Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Toney Douglas

December 5th, 2016 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially added free agent point guard Toney Douglas to their roster, the team announced today in a press release. While the Grizzlies had a full 15-man squad, they were granted a hardship exception by the NBA due to their injury woes, allowing the team to sign a 16th man.

With starting point guard Mike Conley expected to miss at least six weeks due to a back injury, Memphis had been left with rookies Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin manning the point. In the wake of Conley’s diagnosis, the Grizzlies were linked to several veteran point guards, including Norris Cole, but ultimately seemed to gravitate toward Douglas.

A former first-round pick, Douglas has 370 career regular-season NBA games under his belt, having made appearances for the Knicks, Rockets, Kings, Warriors, Heat, and Pelicans. The 30-year-old had one of his most productive seasons last year for New Orleans, averaging 8.7 PPG and 2.6 APG in a part-time role, while shooting 39.9% on three-point attempts. However, he was unable to land a regular-season roster spot on NBA team this fall, having been cut in camp by the Cavaliers.

While terms of Douglas’ new deal with the Grizzlies aren’t known, it will likely be a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary pact. The deadline for all non-guaranteed 2016/17 salaries to become guaranteed is January 10, so if Douglas is still on the Memphis roster at that point, the team will have to decide whether or not to keep him around, with Conley perhaps nearing a return by then.

The Grizzlies became eligible to apply for a hardship exception after Saturday’s game, since the club had at least four injured players who had missed at least three consecutive games. Conley, Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, Brandan Wright, and Vince Carter all fit that bill for Memphis.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Grizzlies Eligible For Injury Exception; Harrison Steps In

December 4th, 2016 at 12:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies are now in position to be granted an injury exception, which they are expected to use to sign veteran guard Toney Douglas, according to Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. League rules say the exception can be granted once a team has at least four players miss three consecutive games and several will be out for an extended time. The Grizzlies reached that threshold after Saturday’s game, when they were missing six players. Douglas is in Memphis now waiting for the paperwork to be finalized, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.
The Grizzlies are impressed by the performance of rookie guard Andrew Harrison, who moved into the starting lineup after an injury to Mike Conley, writes Mike Bohn of USA Today. “I know we short handed, but got a bunch of tough guys on this team that believe we [can] win,” Harrison said. “Losing Mike was big, he’s an MVP candidate in my eyes, but we know what we got to do: We got to bring it every night.”

Tanking Never Considered; Parsons Lured By Teammates

December 2nd, 2016 at 1:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies never gave any thought to tanking, even as Mike Conley was added to their long injury list, according to Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Conley will miss at least six weeks after fractures were discovered in his lower back. He joins injured teammates Vince Carter, Chandler Parsons, James Ennis and Brandan Wright, while Zach Randolph is on the bereavement list. “It’s obvious that we have done everything to stay competitive,” said GM Chris Wallace. “Ownership has given us the financial commitment for our intent to be competitive at a high level over the past several years. That just doesn’t stop with the injury to Mike Conley.”

Parsons admits coming to Memphis was a “culture shock,” but he liked the talent the Grizzlies had in place and wanted to be part of the organization, relays Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Injuries have limited Parsons to six games so far after signing a four-year max contract over the summer. “The real reason why I went there was the current players that they have on their team,” Parsons said, “guys like Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Z-Bo [Randolph], Tony Allen. See, they’re all guys that have had so much success, and I felt like plugging me into that lineup, being able to play with those guys as kind of the piece they’ve been missing [would be great]. And with the new coaching staff with [David] Fizdale and J.B. Bickerstaff, those are two guys I’ve had previous relationships with and I just hit it off with them. Those are guys that I’ve trusted, and I think we’re going to have special seasons as soon as we get fully healthy. We’ve got a lot of guys banged up right now, but I think we’re going to be a tough team to beat come playoff time.”

Grizzlies Eyeing Toney Douglas

December 2nd, 2016 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran free agent Toney Douglas, initially identified as one of a handful of available point guards being considered by the Grizzlies, has emerged as the frontrunner to be signed by the team, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (via Twitter). Memphis could add Douglas to its roster in the coming days if the team gets approval for a hardship exception in the coming days, says Wallace.

