2014 September | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Randle, Kerr, Kings

September 27th, 2014 at 10:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

At a news conference on Friday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak tried to temper the expectations for Los Angeles’ first round draftee Julius Randle, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports. “Julius is still 19 years old,” Kupchak said. “You wouldn’t know that by looking at him, because he’s really a well-developed, big, strong, athletic kid. Over the years, I’ve never looked at a rookie and said, ‘Hey, this guy’s gonna bring us to the top.’ It doesn’t do any good to have high expectations.” Kupchak also said Randle would have to earn the starting job from Carlos Boozer, Pincus relays.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

When asked if Randle could see time at small forward, Kupchak said, “He can defend small forwards. Do I see him right now as the prototypical small forward? Probably not. But I could see him bringing the ball up the court. I could see him seeing a gap, getting a step on a guy and making a play — whether it’s finishing or finding somebody that’s open. Those are ball-handling skills that you wouldn’t see power forwards have very often.”
Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said the team specifically targeted Ramon Sessions early in free agency, and that their summer dealings were designed to free up money to sign him, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports (Twitter link).
D’Alessandro also spoke about new addition Ryan Hollins, and how his presence could allow Sacramento to play DeMarcus Cousins at power forward at times, tweets Jones. This possibility might keep a few stretch-fours up at night wondering how they will defend Cousins in the post.
Rookie Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t have time on his side, Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News writes. Thompson doesn’t believe that Kerr is in danger of being fired if Golden State has an off year, but notes that another shakeup is coming unless he takes the Warriors to a height his employers have never been to: the conference finals and beyond.

Knicks Notes: Stoudemire, Playoffs, Starters

September 27th, 2014 at 8:33am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks president Phil Jackson believes there will be more parity in the Eastern Conference this season, and that it will take 45-46 wins to make the playoffs, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I see it flattening out the Eastern Conference, dispersing the talent around a little bit because of the advent of [Kevin] Love, obviously, LeBron in Cleveland, changes the conference from having two teams that were below or around .500 to having probably all eight teams having to be above 45-46 wins to get into the playoffs,” Jackson said. “So it’s going to change how that goes.”

Here’s more out of New York:

Amar’e Stoudemire is entering what is most likely his final season in a Knicks uniform, and though he isn’t recovering from any injuries this summer, the team will still use caution when doling out his minutes, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Coach Derek Fisher said of Stoudemire, “Amar’e physically looks great. Looks like he’s in fantastic shape. He’s very focused on coming into this season healthy and I think he’s accomplished that goal. … His knees will be an issue at some point, just manage his minutes in some respects, how we’ll limit him in practice, give him some days to get back up to speed and get some rest. But I think he’s willing to come in and buy in to what we want to teach and he’s ready to go and he’s excited.”
Speaking on New York’s new roster, Jackson told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com, “This team has not got a personality. Over 35 percent of [the] team has changed. So we still have to kind of come together in a bonding way that creates trust, teamwork, identity, some things like that. It takes probably a month to six weeks for a team to kind of jell and the idea of how to do this together. So we have a month of training camp, a couple of weeks in November to kind of see how everything is blending together. And that can vary according to injuries.”
Heading into training camp the Knicks haven’t decided on a starting lineup yet, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “The only person I know for sure who is going to be starting is ‘7’,” Fisher said, referring to Carmelo Anthony. “We haven’t started training camp when you learn where your team is, how different players work together,” Fisher added. “Putting together a starting lineup is not just about individual guys. It’s the five guys who work well together as a unit. Those decisions can’t be made until we observe as a coaching staff. It will start to crystallize and formalize.”

Celtics Cut, Agree To Re-Sign Christian Watford

September 26th, 2014 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

11:20pm: The release has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, but Watford and the team have agreed on a new deal that he would sign Monday, presuming he clears waivers, as Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). It’s an odd turn of events, particularly since the injury to Rajon Rondo would suggest the team would prioritize point guards rather than a big man like Watford. Boston hasn’t publicly acknowledged waiving Watford, just as the team never formally announced that he’d signed, making the situation even more strange. In any case, adding Watford again would force the C’s to cut ties with two other players before they can make their deal with Turner official.

3:39pm: The Celtics are waiving power forward Christian Watford, a source tells Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). Forsberg’s tweet indicates the release has already taken place, but there’s been no formal announcement of such a move. Boston never officially announced his signing, either, but reports indicated that he put pen to paper last month. The C’s had to remove one player from their roster following Thursday’s Keith Bogans trade and the releases of Chris Johnson and Chris Babb, which left them with 21 contracts, one over the preseason limit.

Watford didn’t last long enough with Boston to suit up for the team, having spent summer league with the Pistons and Warriors instead. He played summer league with the Pacers and Mavs last year, but that’s been the extent of his NBA experience since he went undrafted out of Indiana University in June 2013. Watford, now 23, spent this past season playing with Hapoel Eilat in Israel, averaging 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game.

