2013 March | Hoops Rumors

Kyler On Dwight, Gasol, Monta, Collins

March 9th, 2013 at 9:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter tonight to offer thoughts on various questions about the NBA. Here are some of the highlights:

He thinks that Dwight Howard will remain with the Lakers beyond this summer.
The Lakers could possibly deal Pau Gasol in the offseason for smaller pieces, similar to what the Grizzlies did with Rudy Gay.
On the subject of Monta Ellis opting in, Kyler notes that there could be a lucrative market for him in free agency this summer too.
Doug Collins' coaching days in Philadelphia would seem to be numbered by now.
Gilbert Arenas or Tracy McGrady probably won't sign anywhere this season, for the same reasons why they haven't been able to get anything done since the beginning of the year. He also doubts that Allen Iverson will get another opportunity in the NBA.
It wouldn't be surprise if the Trail Blazers targeted Josh Smith, but re-tooling the bench appears to be the bigger need.
Jerry Sloan would have to be in the right situation to consider returning, but it isn't likely that he'll find it.

Atlantic Links: Bynum, Knicks, Celtics

March 9th, 2013 at 9:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

After paying a hefty price of Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and a first round pick to bring Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia, the 76ers have had little to reap from that investment this season. Ben Bolch of the LA Times wonders if it will be worth the risk offering the one-time All-Star a new deal this summer, something that GM Tony DiLeo called the team's "Plan A" for the upcoming offseason. Here's the rest of what we've heard out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

Howard Beck of the New York Times clarifies that Amar'e's contract is uninsured in the event of a career ending eye or knee injury (Twitter link).
Amare Stoudemire's injury could open up some playing time for sparingly-used Chris Copeland, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday. Meanwhile, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling talks about the fallout of not having Stoudemire and how the Knicks will have to adjust for the rest of the season.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com highlights the potency of the Celtics bench, who he says has had an impact on nearly every aspect of the game. In another article, Jackie MacMullan of ESPN Boston delves heavily into the complete team player that Paul Pierce has been and how he has carried the Celtics on his back this season.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer profiles Raptors' rookie Jonas Valanciunas, who despite his inexperience has earned a significant role with coach Dwane Casey because of his high activity level and toughness.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Leslie, T’Wolves, Mayo

March 9th, 2013 at 6:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that the Mavericks are now in the market for adding a player after severing ties with guard Dominique Jones. Sefko comprises a list including Mike Bibby, Michael Redd, Earl Boykins, and Gilbert Arenas as available veterans who could be worth a look. Among the D-League hopefuls who could warrant an opportunity, Justin Dentmon, Chris Wright, or Sean Singletary come to mind. Sefko rules out the chances of Delonte West making a return to Dallas, citing that the team wouldn't want to reconnect after how badly things ended with him last year. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous news and notes below:

Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer thinks Tristan Thompson should be a candidate for the NBA's Most Improved award.
Alex Kramers of The Kings Blog recognizes how Tyreke Evans has improved his perimter accuracy with daily extra work.
Jody Genessy of the Deseret News says that the Jazz haven't and won't make a roster move today, and the Salt Lake Tribune's Bill Oram echoes that those expecting Utah to sign Travis Leslie will have to wait (Twitter links).
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune introduces his list of college guards who would be ready to help the Timberwolves immediately with their size and skilled-shooting abilities.
MLive's David Mayo and Brendan Savage argued yesterday that the Pistons should take a look at O.J. Mayo this summer if he opts out of his deal with the Mavs, and Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News joins the chorus, believing the 25-year-old shooting guard would fill the team's need for perimeter scoring.
Considering the need for a small forward, the health of Anderson Varejao, and the possibility that Marreese Speights leaves for free agency, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer discusses the Cavaliers' pressing issues heading into the offseason.

Amar’e Out Six Weeks, Knicks May Seek Replacement

March 9th, 2013 at 5:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to the Knicks' official PR Twitter account, Amare Stoudemire will have a knee debridement on his right knee and is projected to be out for six weeks following the procedure. This past summer, the 6'11 big man had the same operation done after a popliteal cyst had ruptured in his left knee, causing him to miss the first 30 games of the season. Ian Begley of ESPN New York (via Twitter) hears that coach Mike Woodson will consult with team brass about Rasheed Wallace's roster spot and the possibility of finding a healthy replacement for Stoudemire.

Wallace, who underwent surgery for a broken left foot near the end of February, faced an eight week recovery but was kept on the roster in hope that he would be ready for a potential return in the playoffs. While the Knicks recently brought Kenyon Martin on board, the only other true big men currently healthy on the team are Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas. Camby had been inactive for nearly two months after suffering a strained left plantar fascia in January, and despite returning to the active list, has only played a total of 13 minutes in the last three contests.