Grizzlies starting point guard Mike Conley is expected to miss at least six weeks with a back injury, leaving rookies Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin to man the point in Memphis. Harrison has held his own as Conley’s backup this year, but the Grizzlies have been much less effective without Conley on the floor, and appear to be interested in adding a veteran to complement their young duo.

Norris Cole, who started his career with the Heat when Memphis head coach David Fizdale was an assistant in Miami, was the first point guard mentioned as a potential candidate to join the Grizzlies, and became available this week when he was released by his team in China. It now appears that the Grizz are leaning toward Douglas instead of Cole, though nothing has been finalized yet.

Douglas, 30, was a teammate of Cole’s on the Pelicans last season, averaging 8.7 PPG and 2.6 APG for New Orleans, while shooting a career-best 39.9% on three-pointers. The former first-round pick was with the Cavaliers in camp this season, but was waived by the team during the preseason roster cutdown.

Although the Grizzlies currently have a full 15-man roster, they’ll soon be eligible to ask the NBA to grant them a hardship exception. This rule allows teams to apply for an extra roster spot when at least four injured players have missed three or more consecutive games, and will continue to miss time. Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, and Brandan Wright meet that criteria already, with Conley – and possibly Vince Carter – set to join them after Saturday’s game.

Norris Cole Released By Chinese Team

December 1st, 2016 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

After starting the 2016/17 Chinese Basketball Association season with the Shandong Golden Stars, Norris Cole has been released by the team, according to LI Shuangfu of Lanxiong Sports (Twitter link). Zhang Duo reports that the Chinese club has signed former NBA guard A.J. Price to take Cole’s spot on its roster (link via Sportando).

The timing is interesting for Cole, who reached a deal with Shandong nearly two months ago. That contract was believed to include an NBA out, and a report surfaced this week – in the wake of Mike Conley‘s back injury – suggesting that the Grizzlies had expressed interest in bringing Cole back to the NBA. There’s no indication yet that Cole and the Grizzlies have an agreement in place, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran point guard sign with Memphis within the next few days.

Cole averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG and 3.7 APG last season in 45 games for the Pelicans, but was unable to land a deal with an NBA team as a free agent this offseason. The 28-year-old point guard, who started his career with the Heat when Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale was an assistant in Miami, played in nine games for the Golden Stars this season, averaging 19.1 PPG and 4.3 APG.

If the Grizzlies do intend to sign Cole, they’ll either have to waive a player from their 15-man roster, or wait until they’re eligible to apply for a hardship exception. Teams can become eligible to add an extra player to their roster if they have at least four players who are sick or injured. For a hardship exception to be granted, those four players must have missed at least three consecutive games apiece and must continue to be unavailable.

Currently, Memphis is without Conley, Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, and Brandan Wright, so the team will be eligible to apply for the hardship exception on Saturday, after Conley misses his third consecutive game.

As for Price, the 30-year-old guard started his NBA career with the Pacers back in 2009/10, and ultimately appeared in 261 regular season games for a total of five teams. He spent last season with the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks.

And-Ones: Postponement, Goodwin, Adams, Smith

November 30th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers and Kings will have to find room on their schedules for a make-up game after tonight’s contest in Philadelphia was postponed because of excess moisture on the floor of Wells Fargo Center. Crews worked for about an hour trying to dry the court before the game was officially called off. No makeup date was announced, but there is speculation that it will be rescheduled when the Kings make their next Eastern swing in late January. Both teams are off and the arena will be available on January 30th, tweets The Vertical’s Bobby Marks.

There’s more basketball news tonight:

Archie Goodwin, who was waived by the Pelicans November 20th, has been claimed by the Greensboro Swarm of the D-League, according to a tweet from D-League Digest. The Hornets’ affiliate reportedly tried to trade Goodwin’s rights, but couldn’t work out a deal (Twitter link). Goodwin spent the last three seasons with the Suns, but was released in the preseason. The Pelicans signed him earlier this month when injuries left them shorthanded, but he played just three games in New Orleans.
Shooting guard Jordan Adams, who was claimed by the Oklahoma City Blue on Monday, has failed his physical, according to D-League Digest (Twitter link). The team will still retain the rights to Adams and will not move back to the top of the waiver order (Twitter link). Adams, a UCLA product, was waived by the Grizzlies during the preseason. A first-round pick in 2014, he had spent the past two seasons in Memphis, playing 30 games in 2014/15 and two games last season.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says a mental lapse by J.R. Smith that led to an easy Bucks basket Tuesday night is a sign of an overall focus problem by the team, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Smith walked to the Milwaukee bench to greet Jason Terry during an inbounds play, leaving Matthew Dellavedova open for an easy layup. “Obviously we both know it wasn’t intentional, but it was just a lack of focus,” Smith said. “One of the multiple things that compounded onto the loss was just as a team we haven’t been as focused as we previously were.”