The Celtics still must clear one more player before they can turn their agreement with Evan Turner into an official contract. Tim Frazier, John Lucas III, Rodney McGruder and Malcolm Thomas are all on non-guaranteed deals, so it’s most likely that one of them will be cut.

Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Duncan, Baynes

September 26th, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Manu Ginobili understood their reasons, but was still hurt by the Spurs banning him from playing for Argentina in this year’s FIBA World Cup, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News writes. San Antonio wanted Ginobili to rest in order to recover from the leg injury he suffered during this year’s playoffs. Ginobili had a meeting with the front office about his feelings, and he said, “I was hurt, probably still I’m hurt. Of course, I understand why they did it. I just didn’t like it, and I disagreed with it. That’s why I was thinking (about) all those scenarios. But the bottom line is, when I started practicing I was not feeling well. I didn’t think I was ready to compete at a high level, so I had to step down.”

Here’s more from San Antonio:

Set to begin his 18th season in the NBA, Tim Duncan says the chance to compete for back-to-back NBA Championships is what drove him to return for another season with the Spurs, McCarney writes. Duncan said, “There was some hesitation there. But it came back to maybe being able to do (win the title) again. As long as I’m feeling I can, and I feel good about it, this is where I want to be.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says the next stage in the development of Kawhi Leonard is mental, McCarney relays in a separate piece. “I’m probably going to talk to him more about consistency now,” Popovich said. “He’s reached a certain level and if you look at those last three games he played they were pretty special. But to be in that top echelon of players in our league it’s a huge responsibility to have to come and do that every night. The Duncans, the Durants, the James-es and all those kinds of guys do it night after night after night and it’s a huge responsibility.”
The Spurs signed Aron Baynes using their mid-level exception, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Rondo, Nets, Sixers

September 26th, 2014 at 9:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo has suffered a broken hand, and had surgery to repair it earlier today, Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). The player injured it in a fall at his home according to the team’s official statement regarding the matter. Rondo is expected to miss six weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds. That would slot Rondo’s return to be during the second week of the season. This development certainly complicates any possible deals for the veteran for the time being.

Here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Boston had been considering waiving John Lucas III today, but Rondo’s injury could change those plans, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes (Twitter link).
Alan Anderson said he turned down an offer for more money to re-sign with the Nets, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). Anderson inked a two year, $2.6MM deal with Brooklyn in July.
New Nets coach Lionel Hollins said that he never considered adding Lawrence Frank to his staff, Bondy tweets. Frank had a falling out with former coach Jason Kidd, and appears to be on the way to the Clippers as an assistant after reaching a buyout arrangement with Brooklyn.
The Sixers are set to hire Blazers analytics manager Ben Falk for a role that will put him second in command to GM Sam Hinkie in the team’s front office, according to The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. Grantland’s Zach Lowe believes it’s another in a series of shrewd hires of late for Philadelphia’s front office (Twitter links).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Lakers Notes: Kupchak, Bryant, Roster

September 26th, 2014 at 9:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke with reporters today in advance of the team’s media day on Monday and the opening of training camp on Tuesday. The season for Los Angeles starts and ends with the health of Kobe Bryant, who has quite a few miles on his legs after 18 seasons in the NBA. The talent around Bryant hasn’t improved much over last season, so it doesn’t look like L.A. will need to clear space in the rafters of the Staples Center for another title banner anytime soon.

Here’s what’s happening in Lakerland:

Kupchak believes that Los Angeles’ current roster can make the playoffs, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. When asked if L.A. could contend this year Kupchak said, “Yes we can, Every year, our goal is the same, which is to win a championship.”
Discussing Bryant, Kupchak said he believed Kobe would perform at the level he did prior to the Achilles injury, Medina notes (Twitter link).
Los Angeles didn’t snag any big names in free agency this offseason, but not for the lack of trying. Kupchak said he always thought it was a longshot to get either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, but did say the Lakers “came close” to nabbing one, according to Medina (Twitter link).
Kupchak said in regards to LeBron and ‘Melo, “We never felt it was realistic we could get one of the two. But if you don’t try you don’t know,” as Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets.

