Month: November 2024

Pacific Notes: Rivers, Bryant, Wright, Kerr

January 11th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers coach Doc Rivers isn’t sure if he is permitted to talk to his son about joining the team, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Austin Rivers is expected to be moved from Memphis to Boston Monday as part of a three-team deal. Rumors emerged that the Celtics don’t want to keep Rivers and could be shipping him to the Clippers, although a third team may be needed to facilitate the deal. “I maybe should call the league,” Doc Rivers said. “It may be tampering. Listen, if it got to that point, yeah, we would talk, clearly.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Byron Scott said he played Kobe Bryant too many minutes early in the season and dropped a hint about shutting Bryant down for the rest of the year, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bryant has missed six of the team’s last 11 games, but Scott said any decision will be made gradually. “I keep thinking about game-to-game right now,” he said. “So I haven’t gotten to that point. Maybe after the All-Star break, maybe we will start talking about something like that if necessary.”
New Suns center Brandan Wright impressed the opposition coach in Sunday’s double overtime loss to Memphis, reports Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Wright had seven points and two rebounds in 15 minutes of action in his first game since Friday’s trade from the Celtics, but the Grizzlies’ Dave Joerger sees him as a perfect fit. “He plays off the ball as well as anybody in the league, being able to get into pick-and-rolls and then separate and get out of pick-and-rolls,” Joerger said. “What you do on that deal is then you either have dunks or you create long close-outs of two guys who are very willing and capable of making perimeter shots. Then if you have to run out too fast, whew. You just keep chasing your tail.”
The Warriors‘ Steve Kerr is coaching the best team in the NBA, but he could have been with the worst, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Kerr admits he had a verbal commitment to join the Knicks before opting for Golden State. “I told [Knicks president Phil Jackson] that I was going to come as long as we could work a contract out,” Kerr said. “And we didn’t ever work a contract out.”

Hank Aaron Part Of Group Interested In Hawks

January 11th, 2015 at 9:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Atlanta sports legend Hank Aaron has joined the bidding for the Hawks, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. Baseball’s former home run leader is reportedly part of a group that includes Steve Kaplan, minority owner and vice chairman of the Grizzlies, and Jason Levien, former Grizzlies CEO and current managing general partner of DC United in the MLS.

Other prominent members of the group are Erick Thohir and Handy Poernomo Soetedjo, billionaire sports and media figures from Indonesia. Several other Atlanta residents are also involved, according to Stein’s sources. Kaplan and Levien refused comment to Stein.

‎After his playing career ended, Aaron became a baseball executive and built a business portfolio that includes car dealerships and restaurants. He was inspired to join the investors by his fandom for the Hawks and love for Atlanta in general, sources tell Stein. Allen Tanenbaum, Aaron’s business adviser, called the group’s rumored interest “a private process” and said Aaron would like the process to play out, Stein writes. Earlier this week, reports indicated that former NBA players Grant Hill and Junior Bridgeman were also pursuing the team as part of a consortium that includes USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and his son Bryan, the former GM of the Suns and Raptors.

The team was valued at $425MM by Forbes in 2014, but that was prior to the $2 billion sale of the Clippers last year. The sale of the Hawks, which encompasses the entire franchise, also includes the operating rights to Phillips Arena. The franchise is likely to go for somewhere on the low end of a range between $750MM and $1 billion, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported earlier this month. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, the owners of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, former players Dominique Wilkins, Dikembe Mutombo and Chris Webber, and attorney Doug Davis are others linked to the sale. A pair of investors are also mounting long-shot bids to buy the team and move it to Seattle.

Hoops Rumors Originals

January 11th, 2015 at 7:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week..

Curious as to how the three-team blockbuster worked financially? Chuck Myron broke it all down.
Eddie Scarito released his latest edition of the 2015 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings.
10-day contract season is officially underway! Keep up with the madness by using our 10-Day Contract Tracker.
Here are the players who had their salaries guaranteed on Wednesday.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Hoops Links: Relocation, DeRozan, Kobe

January 11th, 2015 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2001, the Knicks held an opponent under 100 points for an NBA-record 29th straight game when they lost 76-75 to the Rockets. The streak snapped the 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1954-55 season.

Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…

Slam Dunk Zone is thinking about relocation.
North Pole Hoops says the Raptors need DeMar DeRozan back in action.
Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues pits Kobe Bryant against MJ.
Green Street is excited about James Young.
At The Hive wonders if the Hornets are better without Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson.
Canis Hoopus discusses competitive balance in the modern NBA.
Golden State Of Mind says Draymond Green has earned max money.

Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.

Categories:
Hoops Links

Southeast Notes: Pierce, Hawks, Gasol, Heat

January 11th, 2015 at 5:33pm CST by Charlie Adams

The two best teams in the Southeast Division also occupy the top of the top three spots in the Eastern Conference standings. We’ve got news on both of them below, along with a piece on a struggling Miami club that had lost seven of its last 10 before today’s big win in L.A..

One of the biggest benefits that Paul Pierce has provided to the Wizards since signing last summer is his strong leadership in the locker room, as team president Ernie Grunfeld tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Although Pierce has played well this season, the 17-year veteran says he’s going to discuss with his family whether or not he’ll continue playing beyond 2014/15, Bulpett notes.
Part of the reason that many notable free agents aren’t interested in joining the Hawks is the team’s history of less-than-stellar attendance, as one agent relays to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. “All things being equal, it’s not a place you choose to play unless there’s a good reason,” said the unnamed agent. “They just don’t rate.” Atlanta offered Pau Gasol more money than Chicago did last summer, according to Arnovitz, but the big man still opted to sign with the Bulls.
Despite inconsistency at the point guard position this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel compels Heat executives not to pull the trigger on a quick fix. Taking back salary that inhibits long-term flexibility won’t stand to help the team’s ultimate goal of winning another championship, Winderman believes, even if it helps Miami win a few more games in the interim.

Celtics Notes: Rivers, Ainge, Clippers, Draft

January 11th, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Celtics have been among the most active teams on the trade market this season, already completing two deals with a third reportedly forthcoming. As more activity appears to be looming, we’ll round up the latest out of Boston:

Rumors have indicated Austin Rivers might soon be playing for his father, Doc Rivers, in a Clippers uniform. The elder Rivers told reporters, including Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, that his son almost played under him when he was the coach of the Celtics, as Boston team president Danny Ainge made an attempt to swing a deal for the former 10th overall pick during Doc’s tenure in Beantown (Twitter link).
Rivers admits he’s glad that he can now discuss trades with Ainge again since the one-year ban the NBA imposed on trade talks between the Celtics and Clippers has been lifted, notes Bolch (on Twitter). The league forbade the two franchise from making trades for a season after Boston agreed to trade their then-coach Rivers to Los Angeles for a first-round pick.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has a look at some of the different ways the Celtics might use their huge stockpile of draft picks over the next two years. Boston is in line to have 14 selections in the upcoming two drafts.

Week In Review: 1/5/14 – 1/11/14

January 11th, 2015 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

On Monday night, the Cavs, Knicks, and Thunder completed a stunning three-way deal that apparently broke Twitter. The swap sent Dion Waiters to the Thunder, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cavs, and Lance Thomas, Louis Amundson, and Alex Kirk to the Knicks. In addition, the Cavs received a future first-round choice from OKC and the Knicks got the Cavs’ 2019 second-round choice. The deal gave the Thunder a solid scorer off the bench, shook things up in Cleveland, and gave the Knicks a whole lot of salary relief. Phil Jackson also waived Samuel Dalembert to make the deal possible. Here’s our look back at the week that was..