Community Shootaround: Grizzlies’ PG Situation

November 30th, 2016 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Conley‘s name hasn’t come up often in discussions about the early frontrunners for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, but you could make a case that the veteran point guard has been one of the most important players to his team during the season’s first month.

As NBA.com’s advanced data shows, the Grizzlies have had a +6.5 net rating per 100 possessions with Conley on the court, compared to a -13.8 mark when he’s on the bench, a gap of 20.3. As a point of reference, the Rockets have a +6.4 net rating per 100 possessions when James Harden is in the game, as opposed to a -10.4 net rating when he’s not playing — that’s a gap of 16.8.

A glance at Conley’s traditional per-game numbers also reveals the extent to which he has contributed to the Grizzlies’ success this season. Memphis’ floor general is averaging a career-high (and team-high) 19.2 PPG to go along with 5.7 APG, and is shooting an incredible 46.7% from three-point range.

Given how important Conley is to the Grizzlies, it goes without saying that the back injury he suffered on Monday, which is expected to sideline him for at least six weeks, is a major problem for the team. Memphis has a solid 11-7 record so far, but the club is also missing Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, and Brandan Wright, and doesn’t have much point guard depth behind Conley.

After playing in Toronto on Wednesday night, the Grizzlies will face a challenging December schedule that includes two contests apiece against the Cavaliers and Celtics, along with games against the Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Thunder, and Trail Blazers. Then, to start the new year, they’ll play road games against the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors within the first week. By that time, Conley may be nearing his return, but it’s possible Memphis will have slipped down the standings in the Western Conference.

Conley’s absence is expected to be measured in weeks rather than months, and the Grizzlies will give up their 2017 first-round pick if it doesn’t land in the top five, so it doesn’t make much sense for the team to try to tank at this point. Memphis will do everything it can to stay in the postseason mix, which may mean adding another point guard to a group that currently features a pair of rookies, Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin.

On Tuesday, we learned that the Grizzlies have expressed some interest in Norris Cole, who has a history with head coach David Fizdale, though he’s currently playing in China. Cole is hardly the only potential target for Memphis though — Xavier Munford, Mario Chalmers, Will Bynum, Toney Douglas, and Kendall Marshall have all been cited as possible options, though Chalmers is still recovering from an Achilles injury.

There’s also no shortage of promising point guards in the D-League at the moment. In a list put together this week by NBADL reporter Chris Reichert for Fansided.com, five of the top six candidates for an NBA call-up were point guards, including Briante Weber, Isaiah Taylor, and Spencer Dinwiddie. Of course, the Grizzlies already have two young point guards on their roster, so they may prefer a veteran as a short-term replacement during Conley’s absence.

What do you think? Should the Grizzlies sign a veteran free agent point guard? Should they look harder at D-League options? Or can they survive Conley’s absence with Harrison and Baldwin playing larger roles, treading water until their starting point guard returns? Jump into the comments section below and let us know how you’d handle the situation if you were running the Grizzlies.

Latest On Grizzlies’ Point Guard Situation

November 29th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Mike Conley expected to miss at least six weeks of action due to fractures in his lower back , the Grizzlies have a major hole to fill at point guard. It was relayed earlier that Memphis could look to sign Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole or Xavier Munford to boost its depth at the one spot, and now Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical has added a few potential targets to that list — Kendall Marshall, Toney Douglas and Will Bynum. Also, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com has thrown some cold water on the possibility of the Grizzlies signing Chalmers, since the guard is not physically ready to play at this time.

Marshall, who turned 25 this past summer, has played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers since entering the NBA as a lottery pick in 2012. He was sent from Philadelphia to Utah in an offseason trade, and was promptly cut by the Jazz in August before his salary for 2016/17 became guaranteed. Marshall, who has averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.9 APG in 160 career NBA contests, has been a free agent since then, and is currently playing in the D-League after being claimed by the Reno Bighorns.

