Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Joseph, Nets

October 28th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Talk about a scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, Isola notes. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson won’t finish out his contract, though he said in June that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes. While we wait to see what the Zen Master does, see more from around the Atlantic Division:

Raptors offseason signee Cory Joseph is planning to play a role for Toronto that’s similar in some ways to the one his former Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili has long embodied for San Antonio, as Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett details. “There was no big exchange when that first and second group switched off the court because of him,” Joseph said of Ginobili. “That’s what I want to do here. I want to bring energy with that second unit and uplift because that’s what we are going to need. Manu brought energy, but also a sense of calmness to the second group and managed time and score.”
Nets GM Billy King didn’t factor Andrea Bargnani‘s long history of injuries into his decision about whom to keep for the opening night roster, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links). Bargnani is healthy for now, as is shooting guard Markel Brown, so King didn’t feel the need to keep power forward Justin Harper and swingman Dahntay Jones, whom the Nets waived, as Bontemps explains.
Fellow Nets power forward Willie Reed‘s partial guarantee of $500K increased to a fully guaranteed $947,276 when he stuck on the Nets roster for opening night, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link) and as our leaguewide schedule of salary guarantee dates shows. Reed is about two weeks into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from thumb surgery.

Pacific Notes: Barnes, Chandler, Clark, Lakers

October 27th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors GM Bob Myers didn’t express trepidation as he told reporters today that Harrison Barnes has chosen to end extension talks, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link). Golden State will have the right to match offers for Barnes in restricted free agency next summer.

“We ended discussions in a very healthy place if that’s possible, and I say that in all sincerity,” Myers said.

See more on the Warriors amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

Tyson Chandler is hopeful that he can remain with the Suns for the duration of his four-year contract and finish his career with Phoenix, as he said in a response to a question from Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “It’s been tough. I want to, honestly,” Chandler said. “I wanted to do it in Dallas. Now I want to do it in Phoenix. It’s a lot of stress on kids and the family, even myself. I would love to continue to grow with this franchise and try to elevate it, especially with these young players. I think I can be huge here as far as the impact I can make. That’s my goal.”
Ian Clark picked up a $473,636 partial guarantee that’s worth half his full-season salary Monday, when the Warriors made him part of their opening night roster. His contract had been non-guaranteed. He’d lock in the full amount on the leaguewide guarantee date in January. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders first reported the terms of his deal.
The Lakers upgraded their roster over the summer, but co-owner and executive VP of basketball oeprations Jim Buss indicated to USA Today’s Sam Amick that improvement in the standings this season isn’t his goal. “[Jerry Buss] taught me for all these years, we’re always looking three to five years ahead,” Buss said, referring to his late father, the longtime Lakers owner. “Right now, I’m not looking at this season … I don’t care about making the playoffs and getting eliminated in the playoffs. What I care about is getting the core players, because we want to get to the top, and the only way we can get to the top is to have the core players, get the free agents, have flexibility in our [salary] cap, and we’ll be there within three years. Not a problem. Boom.”