The Cavs later got the big man they wanted when they acquired Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. Mozgov heads to Cleveland in exchange for the Grizzlies’ 2015 first-round pick and the Thunder’s 2015 first-round pick, both of which carry protections. The Nuggets send Cleveland the less favorable of the Bulls’ 2015 second-round pick and the Blazers’ 2015 second-round pick.
The Grizzlies are nearing a deal with the Celtics for Jeff Green with a little bit of help for the Pelicans. The deal should become official tomorrow. Austin Rivers, who is going to the C’s in the proposed deal, might not be in Boston for long. The Clippers are interested in taking on Rivers if they can find a third team to give Boston an expiring contract and a second-rounder in a potential deal.
The Grizzlies were also said to have their eye on Luol Deng.
Larry Sanders wouldn’t delve into specifics about his absence, but he denied that he’s thinking about retirement.
The Bulls are planning a max offer for Jimmy Butler.
The Suns acquired Brandan Wright from the Celtics.
The Knicks waived Thomas, Kirk, and Amundson shortly after acquiring them in the three-team deal. Thomas and Amundson were later signed to 10-day deals.
The Trail Blazers signed GM Neil Olshey to a three-year contract extension.
The Sixers waived Jared Cunningham shortly after acquiring him from the Clippers. It turns out that they never had to waive someone to open up a roster spot for him due to Andrei Kirilenko‘s absence.
Speaking of AK47, he has been suspended without pay.
A number of people, including a group featuring former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, have their eye on buying the Hawks. Investor Chris Hansen and financier Thomas Tull are reportedly planning to make separate bids to buy the Hawks and move them to Seattle.
Tyrus Thomas is D-League bound.
The Bucks waived Nate Wolters to accommodate their 10-day deal with Kenyon Martin.
The Hornets continue to explore the market for Lance Stephenson, and they’re looking for frontcourt help, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger also reports that Clippers guard Jamal Crawford is off-limits in trade talks.
Despite the Lakers‘ struggles this season, team president Jeanie Buss is satisfied with the job that coach Byron Scott is doing.
The Knicks still have an interest in acquiring Reggie Jackson from the Thunder, but New York likely lacks the assets to pull that off.
Wizards have maintained “routine” contact with Ray Allen since first reaching out to him in July and they plan on chasing him until he retires or turns them down. Still, it’s a longshot that he lands in D.C.
The Nets waived recent trade acquisition Brandon Davies.
The Cavaliers waived guard A.J. Price.
The Wolves released Jeff Adrien.
The Wizards said goodbye to Glen Rice Jr.
The Wolves inked Miroslav Raduljica to a 10-day deal.
The Knicks signed Langston Galloway to a 10-day pact.
The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson to a 10-day deal.
It’s likely that the Knicks will eventually decide to shut down Carmelo Anthony for the rest of the season so he can rest his sore left knee.
The Jazz signed Elliot Williams to a 10-day deal. The Jazz waived Patrick Christopher to make room.
The Blazers are now after Jermaine O’Neal.
Marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay plans to stay in China all season.
The Heat waived Andre Dawkins.
Multiple NBA teams, including the Lakers and the Jazz, have expressed interest in Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
Jabari Parker sounds intent on staying in Milwaukee and isn’t concerned about market size.

Categories:
Week in Review

Cavs Notes: James, Mozgov, Love

January 11th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

When LeBron James returns to the court from his injury, he will have three new teammates after the Cavs swung two trades this past week. The team is 1-7 without James in the lineup this season. James is second in the league points per game with 25.2, third in the league in minutes per game averaging 37.5 and has a player efficiency rating of 25.2, which ranks eighth in the league. Those numbers, coupled with the team’s win discrepancy without James on the floor, should put the four-time MVP in contention to win his fifth award this season.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

Newly acquired center Timofey Mozgov is ready to help turn around the disappointing Cavaliers, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Coach David Blatt said the organization has been trying to work out a deal for Mozgov since July. The efforts paid off on Wednesday, as the team picked him up from the Nuggets in exchange for two first-round draft picks. Mozgov said he tried not to follow the off-the-court rumors. “I always try to be away from this business,” he said. “I just try to do my stuff on the court. Of course, I read the news, I knew it. But not too deep to think about it every day.”
Kevin Love is unlikely to sign a long-term deal with the Cavs due to the expected rise in the salary cap, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd speculates that he might only sign a short-term deal, similar to what LeBron James signed this offseason, in order to maximize the benefit of the potential rising salary cap. Love could simply exercise his player option worth $16.7MM for next season to get the same effect; however, if he signs a new deal, he will likely get a raise on that figure, although that is just my speculation.
Despite struggling to live up to expectations this season, the Cavs are not panicking, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. “We know that things are going to work out,” Love said. “I know that we have a lot of talent here, guys who can do a lot of different things, so I tend to look at that more than the negative stuff.” Love hasn’t played well this year by his standards. His player efficiency rating is 19.1, down from 26.9 last season and his scoring has fallen by 8.4 points per game.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post

Grizzlies, Celtics Close To Deal For Jeff Green

January 11th, 2015 at 12:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 12:03pm: The Clippers are working to find a third team to help deliver Boston an expiring deal to go along with a second-rounder that the Celtics want in the Clippers/Rivers deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

6:43pm: Stein is also reporting that Smith is headed to Memphis, and adds that the Grizzlies are sending a second round pick to the Pelicans (Twitter link). Washburn says Rivers will likely be moved in a separate deal (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes the Celtics don’t want to take back any salary beyond this season. (Twitter link).

6:00pm: Officials in the Clippers’ front office and coaching staff are pushing Doc Rivers to bring Austin to Los Angeles, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

5:39pm: The Clippers are the likely destination for Rivers, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).