Douglas began his NBA career in 2009 with the Knicks. After spending three seasons in New York, the point guard has bounced around, playing for the Rockets, Kings, Warriors, Heat, and Pelicans. The 30-year-old averaged 8.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.1 SPG, to go along with a shooting line of .411/.399/.848. He was waived by the Cavs during the preseason to clear a roster spot for the re-signing of J.R. Smith.

Bynum, 33, has appeared in 360 total regular season NBA games for three different teams since 2005, though, he hasn’t played in a regular season contest since the 2014/15 season. For most of the last two seasons, Bynum has played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. He averaged 17.8 PPG and 6.5 APG for the CBA club in 2015/16. The guard was among the Hawks’ final preseason cuts this year.

Grizzlies Express Interest In Norris Cole

November 29th, 2016 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

3:17pm: In his full report on the Grizzlies’ point guard options, Scotto confirms Cole has an NBA out in his contract with the Golden Stars, and identifies Chalmers and Xavier Munford as other potential options for Memphis.

2:50pm: With Mike Conley expected to be sidelined until sometime in January, the Grizzlies appear to be exploring ways to fortify their point guard spot. According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter), Memphis has expressed interest in veteran point guard Norris Cole.

Cole, 28, averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG and 3.7 APG last season in 45 games for the Pelicans, but was unable to land a deal with an NBA team as a free agent this offseason. The point guard, who started his career with the Heat when Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale was an assistant in Miami, ultimately signed with China’s Shandong Golden Stars.

There have been conflicting reports about whether or not Cole’s contract in China includes an NBA out. The fact that the Grizzlies have expressed interest in him suggests the deal may feature an out after all, since Memphis is looking for immediate help. The Chinese Basketball Association season runs through February, so Cole won’t be available until late in the NBA season if there’s no opt-out available in his deal.

With Conley sidelined, Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin are the Grizzlies’ go-to options at the point, and neither player has a whole lot of NBA experience. If Memphis is eyeing veteran point guards with connections to Fizdale, Mario Chalmers could also be an option, but he’s still recovering from an Achilles injury and may not be ready to play quite yet.

The Grizzlies currently have a full 15-man roster, but may not need to waive anyone to add a new player — with Chandler Parsons, Brandan Wright, and James Ennis also on the shelf, the team will soon be eligible to apply for a hardship exception to add a 16th man.

Mike Conley Expected To Miss At Least Six Weeks

November 29th, 2016 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

1:15pm: Conley could “minimally miss approximately six weeks,” but the timeline for his recovery isn’t entirely clear, per Wojnarowski. Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the point guard will likely miss six to eight weeks, which is similar to the timetable reported by Wallace (noted below).

12:52pm: The NBA’s highest-paid player has played his last game of 2016, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, who tweets that Mike Conley is expected to be sidelined for six weeks with fractures in his lower back. Wallace adds that Conley, who suffered the injury on Monday, will be re-evaluated a month from now.

Conley left Monday night’s game against the Hornets with what the team called a lower back injury. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), the specific ailment is a transverse process fracture in the vertebrae. Wallace compared the injury to one suffered by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, tweeting that Conley likely won’t require surgery, but will need rest and recovery to heal the fractures.

Conley, 29, signed a five-year deal worth in excess of $150MM this summer, the largest contract in NBA history. He has responded by producing a career-high 19.2 PPG to go along with 5.7 APG in the early going this season. That scoring average is buoyed by outstanding three-point shooting — he has made 2.5 threes per game so far, at a 46.7% clip.

With Conley sidelined, backup point guard Andrew Harrison appears poised to assume a larger role in the Grizzlies’ rotation for the next several weeks. First-round rookie Wade Baldwin, who has averaged 15.6 MPG in 11 contests so far, may also be relied on for more minutes. The team could make a roster move to add more depth at the position, but currently its 15-man roster is full.

While the Grizzlies expect Conley to make a full recovery, the injury is the latest setback for the 2016 Grizzlies, who have been plagued by health problems during the last calendar year — the team finished the 2015/16 season extremely shorthanded, and has seen Chandler Parsons, James Ennis, and a handful of other players battle injuries already this season.