Western Rumors: World Peace, Clippers, McGee

October 26th, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Metta World Peace not only made the Lakers‘ opening-day roster, but the club also plans to make him an assistant coach after his playing career, league sources told Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania. The veteran small forward, who beat out Jabari Brown for the final roster spot, has been mentoring several young Lakers players, including 2014 lottery pick and power forward Julius Randle, Charania adds. World Peace is excited about the possibility of being a coach, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets. “It would be fun,” World Peace said. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a coach? It’s a great life.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Luc Mbah a Moute secured the Clippers’ final roster spot over veteran forward Chuck Hayes because of his defensive prowess, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers told Woike that he views Mbah a Moute as a defensive specialist. “He’s one of those guys that can be a great team defender,” Rivers said. The small forward wound up with the Clippers after the Kings voided Mbah a Moute’s free agent deal with the team this summer, claiming he failed his physical because of a shoulder injury, Woike adds.
Center JaVale McGee is still “weeks away” from being cleared to play but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is encouraged by his progress, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. McGee is rehabbing from a left tibial stress fracture. Salah Mejri appears to be the main backup to Zaza Pachulia until McGee returns.
Al-Farouq Aminu has made a strong impression on his Trail Blazers teammates with his defensive versatility, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Aminu was signed as a free agent to a four-year, $30MM deal to be their defensive stopper, Freeman continues. “He’s a jack-of-all-trades, a guy who can do everything,” shooting guard C.J. McCollum said to Freeman. “I think he’s really, really talented defensively. He’s a guy who can guard multiple positions, can guard a point guard, he can get switched on the four or five and hold his own, rebound, block shots, run the floor.” However, he may miss the season opener because of a left hamstring strain, Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com reports.
Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley is ready for the season opener after a hand injury that required surgery prevented him from playing during the team’s postseason run, Jenny Creech of the Houston Chronicle writes. Beverley missed one preseason game with groin soreness, but averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 assists in seven other preseason outings.

Lakers To Waive Jabari Brown, Retain World Peace

October 26th, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:52pm: The release of Brown is official, the team announced. The Lakers didn’t mention World Peace in its statement, but presumably he’s sticking around.

12:24pm: The Lakers will waive Jabari Brown and keep Metta World Peace for the opening night roster, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). One of them had to go, since the Lakers have been carrying 16 players, one over the regular season limit, and the deadline to cut to 15 is today. Neither have any guaranteed money on their contracts, but since the Lakers failed to make their final cut by Saturday’s deadline to waive non-guaranteed players without them counting against the cap, they’ll be stuck with two days’ worth of salary to Brown, assuming he clears waivers. That’s minus $8K in training camp compensation that Brown already earned, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks notes (All Twitter links), so the Lakers are poised to be out a mere $1,972 because they waited an extra two days.

Brown, 22, is a holdover from last season, when the Lakers signed him to multiyear deal after a pair of 10-day contracts ran to term. The shooting guard averaged 6.0 points in 14.3 minutes per game across six preseason appearances this fall, and while World Peace put up only 3.7 points in 14.1 minutes per contest in the same number of preseason games, the 35-year-old’s mentorship ability loomed large. The move isn’t a shock, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times suggested last week that World Peace had a slight edge over Brown in the competition for the final regular season roster spot.

The Lakers also cut Brown at the end of the preseason a year ago, and they claimed his D-League rights, making him an affiliate player. The team still has those rights, and the Lakers would like to have him with their D-League affiliate again this year, according to Bresnahan (Twitter link). However, if he clears waivers and doesn’t have another NBA offer, the Lakers would have to convince him to sign with the D-League rather than overseas, where he would probably make more money. Brown’s priority is to sign overseas, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

World Peace isn’t assured of much beyond opening night, since his contract wouldn’t become guaranteed until the leaguewide guarantee date in January. Still, it’s an intriguing comeback story for the veteran combo forward who spent last season playing overseas and whom the Lakers waived via the amnesty provision in 2013.

Did the Lakers make the right choice in keeping Metta World Peace over Brown? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Western Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Kings

October 25th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Lakers coach Byron Scott said a decision will come Monday on the team’s final cut, but offered no further details on whether it will be veteran Metta World Peace or second-year guard Jabari Brown, notes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Both players practiced on Sunday, Holmes adds.

Because players need 48 hours to clear waivers, the Lakers will be required to pay either World Peace or Brown for two days of salary, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times points out (assuming one is kept and the other is not). The waived player will receive only the two days of pay, so the Lakers will either owe World Peace approximately $18,000 or Brown $10,000, Pincus adds.

Here is more news out of the Western Conference:

Luc Mbah a Moute earned the Clippers‘ final regular season roster spot over Chuck Hayes mostly because of his defense months after the Kings voided his contract after a failed physical, Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com writes. In regards to the Kings, Mbah a Moute said, “I wish them luck. No hard feelings. I’m excited about the opportunity I have here now,” per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
While the Kings are expected to be better this season than in recent years, the team could just as likely implode with several interesting personalities, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. The vibe around the team, Jones adds, has been positive since training camp.
Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay cut down on his turnovers and showed promise in what should be considered a mostly successful training camp for the Nuggets under new coach Michael Malone, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes.

