- To make room for Jordan Farmar, who is expected to sign a 10-day contract, the Grizzlies parted ways with point guard Briante Weber, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Memphis created a roster opening by not re-signing Weber when his 10-day contract expired Friday. Winderman notes that Weber will be eligible for the postseason if another team picks him up.
- There will be a reunion of sorts tonight when the Grizzlies host the Clippers, according to Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. The Memphis roster includes Matt Barnes, Lance Stephenson, Ryan Hollins and Alex Stepheson, all of whom spent time with the Clippers over the past three seasons.
Losing a player like Marc Gasol midway through the season would be enough bad luck for any franchise. But for this season’s Grizzlies, it was just the beginning.
Since Gasol had his season ended prematurely by a broken right foot last month, the Grizzlies have been hit by a near-unprecedented rash of injuries. Star point guard Mike Conley developed soreness in his left foot last week and was diagnosed with Achilles tendinitis. Doctors expect to re-evaluate him near the end of the month. Rugged power forward Zach Randolph has missed seven straight games with an aching right knee.
And the injury problems continue all the way down the roster. Here’s a sampling:
- Veteran swingman Vince Carter has been out since straining his left calf last Friday.
- Center Chris Andersen is rehabbing a left shoulder subluxation, and the Grizzlies are hoping for his return soon.
- Second-year shooting guard Jordan Adams is working to recover from surgery on his right knee, and Memphis isn’t sure when he might be available again.
- Forward/center Brandan Wright is trying to recover from a sprained right MCL, and the Grizzlies don’t know if he’ll be back before the regular season ends.
- Swingman P.J. Hairston was hit with a left groin strain Monday and will be re-evaluated next week. As with many of his teammates, there is no set timetable for his return.
Injuries have struck the Grizzlies so hard that the NBA approved a request to permit the team to carry 18 players, three above the standard minimum. In total, eight players are currently trying to overcome some type of injury, and many nights it’s difficult for coach Dave Joerger to fill out a full rotation.
The only good news in Memphis is that the team built a huge cushion for the playoffs before all the injuries began. Despite losing their last four games, the Grizzlies are 39-30 and still in fifth place in the Western Conference. They hold a five and a half game lead over ninth-place Utah with 13 games left in the season. However, the Grizzlies’ schedule is challenging the rest of the way. Memphis still has two games left with the Clippers and Spurs, as well as meetings with the Raptors, Bulls, Mavericks and Warriors. Seven of their final 13 games are at home.
That leads me to tonight’s Shootaround topic: Can the Grizzlies overcome their injuries and hold on to a playoff spot? What is a realistic record over the final 13 games for a team that used Matt Barnes, JaMychal Green, Ryan Hollins, Tony Allen and Lance Stephenson as its starting lineup Thursday night, backed up by a collection of former D-Leaguers and 10-day signings? Memphis has seen 26 players pass through its roster this season, which would be the most ever for a playoff team.
Please use the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
- Jeff Green isn’t expecting much of a reaction Saturday in his first game back in Memphis since last month’s trade, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. The Clippers acquired Green from the Grizzlies in a deal at the deadline in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a 2019 first-rounder. “It’s not, like, emotional,” Green said. “I wasn’t here long enough. I could see if it was Boston, a team that I spent four years with, you know, went through a lot of personal stuff there, too. That was an emotional return.”
- Grizzlies swingman Tony Allen is still adjusting to being called upon as a primary option on offense after being utilized as a role player throughout his career, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays. “It’s definitely a new role for me,” Allen said. “I haven’t been in that mindset of trying to score. I’m normally the receiver from Mike Conley or Marc Gasol or Z-Bo [Zach Randolph]. Now, I’m just being aggressive and trying to be a playmaker. It drains you. It takes a lot of energy. But I’m just trying to adapt.“
The Grizzlies have expressed interest in signing former NBA point guard Jordan Farmar, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays. Memphis, who has been hammered with injuries this season, could ink the 29-year-old to a 10-day contract in the near future, Tillery notes. Memphis currently has eight players who are dealing with some sort of ailment, according to CBSSports.com. The Grizzlies have already used 25 players through a combination of trades, signings and attrition this season. That’s significantly more than any other team, including the banged-up Pelicans, whom the league has also allowed to exceed the 15-man roster ship via hardship, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down earlier this week.
Memphis currently has 18 players on its roster, having been granted three extra slots by the league via the hardship provision. The Grizzlies have four players who are signed to 10-day contracts, though Briante Weber‘s, Ray McCallum‘s and Alex Stepheson‘s pacts all expire this weekend. Since all three are on their initial 10-day contract with the team it will still have the option to hold onto them for another 10-days, or Memphis could move on and add another player like Farmar to the mix.
Farmar last played in the NBA in 2014/15, appearing in 36 games for the Clippers and averaging 4.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 14.7 minutes per contest. He had expressed his willingness to join an NBA squad via a 10-day pact back in January after parting ways with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, with whom he signed last July. For his career, Farmar’s numbers are 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists to accompany a slash line of .423/.374/.734.
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Memphis Grizzlies, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $83,093,980*
- Remaining Cap Room= -$13,093,980
- Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $1,678,225**
*Note: This amount includes the $437,080 owed to Fab Melo, and the $163,297 owed to Jamaal Franklin, both of whom were waived via the stretch provision. It also includes the $4,300,000 due Mario Chalmers, the $845,059 owed James Ennis, the $845,059 due Russ Smith, the $122,238 paid to Ryan Hollins and the $6,000 owed to Patrick Christopher, all of whom were waived by the team.
