2014 January | Hoops Rumors

Rockets GM On Asik, Parsons, Motiejunas, Trades

January 26th, 2014 at 9:35am CST by Jonathan Nehring

Rockets GM Daryl Morey participated in a Q&A session with Houston season-ticket holders before Friday night’s game. Ben DuBose of ClutchFans.net combined Morey’s discussion that Miguel Nistal tweeted while attending the event. Below you can find some of Morey’s more notable responses.

On Omer Asik and his contract:

“At this point, Omer is very likely going to be here until the end of his contract at the end of next season, not this season. The window to trade him was [in December], and teams weren’t aggressive enough to get him, so we’re excited about him being a part of our future.”

On the upcoming free agency of Chandler Parsons:

“With Chandler, we have an interesting decision. At the end of this year, we can turn down his option. People wonder why, because it’s so cheap, but then he’d be a restricted free agent. Or he can go through his fourth year and be an unrestricted free agent. There are advantages to each, so it’s something we’ll continue to talk about. He’s going to make a lot of money on his next contract. We don’t know how much. But we’re committed to keeping him.”

Reflecting on his worst moves as Houston’s GM:

“I take some sort of pride that you could argue that Royce White is the worst first-round pick ever. He’s the only one that never played a minute in the NBA that wasn’t just a foreign guy staying in Europe. It just shows we swing for the fence.”

On inquiries about Donatas Motiejunas after he requested the Rockets trade him:

“Teams are opportunistic. Any player that other teams like and think is good and that’s not playing, generally that’s who you get calls on. We’ve gotten a lot of calls on Donatas because he’s a mobile 7-footer with offensive skill. He’s not a perfect player, but because he wasn’t playing, teams are like ‘Maybe we can get him on the cheap’.We believe in him. I expect him to be here. The reality is, it’s very hard to get a 7-footer who can play as well as him on a $1 million contract.”

On the upcoming trade deadline:

“The reality is, the more you prescribe what you’re going to do at the deadline, the worse off you are. “If you say you’ve got to go with X, if other teams sense you’re locked into a player or a particular direction, they take advantage of that. We’re very opportunistic. We didn’t know James Harden was going to be available. We just knew we wanted to build up the right sets so that when the next star acts, we’re ready to pounce.

“We’re valuing now and this season much higher than we have in the past. We feel like, while maybe not the favorite, we have a legit chance to win the title this year. So if an opportunity presents itself to get a lot better this year, we’ll do it. We’ll give up some future for now.

“That said, we do feel like we have a long run with this group. But you never know how long. It’s a balancing act. You’re always judging future vs. now, and what we’re optimizing on is the probability of us to win the title over a 3-to-4 year window. We’re trying to maximize that.

“We’ll push down the future if it pushes up today high enough. If we can push up the future dramatically, we’d even push down today a little bit.”

NYC Notes: Carmelo, Bulls, Nets, Teletovic

January 26th, 2014 at 9:07am CST by Jonathan Nehring

As the Knicks and Lakers prepare to meet this afternoon much anticipation surrounds Carmelo Anthony‘s response to his 62-point performance Friday night. Having broken Kobe Bryant‘s Madison Square Garden point record, this matchup would have brought much more hype had Bryant been able to defend his recently broken record. Instead, Kobe sits at the end of the bench recovering from a knee injury. Bryant’s visit will not be all for naught as Marc Berman of the New York Post suspects he will spend this trip recruiting Anthony to sign with Los Angeles next summer. Berman can’t imagine Anthony having much interest in the Lakers while head coach Mike D’Antoni is still at the helm considering their differences lost D’Antoni his job in New York but “the Lakers have cap space and the Clippers and the Bulls — at the moment — don’t.”

Time will tell how effective a sales pitch Kobe makes today. In the meantime, some other notes around the Big Apple.