5:21pm: The Celtics are attempting to find a trade partner for Rivers, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

5:05pm: Salmons was originally going to be included in the trade, but Boston made a push to acquire Rivers instead, John Reid of The Times Picayune reports. This wasn’t the first time the two sides had discussed a deal for Rivers, Reid notes, as New Orleans had conversations with the Celtics last summer about a potential trade involving Rivers, but talks broke off without a deal getting done. The Pelicans, who have been struggling to get consistent play at small forward, pushed to get Pondexter in the deal, Reid adds.

4:36pm: Rivers is reportedly headed to Boston, but he may not stay with the team, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). Whether this means the Celtics intend to waive Rivers or trade him is unclear.

2:15pm: The three sides have agreed to terms, Stein maintains (on Twitter), but it appears there are still some moving parts involved. It’s unclear if they will push the trade through today or wait until Monday when the league office reopens, Stein adds.

2:09pm: Boston would also get a future first-rounder, Stein reports (Twitter link).

1:50pm: The current deal being discussed involves Green heading to Memphis, Prince and Rivers to Boston, and Pondexter to New Orleans, Stein tweets. Stein makes no reference to Smith, who was previously reported by Wojnarowski to be involved, nor any draft picks changing hands.

SATURDAY, 1:42pm: New Orleans is going to send Austin Rivers to the Celtics as part of the proposed deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

10:04pm: Russ Smith is also heading to Memphis in the proposed deal, Wojnarowski tweets.

8:44pm: The third team involved looks to be the Pelicans, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). In this proposed three-way deal, Green would go to Memphis, Prince, John Salmons, and a first-rounder from Memphis to Boston, and Quincy Pondexter would head to New Orleans, Wojnarowski notes. The Grizzlies are discussing various deals involving Pondexter with other teams, Wojnarowski reports, but their focus is on including him in a trade for Green.

FRIDAY, 5:06pm: The Celtics are continuing with their rebuilding process, and the next player on the list to be dealt is Jeff Green, who is likely on his way to the Grizzlies, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Memphis is offering Boston Tayshaun Prince and a first round draft pick in return, Wojnarowski notes. There also appears to be a third team involved in the deal, Wojnarowski adds.

Memphis has been actively trying to acquire either Luol Deng from the Heat, or Green from Boston over the last few days. When the Grizzlies couldn’t make any headway on nabbing Deng, they zeroed in on Green over the last 48 hours and sold Boston on deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Boston had initially been asking for two first-rounders in return, Wojnarowski tweets. The Clippers had also inquired about Green, but they didn’t have the expiring contracts that Boston was looking for to make a trade work, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (Twitter link).

In 33 games this season, the 28-year-old Green has averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. His career numbers over six seasons are 14.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .440/.340/.788.

Prince is a 12-year NBA veteran, and is averaging 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 25 appearances (9 starts) this season. The 34-year-old’s career numbers are 11.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG. His career shooting percentages are .455/.367/.758.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Green, Covington, MCW

January 11th, 2015 at 10:52am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are doing their best to ignore the recent flurry of personnel moves and concentrate on winning, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. “Whether you’re playing guys that are 20 years old or whether you’re playing 12-year veterans, the preparation, the emphasis and the day-to-day focus has to be the same,” said coach Brad Stevens. “You have to put your best foot forward.” A deal sending Jeff Green, the team’s leading scorer, to the Grizzlies is expected to be finalized Monday.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Green should benefit from being around better players in Memphis, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “Jeff Green’s a very good player,” said an unidentified source. “He can do a lot of really good things. But it’s hard if he’s the best player on your team. If he’s the third- or fourth-best player on your team, that can work and he can help you.” Bulpett notes that Celtics president Danny Ainge calls Green Boston’s “best player,” although his scoring average has dipped nearly seven points per game in the team’s last eight outings.
With the way Robert Covington is playing lately, the Sixers should make him part of their long-term plans, opines Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com. Kaskey-Blomain cites Covington’s versatility in addition to his shooting range as reason to keep the 24-year-old in Philadelphia. The Tennessee State product has played minutes at the shooting guard, small forward and power forward positions this season.
Another year of tanking is taking its toll on the Sixers‘ Michael Carter-Williams, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. “Michael just wears his deflation on his sleeve,” said coach Brett Brown. “The body language and all those things.” Still on his rookie contract, Carter-Williams is under Philadelphia’s control through the 2017/18 season.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Load More Posts