**Note: Memphis’ payroll for tax purposes was reduced by $32,205 as a result of Matt Barnes‘ two-game suspension.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- Trade Exception= $122,441 (Jon Leuer. Expires June 25, 2016)
- Trade Exception= $450,000 (Jeff Green. Expires February 18, 2017)
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $2,857,286
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
WEDNESDAY, 3:27pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 1:57pm: The Clippers will sign Jeff Ayres to a contract that covers the rest of the season, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Grizzlies had reportedly been eyeing the veteran big man following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with the Clips, but instead L.A. and Ayres are apparently circling back to one another for the balance of 2015/16. It’ll have to be a prorated minimum-salary deal, since that’s all the Clippers can hand out.
Ayres, 28, appeared for just 14 total minutes spread over five games with the Clips on his pair of 10-day deals, which he signed January 23rd and February 2nd. L.A. later turned to rookie Alex Stepheson, who also signed two 10-day contracts with the team, the last of which ran to term last week. Memphis snapped him up the next day, furthering the idea that the Clippers and Grizzlies, who would meet in the first round of the playoffs if they started today, are trolling the same free agent waters. The teams also pulled off a deadline-day swap, exchanging Lance Stephenson and Jeff Green.
A roster spot is open for the Clippers, who won’t have to make a corresponding move to usher Ayres back onto the team. Just how much he’ll make depends on when he signs, but, as a veteran of five previous NBA seasons, he’d get $194,224 if the deal becomes official today. The Clippers would only have to pay him $167,166, with the league picking up the tab for the difference, but the Clips are above the tax threshold, so the signing would add $417,915 to their projected tax bill.
Stepheson, who’d make less money based on his lack of experience, would have been a cheaper option for the Clippers, but Ayres gives the team some veteran know-how, particularly about the Spurs, a potential playoff opponent who had Ayres on their roster for the two seasons prior to this one. He averaged 13.0 minutes per game and made 10 starts for the title-winning 2013/14 San Antonio team.
Swingman Vince Carter appreciates the freedom the Grizzlies have allowed him to express himself on the court and off, which is a big reason why he decided to sign with the team in 2014, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. When asked what he looks for in an organization, Carter told Aldridge, “Like anything else, you just have to do your research. There’s a lot of guys in the league that I’ve played with that are now either young coaches or whatever. So you just have to do your research. We played year to year now. You see what’s going on. Now, I look for what fits right with my style. That’s kind of how I approach it. I think everybody’s approach is different, of course. For me, it’s just who will allow me to be me. I like to help the young guys do that. So I bring that to the table, and that’s what Coach has allowed me to do here, while still playing. One thing that I’ll never do is overstep my boundaries. I’m not trying to be the coach, be the voice. I’m just trying to make the game easier. As a player, you hear what the coaches say, but sometimes, when another teammate delivers it, it’s a little different. It makes sense, or hits home.”
Here’s more from out west:
- The 39-year-old’s contract is partially guaranteed for 2016/17, the final one in his current deal, and despite his love for helping younger players develop, Carter doesn’t envision himself making the jump to the coaching ranks when his playing career is over, Aldridge adds in the same piece. “I think I’d rather do some broadcasting, to be honest with you,” Carter said. “I think that’s where my passion lies. I enjoy coaching. I enjoying Coach allowing me to coach, or [offer] words of wisdom. I don’t know if it’s coaching. Just helping, being another coach on the floor, or just off the bench, or anything. Sometimes it’s easy to translate and relay the message he’s trying to portray, or make. So I think I enjoy that part of it. But I think I want to do some broadcasting.“
- David Lee signed with the Mavericks after agreeing to a buyout with Boston because he believed they were the best fit for him, a move that has paid off for both him and the team thus far, Adi Joseph of The Sporting News writes. “I saw the possibilities on paper, thought it’d be a great fit on both sides. But you know, you’ve just got to make it [happen],” Lee told Joseph. “It’s still, until you go out there and play, you never know how you’re going to feel with the guys and how things are going to work. But I think it’s been a tremendous fit here, and I’m just excited — excited to be here and excited to give it everything I have for them this year.”
- Justin Harper has rejoined the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate after the Pistons elected not to ink him for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day contract with the team expired, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
TUESDAY, 6:18pm: The Grizzlies intend to sign point guard Xavier Munford to a 10-day deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Memphis applied for an extra roster spot via the hardship provision, which will presumably be approved by the league, according to Charania. The Grizzlies currently have 17 players on their roster, which is already two over the regular season maximum.
Memphis currently has nine players who are dealing with some sort of ailment, according to CBSSports.com, ranging from minor issues that could allow four of them to play in the team’s next game Wednesday against the Timberwolves to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending broken foot. The Grizzlies have already used 25 players through a combination of trades, signings and attrition this season. That’s significantly more than any other team, including the banged-up Pelicans, whom the league has also allowed to exceed the 15-man roster ship via hardship, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down earlier today.
Munford will join the team out of the D-League where he has appeared in 40 games for the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ affiliate. The 23-year-old is averaging 20.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists to accompany a shooting line of .490/.415/.817.