As we pointed out yesterday, the Bulls are gaining traction as a destination spot for Carmelo this summer and are “much more in play than L.A.”. However, Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson cautions against those rumors as he believes Anthony in a Bulls jersey is an “extreme long shot”. Johnson points to the fact the Bulls could amnesty Carlos Boozer and still not be anywhere near the cap space needed to give Anthony the maximum contract he will be seeking. According to Johnson, the Bulls would have to also trade away either Taj Gibson or Mike Dunleavy and still hope Anthony will take a discount in order to join a coach and point guard he admires. Johnson does point out that a sign-and-trade involving Boozer and the Knicks could be more likely.
Speaking of those Anthony-to-Bulls rumors, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times claims the Bulls aren’t letting those rumors distract them. Head coach Tom Thibodeau told Cowley “[the Bulls have] gotten used to [the media’s rumors].” Cowley adds that he doesn’t believe Anthony heading to the Bulls is impossible but “the Bulls would have to be willing to go back over the luxury-tax threshold they just escaped.” They would also have to amnesty Boozer, as Cowley reiterates.
Turning our attention five miles south, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relayed to Dwain Price of the Star-Telgram that he “had no doubts Jason Kidd would eventually get the Brooklyn Nets turned around.” Cuban has maintained his “great relationship” with his former point guard and believes Kidd’s close relationship with Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle “is paying dividends for the Nets right now.” Cuban believes Carlisle to be “one of the two or three best (coaches) in the game at in-game adjustments and play-calling, and I’m sure (Kidd) picked up more than a few pointers when he played for Rick.”
Observing the Nets after beating Cuban’s Mavericks on Friday to improve to 9-1 of late, Beckley Mason of The New York Times believes the Nets have transformed since the beginning of this season, allowing them to exceed previous limitations. Mason attributes the Nets unique lineups, increase in defensive intensity, and ability for any player on the roster to take over each night as reasons for the sudden change in Brooklyn.
Evidence of the ability of any Net to take over on a given night, Mirza Teletovic is “making the most of his chance,” as Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com reports, after Teletovic scored a career-high 34 points against the Mavericks. Teletovic credits the Nets’ abundance of shooters as the reason “the guy from Europe [was left] open,” but Deron Williams believes Teletovic is “a competitor… making the most of [the opportunity].”

Western Notes: Lakers, Love, Shaw, Lee

January 25th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

The Star Tribune transcribed TNT analyst Charles Barkley’s recent input on Inside the NBA regarding when Kobe Bryant should return from his injury. “It’s not going to matter, [the Lakers] are going to stink with him or without him, it really doesn’t make a difference. They are not a good team, they are not going to be a good team. If he is thinking about the future and he wants to win another championship, they should try to get a great draft pick. He should get healthy for the rest of the season. I think he will make a big mistake coming back.”

Some other notes around the Western Conference.

With the Lakers losing 15 of their last 18 games, it came as a bit of a surprise to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin when Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak expressed “unbridled optimism” regarding his current roster. Kupchak thinks it is possible for the Lakers to be fun to watch if “they play hard and compete” but McMenamin disagrees and details why there is “no joy in Laker land these days”. McMenamin thinks it is time the Lakers realize their limitations and make personnel changes instead of sending their players out to continue to promise change in play soon.
Another team being urged to realize their limitations is the Timberwolves. Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune takes a critical look at what Kevin Love has brought to Minnesota. Love has achieved much individually while on the Wolves, but Souhan points out the team has never won more than 31 games since Love has arrived. Love isn’t all to blame, according to Souhan. Front office moves, aside from trading for Love on draft night, have been less than stellar. However, Souhan wonders when the Wolves front office will decide if Love is a player Minnesota can win with, as a team. They already know they can’t win without him, but Love needs to prove “he can carry a flawed team” soon.
If it weren’t for Pacers coach Frank Vogel returning a favor, the Nuggets may not have Brian Shaw as current head coach. According to Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com, after changes to the 76ers coaching staff, Vogel was without a job and Shaw encouraged the Lakers to hire Vogel as a scout. Six years later, Vogel intercepted Shaw en route to interview for an analyst job and convinced Shaw he was more coach than analyst. Shaw never completed his trip to interview with ESPN, and after two seasons in Indiana was hired by the Nuggets as their head coach.
Rockets head coach Kevin McHale told Jenny Creech of the Houston Chronicle he is happy with how recently traded guard Courtney Lee is fitting in with the Grizzlies. Lee has averaged 15.3 PPG in the nine games he has played for Memphis since being sent there from the Celtics in a three team deal earlier this month. McHale praised Lee as one of his favorite players who will play better as his role becomes more defined. According to McHale, Lee “will fit in nice” with the role Memphis has placed him in since arriving. Lee played one season under McHale on the Rockets.

Latest On Carmelo Anthony

January 25th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

As many know by now, last night was a record breaking evening for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony’s 62 point performance was not only a career-high but also eclipsed three different NBA marks. ‘Melo broke Kevin Durant‘s season high for points after three quarters with 56 points, Hall of Famer Bernard King‘s record for most points in a game as a Knick, and Kobe Bryant‘s record for most points in Madison Square Garden. With Anthony’s on-court performance grabbing attention from everyone around the NBA, Anthony’s off-court free agent decision this upcoming summer has also gained attention.