And-Ones: Hornets D-League, Final Cuts, Johnson

October 25th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Greensboro, North Carolina, will be the site of the Hornets‘ new D-League team, reports Jeff Mills of the Greensboro News & Record. The new franchise, which will expand the league to 20 teams, will begin play next fall. Charlotte currently has no D-League affiliate. Players on D-League assignment will go to the one-to-one affiliate of another NBA team. “Greensboro’s approach to the process was innovative,” said Fred Whitfield, the Hornets’ president and chief operating officer. “Taking the Pavilion and renovating it into a basketball-style fieldhouse for us was very attractive. Especially when you could have offices for us right across the street.” The move is expected to be officially announced Tuesday. Asheville and Fayetteville were the other finalists.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

After a flurry of moves Saturday, seven NBA teams still have final cuts to make before Monday’s roster deadline, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Mavericks, Pistons, Pacers, Lakers and Grizzlies each have to unload one player to reach the roster limit of 15. The Nets still have 17 players and the Sixers have 20, which is the training camp maximum (Twitter link). The five teams with roster openings are the Rockets, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic and Suns, who each have 14 spots filled. (Twitter link).
Several teams have expressed interest in Nick Johnson, who was waived Saturday by the Nuggets, according to Sam Amico of Amicohoops.net. Citing an unidentified source, Amico says there’s a chance someone could pick up Johnson by Monday. Johnson was one of four players sent from Houston to Denver in the Ty Lawson trade.
The league is looking into the reported confrontation between Knicks coach Derek Fisher and the Grizzlies‘ Matt Barnes, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the investigation, but did not offer specifics regarding possible punishment for either Fisher or Barnes. They were allegedly involved in a physical altercation at the house of Barnes’ estranged wife.

Pacific Notes: Karl, Lakers, Upshaw, Frazier

October 24th, 2015 at 8:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kings minority owners would be reluctant to pay the salary of yet another fired coach, Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears, suggesting George Karl‘s job is safe. The minority owners have talked about their frustrations over Ranadive’s management of the team, though they don’t have the power to usurp his decision-making unless Ranadive sells, Lowe adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Robert Upshaw has cleared waivers and will sign with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link). The Lakers waived Upshaw earlier this week.
Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) hears that Michael Frazier will be signing with the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate as well.
The Lakers currently have 16 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows, and Metta World Peace is one of four players on a non-guaranteed deal. The team is embracing the 35-year-old’s presence and his role as a mentor may help him to make the opening night roster, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We’re a better team with Metta,” said Julius Randle, who praised World Peace for teaching him about offensive and defensive rotations, footwork, mental preparation and playing off the ball. “It’s not our decision if he’s on the team or not. But Metta’s knowledge and wisdom that he brings to this team is amazing. It’s fun playing with him.”

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post

Lakers Waive Jonathan Holmes

October 23rd, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers have waived Jonathan Holmes, the team announced. The combo forward from Texas has a $100K partial guarantee, but, providing he clears waivers, the Lakers would have to continuing paying him until he’s healthy enough to play after he suffered a dislocated right shoulder during Monday’s preseason game. The partial guarantee covers roughly about a month’s worth of regular season games, and the shoulder will be immobilized for two weeks, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times noted this week. The move leaves the Lakers with 16 players, including 12 with fully guaranteed deals.

Marcelo Huertas, one of the Lakers without a full guarantee, has “pretty much” nailed down a regular season roster spot, coach Byron Scott said this week, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Tarik Black, also on a non-guaranteed deal, started 39 games last season and is the primary backup center for the Lakers, so it would appear as though the 15th opening night spot will go to either Metta World Peace or Jabari Brown, presuming the Lakers carry 15 players to start the season, as most teams do.