With 23 games left and the task of getting the team as healthy as it can before the start of the playoffs, New York would be hard-pressed if they didn't try to find some help via free agency now. With the roster currently at 15, the Knicks would have to release someone in order to open up a spot. Woodson has favored a small lineup featuring Carmelo Anthony at the power forward this season, so whether the team would target another big man or a tall perimeter forward if they did look to sign someone would be worth keeping in mind.

Celtics Links: White, Bobcats, Role Players

March 9th, 2013 at 5:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat are garnering plenty of attention for their 17-game win streak, but the second-hottest team in the East is the other team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Celtics have won five in a row, and beat the Hawks last night to pull into a tie with Atlanta for this year's sixth seed. Boston is only a game and a half behind the Nets for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round, so while we wait to find out how far the C's can climb, here's the latest on the team:

D.J. White traveled with the Celtics to Oklahoma City in advance of tomorrow's matchup, and "all indications" are that White will get another contract from the Celtics once his 10-day deal expires tonight, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
Should he stay, he'll be particularly motivated for Boston's next two games, against the Thunder and Bobcats, two teams with which White used to play. White was taken aback when the Bobcats didn't pursue him when he came back from China this year, Forsberg notes in the same piece.
Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge may be reluctant to deal his stars, but one of those marquee talents believes he's excelled at finding role players, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "I think the guys that Danny’s brought in are aggressive guys," Kevin Garnett said. "They fit the character of our team. They’re gutty guys, guys that are willing to work and get down. It’s guys who are willing to work, willing to listen, willing to be coached. And they’ve bought in. We don’t have any distractions in here. Everybody knows what the goal is."

Odds & Ends: Oden, Mavs, Rose, HGH, Kings

March 9th, 2013 at 4:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Oden and the Cavs appeared to engage in heavy flirtation last night, as the former No. 1 overall pick sat in one of owner Dan Gilbert's courtside seats at the Cavs-Grizzlies game. While Oden regards Cleveland as one of his favored destinations for a return to the league, the Cavs haven't made him an offer, agent Mike Conley Sr. tells Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida (Twitter link). Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld believes the big man will eventually sign with the Heat, based on multiple sources who insist Miami will be his choice, in spite of the ability other teams have to offer him more money and a longer contract (Twitter links). Oden isn't expected to sign with any team until the summer, so we'll likely be hearing plenty more about him in the coming months. In the meantime, here's more from around the league:

Coach Rick Carlisle expects the Mavs will look at players to fill the roster spot vacated today when the team waived Dominique Jones, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
Bulls GM Gar Forman says there's no rift between Derrick Rose and the team's front office over the timing of the former MVP's return from injury, notes Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune.
Henry Abbott of ESPN.com reported yesterday that the NBA and the players union were nearing an agreement that would subject players to blood tests for human growth hormone as soon as next season, but Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears no deal is close.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com interprets David Stern's call for Sacramento bidders to pour more money into their efforts to buy the Kings as a sign that the commissioner isn't as closely aligned with the city as it might have otherwise appeared.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic caught up with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who spoke at length about his push to keep the Kings in town.
For draft prospects on college teams that might not make it to the NCAA tournament, the week ahead will be their final opportunity to make an impression before the combine. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, in an Insider piece, takes a look at five prospects who could be seeing their last collegiate action.

Recent Non-Guaranteed Multi-Year Deals

March 9th, 2013 at 3:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

This time of year, plenty of players are signing 10-day contracts, as witnessed by the 10 guys currently on one of those short-term deals. Usually someone on a 10-day contract is an end-of-the-bench player, but occasionally teams have larger plans for these kinds of pickups. That can create competition for their services, and instead of a 10-day, sometimes teams will give a player a deal for the rest of the season with a non-guaranteed year or two tacked on.