A few notes on Carmelo’s free agency:

Bernard King “knew one day Carmelo would break [his scoring] record” notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Carmelo’s childhood idol is “delighted it happened” and hopes last night’s performance will convince Anthony to re-sign with the Knicks this summer. King disclaimed any inside information to Anthony’s decision next summer but thinks that Anthony will stay in New York next season. King cites Anthony’s desire to win championships as the reason he will realize New York is the best place in the NBA to make that dream a reality.
Providing his own take on King’s interview, Ian Begley of ESPN quotes King as asking “Where else [would Carmelo] go?” According to King, Anthony has relished his time in New York. Combining that with the love Knicks fans have for Anthony, King can’t think of any other NBA team that could offer a similar situation.
Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal thinks by not making a “proactive step”, the Knicks are making the job of keeping Carmelo more difficult than it needs to be. Herring gives his opinion as to what the Knicks should do to convince the player they gave up a pick from next year’s draft and a third of their roster for, to remain a Knick next season. According to Herring, the Knicks should first give head coach Mike Woodson a deep performance analysis now that many of their key players have returned from injury to determine if he remains the coach of their future. If the Knicks do retain Woodson’s services, Herring thinks the Knicks should then require Woodson to change his coaching habits, primarily his defensive schemes. Lastly, Herring believes the Knicks, who have “cycled through a league-high 77 players in the past five seasons,” should make a roster change to prevent Carmelo from leaving. Players that Herring suggests the Knicks should consider moving include Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler, and Iman Shumpert, although he warns of the mixed signals each of those moves could send to Carmelo.

Hawks, Bucks Receive Disabled Player Exception

January 25th, 2014 at 6:41pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

While no one wishes for season ending injuries, they have allowed the Hawks and Bucks to apply for the salary cap exception designed to help teams recover from their unplanned losses. In response to their applications, the NBA has granted both teams a disabled player exception reports Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Under the disabled player exception, a team can acquire a player for the lesser of 50% of the salary of the player they lost or the standard mid-level exception. We were aware Atlanta would likely be without Al Horford for the remainder of this season but it now appears the Bucks are giving up hope for Carlos Delfino to return this season from his foot injury.

Horford’s $12MM salary caused the league to grant the Hawks a disabled player exception worth the mid-level exception of $5.15MM. However, Delfino’s $3.25MM salary only allowed the Bucks to receive a disabled player exception worth $1.63MM.

The disabled player exception must be applied for before January 15th so it appears only the Hawks and Bucks will join the Nets as teams granted this exception this season. The Nets were granted an exception worth $5.15MM after losing Brook Lopez to a foot injury.

This also indicates the Bulls were not granted or did not apply for a disabled player exception due to the injury to Derrick Rose. The Bulls may not have applied for this exception due to the fact they have spent all season trying to avoid the luxury tax and signing a player under this exception would contradict those efforts.

Each of these teams has until March 10th to use its respective exception to sign one free agent for the rest of the season. Alternatively, each team may take until February 20th to trade for a player on an expiring contract that’s worth no more than the exception plus $100K.

Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes (via Twitter) the Bucks roster is at the league maximum 15 players. If Milwaukee plans to use this exception their roster size will limit them to either trading for someone or cutting a player already on their roster. The Hawks are also at the league maximum but have to make a decision next Saturday whether they will sign James Nunnally for the rest of the season or reduce their roster to 14 players.

Jazz Claim Malcolm Thomas Off Waivers

January 25th, 2014 at 5:12pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

The Jazz have claimed forward Malcolm Thomas off waivers reports Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Thomas was waived by the Spurs two days ago. Since the Spurs waived him after his contract was guaranteed for the season, by claiming Thomas off waivers the Jazz will take over responsibility for paying the remainder of his minimum-salary contract.

Thomas appeared in only one game for the Spurs this season but did play 10 games for their D-League affiliate. During his time with the Austin Toros he averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest. Over his three year span in the league, Thomas has appeared in only 16 games, averaging 1.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.3 BPG.

The motivation behind this move puzzles the Deseret News’ Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy but Wojnarowski claims Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey “has long been intrigued with Thomas.”

Prior to claiming Thomas, the Jazz had 14 players on their roster. Being one shy of the NBA roster limit, there is no need for the Jazz to make a concurrent roster cut.

D-League Notes: Ledo, Faverani, Celtics

January 25th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Charlie Adams

In his latest piece for D-League Digest, Gino Pilato details the story of Curtis Stinson, a 30-year-old D-League veteran who’s never played in an NBA game. It’s an interesting read, and Pilato notes that a veteran presence like the one Stinson provides can be beneficial to the development of young D-League players. Here’s the latest news regarding the NBA’s official minor league affiliate:

Mavericks rookie Ricky Ledo will see his third D-League assignment this season, the team announced today via press release. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 29.8 minutes per game for the Texas Legends. He’s started nine of the 15 D-League contests he’s played in.
The Celtics have assigned Vitor Faverani to the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, the team revealed today in a press release. The move might sound surprising since Faverani has played relatively well for Boston and averages about 13 minutes per game. However, comments by C’s boss Danny Ainge made it clear that it’s only a temporary assignment to help get Faverani some playing time: “This is just a quick assignment to get Vitor some more game action,” said Ainge, “He’ll be back with the Celtics for shootaround tomorrow morning.“
More from Ainge on the move: “This is a great option for any Celtics player to get more in-game experience without missing any Celtics activities, and we expect there will be more of this type of assignment for Celtics players during the remainder of the season.” We saw Rajon Rondo see a similarly short assignment earlier this month.
Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks recalled Jared Cunningham from their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam.