Heat Notes: McRoberts, Deng, Haslem

September 26th, 2014 at 8:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat enter next season without the talents of LeBron James who returned to Cleveland this summer. But Miami isn’t giving up on contending this season, and with a core of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Luol Deng, GM Pat Riley hopes his offseason moves will pay off with a return to the playoffs. Here are some notes from Miami’s media day:

Josh McRoberts said that he was drawn to Miami because the team pursued him so hard, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post tweets. McRoberts also added that the deal now gives him multi-year stability.
In keeping with the theme of being pursued, McRoberts said that he felt wanted in Miami, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Goodman wasn’t sure if the statement by McRoberts was a dig at the Hornets, his former team, but he believes it was notable given the context.
When asked about sacrificing money for the sake of the team’s cap flexibility, Udonis Haslem said, “I never had that money. It was never in my bank account. It’s not about that. I don’t regret it,” Lieser tweets.
The Pacers tried to entice Danny Granger to return this offseason, tweets Lieser, but Granger said, “It didn’t work out.”
Deng told Lieser that he forgives Danny Ferry for the comments that he made (Twitter link). “It’s not something I want to hold onto… I believe he’s really sorry for what he said,” Deng relayed.
Deng also said that he believes Ferry’s remorse is genuine, and added, “I do not think Danny is racist,” tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The veteran small forward said that he was actually close to signing with the Hawks, notes Jackson (Twitter link). Deng also noted that Ferry should have read the offensive comments allegedly contained in the scouting report to himself before saying them out loud.
Deng confirmed to Lieser that he was close to joining Atlanta and that he never got any sense of prejudice from them. Deng also said that he was totally surprised by what he heard when the story was made public, Lieser notes.

Wizards Sign David Stockton For Camp

September 26th, 2014 at 8:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 9:22am: The deal is official, the team announced.

FRIDAY, 8:00pm: The signing has occurred, as is shown in the RealGM transactions log.

THURSDAY, 3:05pm: David Stockton is planning to sign a deal to join the Wizards for training camp, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Washington is limited to giving out only the minimum salary to the son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, though there’s a chance that his deal will include a nominal partial guarantee.

The Wizards had apparently been set to audition the younger Stockton earlier this week, and he’d also reportedly earned workouts with the Thunder and Jazz. The 5’11” guard went undrafted out of Gonzaga this past June, though he latched on with the Suns for summer league, scoring a total of six points in less than 19 minutes over two games. He put up 7.4 points and 4.2 assists in 27.8 minutes per game as a senior this past season.

Washington had been carrying 19 players, including 13 on fully guaranteed deals and a partially guaranteed pact with Glen Rice Jr. Stockton is set to become the lone player without NBA experience in camp with the Wizards, adding to the challenge of making it to opening night.

Wizards Sign Rasual Butler For Camp

September 26th, 2014 at 7:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 29TH: The deal is official, the team announced.

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 7:47pm: The signing has occurred, according to the RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 22ND, 3:42pm: The Wizards and Rasual Butler have struck agreement on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’s almost certainly for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Wizards can give.

The 35-year-old veteran of 11 NBA seasons finds himself in a situation similar to a year ago, when he joined the Pacers on a non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary. He stuck with the team for the entire season, so the Joel Bell client surely hopes the narrative continues along that course. Butler didn’t see much playing time with the Pacers, averaging 7.6 minutes in 50 regular season games, but he made it into 11 of Indiana’s 19 playoff games, averaging 6.4 minutes per postseason appearance. Helping him find a place on the floor was his three-point stroke. He shot 41.9% from behind the arc during the regular season and 41.7% during the playoffs.

Washington appeared to be auditioning Jamaal Franklin and Vander Blue, as we passed along earlier, so it looks like the Wizards are actively working toward their final additions for camp. They added Xavier Silas and Damion James last week to a roster than includes 13 fully guaranteed contracts and Glen Rice Jr. on a partially guaranteed deal.

Wizards Sign Vander Blue For Camp

September 26th, 2014 at 7:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 9:22am: The deal is official, the team announced.

FRIDAY, 7:44pm: The signing has occurred, as the RealGM transactions log indicates.

WEDNESDAY, 10:27am: The Wizards have struck a deal to bring shooting guard Vander Blue to training camp, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Washington is limited to giving out only the minimum salary, but it’s unclear if there’s any guaranteed money involved for the Makhtar N’Diaye client.

Blue, 22, reportedly worked out earlier this week along with Jamaal Franklin at the Verizon Center, the home court of the Wizards, in what appeared to be an audition for the team. It seems that Blue showed enough to join an NBA club for camp for the second consecutive fall after he went undrafted out of Marquette last year. He failed to make it to opening night with the Sixers this past season, but he joined the Celtics in January on a 10-day contract and saw brief action in three games. It was an otherwise whirlwind season for the 6’4″ Blue, who played in Israel and with three different D-League teams. He was also part of the Spurs summer league team this year.

It’s been an active last couple of weeks for the Wizards, who’ve come to terms with Xavier Silas, Damion James, Rasual Butler and Daniel Orton, adding to a roster that already included 14 fully guaranteed deals and a partially guaranteed contract for Glen Rice Jr. Silas and James appear to be on the inside track to earn a spot for the regular season, though there’s some doubt that the team will carry a full 15-man roster come opening night. In any case, the addition of Blue means there’s still room for one more camp invitee beneath the preseason roster limit of 20 players, whether it’s Franklin or David Stockton, who’s also reportedly worked out for the team, or someone else.

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