But, based on last year's results, teams almost always divest themselves of these players before any of the non-guaranteed years begin. Of the 11 players who, after the trade deadline last season, signed contracts that covered the rest of 2011/12 and included additional seasons that weren't fully guaranteed, only Donald Sloan made it past training camp this year. Five of them were included in trades and waived after that. All of the deals were for the minimum. Here's the complete list:

April 25th: Spurs sign Derrick Byars through 2012/13: San Antonio waived him in August.
April 21st: Cavaliers sign D.J. Kennedy through 2012/13: The Cavs traded Kennedy to the Grizzlies in July, who waived him, re-signed him, and waived him again before training camp was over.
April 20th: Hornets sign Jerome Dyson through 2013/14: New Orleans traded him to the Suns in July as part of the Robin Lopez deal, and Phoenix waived him in August.
April 20th: Knicks sign Dan Gadzuric through 2012/13: New York traded him to the Blazers in July as part of the Raymond Felton deal, and Portland waived him shortly thereafter.
April 20th: Celtics sign Sean Williams through 2012/13: Boston traded him to the Rockets in July as part of the Courtney Lee deal, and Houston waived him in August.
April 18th: Hornets sign Darryl Watkins through 2013/14: New Orleans traded him to the Sixers in July as part of the Jarrett Jack deal, and Philadelphia waived him shortly thereafter.
April 14th: Bobcats sign Jamario Moon through 2012/13: Charlotte waived him in July.
April 12th: Rockets sign Diamon Simpson to a minimum-salary contract through 2012/13: Houston waived him in September.
March 27th: Rockets sign Courtney Fortson through 2012/13: Despite picking up its team option for this season, Houston waived him in September.
March 17th: Cavaliers sign Manny Harris through 2012/13: Cleveland waived him in July.
March 16th: Cavaliers sign Donald Sloan through 2012/13: Sloan made the team out of camp, but Cleveland waived him on Christmas, a couple weeks before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of this season.

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Mavericks Waive Dominique Jones

March 9th, 2013 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:30pm: Jones' unwillingness to accept a D-League assignment prompted the Mavs to cut ties, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports.

1:53pm: Dallas has waived former first-round pick Dominique Jones, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Since the move comes after March 1st, the guard will be ineligible to play for another team in the postseason this year should someone sign him or claim him off waivers. The Mavs tried to trade him at multiple points earlier this season, but never found an offer they liked.

Jones is making a guaranteed $1.277MM in the third season of his rookie-scale contract, signed after the Mavs drafted him with the 25th overall pick in 2010. In October, the team declined its $2.3MM option for next season, and though GM Donnie Nelson didn't rule out re-signing him in the summer, it appeared to signal an end to the South Florida product's tenure in Dallas. Jones has posted 4.0 points and 2.9 assists this season, career-high marks for a player who has seen little playing time. He's averaging 11.7 minutes per contest this year, but has only appeared in five games since New Year's Day.

The Mavs had been carrying a full 15-man roster, so the move gives them the flexibility to sign someone else, perhaps on a 10-day deal. Dallas is in 11th place in the Western Conference but still has a reasonable shot to make the postseason, since the team is just three and a half games back of the Jazz for the eighth playoff spot.

Clippers Sign Maalik Wayns To 10-Day Contract

March 9th, 2013 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 1:34pm: The Clippers officially announced their deal with Wayns, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy notes via Twitter.

FRIDAY, 7:45am: The Clippers have signed former Villanova guard Maalik Wayns to a 10-day contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Clippers had been carrying 14 players, so a corresponding move isn't necessary to open up a roster spot for Wayns.

Wayns went undrafted in 2012, but was signed as a rookie free agent by the 76ers. The team was unwilling to guarantee his contract for the season though, releasing the 21-year-old just before the guarantee deadline, then re-signing him to a 10-day contract before eventually parting ways with him. In 21 games for Philadelphia, Wayns averaged 2.7 PPG while shooting an ugly 26.4% from the field in 7.9 minutes per contest.

As our 10-day contract tracker shows, teams have been actively filling roster spots with players on 10-day deals since the trade deadline. Including Wayns, eight players are currently on 10-day contracts, with Terrel Harris expected to become the ninth if and when he finalizes his agreement with the Hornets.

Free Agency Links: Millsap, Smith, Bynum, West, Oden

March 9th, 2013 at 12:21pm CST by Sean Highkin

With the trade deadline behind us, some teams are already looking toward this summer's free agent class. Here is a roundup of the latest buzz on that front:

Acknowledging that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard aren't likely to leave their respective Los Angeles teams, Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld looks at a list of free agents who are more obtainable by other teams, including Atlanta's Josh Smith and Utah's Paul Millsap.
Ben Golliver of SI.com runs down a list of free agents whose stock has risen or fallen this season. He points to Andrew Bynum as someone who has hurt his chances at a big payday, and Smith and David West as likely candidates for a big payday.
Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer reports that Greg Oden, who is gearing up for a second attempt at an NBA career, recently attended a Cavaliers game and had positive impressions of the organization.
Valade also profiles Rich Paul, a former member of LeBron James' marketing team who is finding success running his own sports agency.

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