Cavaliers Rumors: Waiters, Trade Deadline, Zeller

January 25th, 2014 at 3:26pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Cavaliers bested the Bucks last night in a 15 point home victory. Sure, Milwaukee has the worst record in the NBA, but Cleveland will take any wins they can get. The Cavs sit 11 games below .500 and are set to face a tough Suns team on Sunday. Here’s the latest on the Cavs:

Dion Waiters was the subject of several early season trade rumors after a report surfaced alleging that Waiters had a contentious relationship with Kyrie Irving. Months have passed, and Waiters remains a member of the Cavs. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer hears that despite earlier reports, Waiters isn’t a locker room disturbance, and he probably won’t be shipped off unless Cleveland receives an “amazing” offer for him.
In the same piece, Schmitt Boyer speculates that the Cavaliers are likely to be buyers at the upcoming trade deadline since they haven’t given up on their playoff hopes yet. The team is 4-4 in games that recent acquisition Luol Deng has played in, and they sit just two games out of a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.
Tyler Zeller has been a valuable piece off the bench for Cleveland, and his teammates have started to take notice. Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer passes along this quote from Irving: “[Zeller’s] been playing out of his mind… It’s not just about points or anything like that. He’s been doing everything we need him to do and everything we ask of him – and some.” Since Andrew Bynum was traded, Zeller is averaging five more minutes per night. The Cavaliers exercised their 2014/15 team option for Zeller in October.

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Cleveland Cavaliers

Poll: Should The Pacers Trade Danny Granger?

January 25th, 2014 at 2:13pm CST by Charlie Adams

Last week, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron examined Danny Granger as a potential trade candidate. The former All-Star missed almost all of last season with a knee injury, and his production since returning midway through this year’s campaign has been less than stellar. He’s shooting just 37% from the floor and has posted a PER of 10.7, well below his career marks in either category. His numbers might jump back up once he sees more time on the court, but his real value lies within his $14MM expiring contract. A team looking to make a splash in next summer’s free agent market might be interested in taking on Granger to create some future financial flexibility.

With Indiana set to make Lance Stephenson a “great offer” this summer, it’s possible the team might not have the funds to retain Granger next season, and trading him now would at least bring aboard some assets the club might be able to use down the road. However, the Pacers are expected to vie for a championship this season, and Granger is a veteran with playoff experience that has the ability to contribute off the bench. Last night, Sam Amick of USA Today passed along that Granger didn’t have any qualms with his new role on the team, so it’s unlikely he would be the one to push for a trade. We did hear earlier this season that Pacers President Larry Bird would be willing to listen to offers for Granger, though he wasn’t seeking any deals out himself.

So what do you think? If they can find a suitable partner, should the Pacers move Granger for a usable piece, such as a pick or a roleplayer? Or would they be more wise to hang on to him and utilize his leadership and experience in the playoffs this season? To do so would mean risking his departure this summer without getting any assets in return, but it could be beneficial to their championship dreams this year. Vote below, and post your reasoning in the comment section!

Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Cuban, Gortat

January 25th, 2014 at 12:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders runs down six things you need to know about the Suns, including their enviable cap position. While some might think that Phoenix would have a hard time landing big free agents, Eric Bledsoe is the kind of guy who other elite players will want to play with because he’s a fierce competitor and unselfish. It also helps that Jeff Hornacek is a player’s coach, being a former player himself.

Can an NBA owner do a sufficient job while living on the other side of the world? No, says Mavs owner Mark Cuban, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “Absolutely not,” Cuban said. “Hypothetically speaking — and this only applies to individuals 6-foot-5 and under — you can’t,” Cuban said as an obvious shot at 6-foot-7 Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “That’s why I sit so close. It’s like trying to run a company and not being able to go to the sales meetings, not being able to go to the customer service meetings or the support meeting.”
The Hawks announced that they have recalled guard Jared Cunningham from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. Cunningham, who was re-assigned to Bakersfield on January 1st, has averaged 15.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes in 17 games (14 starts) over three stints with the Jam this season. He has appeared in three games with the Hawks this year and will be available tonight at Milwaukee. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out our running list.
Wizards big man Marcin Gortat says he looks back on his time with the Suns fondly, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Gortat has also found a nice home for himself in Washington and the Wizards are very interested in locking him up long-term.
Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside has a breakdown of P.J. Hairston’s 40 point performance for the D-League’s Texas Legends. The former UNC standout figures to be a first-rounder in the 2014 draft and could vault himself up the board with more performances like that one.

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