Holmes went undrafted in June and was on the Celtics summer league team before the Lakers signed him in August. He saw action in only two preseason games, scoring four points and grabbing six rebounds in about 15 total minutes.

Who do you think ends up in the final regular season roster spot for the Lakers? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Pacific Notes: Crawford, Barnes, Ezeli, Hibbert

October 21st, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

It took a sell job from Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, but Jamal Crawford is on board with continuing to be a part of a crowded rotation, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register details. Rivers and Crawford spoke about their issues over the summer and again before camp, and while Crawford took to social media this summer to drop vague hints that he was dissatisfied, the two-time Sixth Man of the Year now says it can “easily work” for him in L.A. Rivers said in September he was unlikely to trade Crawford, swatting down rumors. See more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob would like to see the team sign Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli to extensions before the November 2nd deadline, but he’d still be OK with them ending up in restricted free agency next summer, as Lacob said in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Lacob also made it seem as though it’s unlikely that Steve Kerr will coach the team in the opener as he continues to nurse his ailing back.
Roy Hibbert is fostering team chemistry in a way that no one did on the Lakers last year, Jordan Clarkson tells Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. The big man doesn’t see it as all that important but thinks that if he can help others perform, it will reflect well on him in the future. Hibbert is poised to hit free agency this coming summer. “When the team wins,” Hibbert said, “everybody wins. So helping them is going to help me on the court in the long run and then that will help whatever contract stuff. So you have to be selfless.”
Omri Casspi is struggling in the preseason, but coach George Karl isn’t worried about the player in whom the Kings invested $5.8MM on a new two-year deal this summer, observes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I think the way he played at the end of last year, he’s earned the right to be given some freedom and opportunity to figure out what happens this year,” Karl said.

Pacific Notes: Bryant, Weems, Moreland

October 20th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jim Buss, Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations, doesn’t regret signing Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48.5MM extension back in 2013, regardless of how Bryant’s tenure with the franchise ends, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “You give Kobe Bryant $50MM for two years,” Buss told Amick. “Are you kidding me? What did he bring us? In this day and age, what did he bring us, for 20 years? And if that isn’t what you’re supposed to do, then I have no idea what life is all about. You pay the guy. You believe in the guy. If he ends up [staying healthy], that’s fantastic. Well everybody [in the media] cut me up for that, but I’d say over 200 fans have come up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much for letting my kid see Kobe Bryant for two more years.’ And I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m glad I can see him for two more years.’ ”

Buss also took the time to refute a report by Henry Abbott of ESPN which indicated that the organization was anxious for Bryant to depart so it could begin rebuilding in earnest, Amick adds. “It’s [expletive], that’s exactly what that was,” Buss said when asked about the article. “The organization absolutely loves him. You know why? Because he has made a living, as we [have] with the Lakers for the last 20 years, because of this man. Magic Johnson carried us [to] this part [of their history] … and Kobe Bryant has carried us for 20 years. So every person that works in that organization, why would they hate him? Why would they want him out of there? There’s only a basketball or a Kobe hater that would want that. There’s no other reason.”

Here’s more out of the Pacific:

Sonny Weems has impressed the Suns‘ coaching staff with his playmaking ability, a part of his game that Weems credits his time playing overseas for developing, writes Matt Petersen of NBA.com. “When I first went over there [Europe], I was just the guy they got to score,” Weems said. “I paid attention over there instead of just going over there to play basketball. I learned a few things watching the European guards over there. It’s kind of a thing I picked up these last two or three years when I was in Russia. It just stuck with me.”
Power forward Eric Moreland is fighting long odds to secure a regular season roster spot with the Kings, but the level of hustle and energy he has exhibited has impressed coaches and may help him stick with the team, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Coach George Karl indicated Moreland deserves a roster spot on opening night, Jones adds. “It’s going to be difficult to get minutes between Cuz [DeMarcus Cousins], Kosta Koufos and Willie Cauley-Stein when you want to play forward,” Karl said. “But I think he’s a good insurance policy. I think he and Quincy Acy both will serve as insurance policies and there may be situations where he can get on the court.”