, who has averaged 18.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG in 17 games with the team this season.

Earlier updates:

The Heat have sent Jarvis Varnado back to the D-League, following last night's win over the Cavs, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The move was confirmed by the Heat in a press release. In 15 D-League games so far this season, Varnado has nearly averaged a double-double, with 12.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 3.7 BPG.

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