Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Griffin, D-League, Conley

March 5th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers are awaiting the return of Blake Griffin and point guard Chris Paul asserts the team can’t contend for a title without the high-flying power forward, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. Griffin, who will have a four-game suspension to serve once he returns from his broken hand, hasn’t played since December 25th. “I don’t care if he gets back the day before the playoffs.” Paul said regarding Griffin. “We’re playing for a championship and there’s no championship without Blake Griffin. There’s not one.” When coach/executive Doc Rivers was asked how long it would take to Griffin to ready himself for the postseason, Rivers told Howard-Cooper, “We don’t know. As soon as he’s ready, we’re going to go from there. But do we need him? We’d be crazy to say, ‘No, no,’ you know what I mean? It’s ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We’re just going to take it day by day.”

Here’s the latest from out West:

Injuries have hit the Grizzlies hard this season, but point guard Mike Conley insists that it’s part of the game and the team can’t use its missing personnel as a crutch, Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal writes. “It can get frustrating at some times, but you can’t let it bother you in these situations, because these are the cards we’ve been dealt,” Conley told reporters. “We didn’t count on Marc Gasol getting hurt, we didn’t count on Brandan Wright getting hurt, these things happen and new guys come in, trades happen, we’re here with the guys we have and we have to make the best of the situation.“
Conley, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, understands patience will be required as new players are worked into roles in the rotation, Edmiston relays in the same piece. “It takes time for guys like Lance Stephenson, Birdman [Chris Andersen] and P.J. Hairston to understand that. I’m telling them after almost every play that we’re basically in that flex stuff — just set a screen, pin down, it’s gonna be in that situation, but it’s easy to forget when you’re going full speed, so it’s tough on them to grasp that in only a week’s time.“
The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate Friday, the team announced via press release. Huestis has appeared in 16 games for the Blue this season, notching 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.19 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game, while McGary has made 17 D-League appearances and is averaging 14.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.1 minutes per night.

Western Notes: Durant, Grizzlies, Spurs, Rockets

March 4th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder absorbed a pair of discouraging losses to the Clippers and Warriors this week, but while their chances of title contention don’t look as strong as they did a few days ago, Kevin Durant is OK with that, as Royce Young of ESPN.com chronicles (on Twitter). Durant’s comments are particularly resonant against the backdrop of his free agency this summer, observes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), especially in light of the report that the former MVP regards the Warriors as his top choice outside the Thunder.

“This is an exciting time for me,” Durant said. “I’m happy that we’re going through this because like I said it’s easy to be … we don’t want to be front-runners. That’s not who we are. That’s not who I am. And I’m not going to let the team be that way. When you’re losing, that’s when you really got to show your character and show who you are. We’re going to keep our heads up, all our guys are going to stay positive and keep working and learn from it.”

No team is as much of a front-runner as Golden State is, of course. See more from the Western Conference:

Injuries have forced the Grizzlies to place a greater emphasis on younger players, from trade acquisitions Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston to incumbent reserves like JaMychal Green and Jarell Martin, as The Commercial Appeal’s Ronald Tillery examines.
Suns interim coach Earl Watson was a major influence on San Antonio’s decision to sign Jonathon Simmons, stemming from his time as Simmons’ coach on the Spurs D-League affiliate last season, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News amid a larger look at the unlikely path the shooting guard took to the NBA.
The Rockets assigned Montrezl Harrell and K.J. McDaniels to the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). They join Sam Dekker, who’s already on assignment from Houston.

And-Ones: Timberwolves, Gasol, Kings

March 4th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Talks between Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Grizzlies part-owner Steve Kaplan about a would-be deal for 30% of the Minnesota franchise have “hit a wall,” sources told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The proposed arrangement, which would reportedly involve Taylor eventually ceding control of the Wolves to Kaplan, isn’t dead, Krawczynski hears, but a source who spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune suggested no deal may ever come to pass. Kaplan has encountered trouble in his effort to sell his Grizzlies stake, a requirement before he buys into the Wolves, Krawczynski’s sources say. Regardless of what happens on that front, Taylor and Kaplan still must sort through issues about how much say Kaplan would have in hiring for the team’s GM and coaching positions and whether Taylor would indeed eventually give up control, Zgoda writes. For now, Taylor is preparing to make decisions about interim GM Milt Newton and interim coach Sam Mitchell on his own and is actively investigating his options, according to Zgoda. See more on the Wolves amid a look around the NBA:

The Timberwolves are seeking an athletic wing player for their open roster spot, with Mitchell saying he wants someone with NBA experience who’d have a legitimate chance of making the opening night roster next season, Zgoda reports in the same piece. “We have to improve our athleticism,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think we’re a bad athletic team, but we’re not as athletic as we need to be. We need to look at guys who can defend, a guy who can shoot, and see how this team can look if we can spread the floor a little bit more.”
The Bulls will have to continue to try to build a contender if they want to re-sign Pau Gasol, as he indicated to Marca.com (translation via HoopsHype), reiterating that he’ll opt out and that, all things being equal, he’d prefer to stay with Chicago. Money won’t be his first priority, Gasol also said, adding that the offer from the Bulls should nonetheless reflect that they value his performance.
The Kings interviewed former Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks on Thursday for a job within their front office, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link). Marks currently works as a writer for The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Ryan Hollins

March 2nd, 2016 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:00pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

9:48am: The Grizzlies are expected to re-sign Ryan Hollins, a source told Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The contract couldn’t be worth more than the minimum salary, and it would have to cover at least the rest of the season because Hollins already signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Memphis earlier this year. It would require a corresponding move, since Memphis is at the 15-man roster limit, unless the Grizzlies qualify for a hardship exception. It’s unclear who would get the boot, but The Commercial Appeal’s Chris Herrington wrote this week that he believed James Ennis would be the most likely cut if the team were to make a signing.

Memphis is missing centers Marc Gasol and Brandan Wright because of injury, leaving the Grizzlies thin inside, where Hollins plays. Shooting guards Jordan Adams and Tony Allen are also hurt. Gasol is done for the season, but the timetable for Wright is unclear. Allen’s situation is similarly muddled, as a sore left knee has kept him from playing since February 19th. Adams is due back soon after undergoing right knee surgery in January. The team would need four players expected to be out for at least another two weeks to merit an extra roster spot.

Hollins has been a rotation player at times for the Grizzlies this year, averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game spread over 14 appearances. He was also with Memphis for the preseason, so this would be his fourth contract with the team in 2015/16. He also spent a few weeks with the Wizards in November and December. The Grizzlies kept Ennis instead of Hollins when they needed to open a roster spot in January, but a reversal of fortune could be in the works.

Grizzlies Waive James Ennis

March 2nd, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have waived James Ennis, the team announced via press release. The move appears to be a precursor to a deal for the rest of the season with Ryan Hollins, who’s set to sign, according to Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It’s tough luck for Ennis, the 50th pick in the 2013 draft, who won’t be able to participate in the playoffs for another team this season but would have been eligible for the postseason had his release come as late as Tuesday night.

Cutting Ennis gives Memphis an open spot beneath the 15-man roster limit. His deal is for the minimum salary this season and next, with no guarantee on his pay for next season, so Memphis is poised to eat only about $200K if he clears waivers. It’s a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2014 with Miami, so only teams with trade exceptions or cap room can claim him, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link).

Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal wrote earlier this week that he believed Ennis would be the likeliest to go if the team wanted to sign someone, so today’s news proves him right. The 25-year-old Ennis totaled only 40 minutes spread over 10 appearances with the Grizzlies in the months since Memphis acquired him in the Mario Chalmers trade. He went on eight separate trips to the D-League in the meantime, racking up 16.7 points in 33.1 minutes per contest over 15 D-League games.

Ennis and agent Scott Nichols twice worked out amended terms with the Heat that helped him stay under contract prior to the trade. The changes pushed back the dates upon which salary guarantees would kick in for this season, but Ennis avoided getting cut before the end of January 7th, which locked in his full $845,059 salary.

Western Notes: Garnett, Monroe, Clippers, Kings

March 2nd, 2016 at 9:17am CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell won’t rule out the possibility that Kevin Garnett will miss the rest of the season with continued soreness in his right knee, as Mitchell detailed on the “NBA Today” show on SiriusXM NBA Radio (audio link). “It’s kind of a day-to-day, week-to-week thing,” Mitchell said. It’ll be Garnett’s call about whether to return to action this season, notes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Garnett is under contract at $8MM next season, but it’s not set in stone that he’ll continue to play, so it’s conceivable that the 21st-year veteran has made his last NBA appearance. See more from the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers made preliminary inquiries about trading for Greg Monroe before last month’s deadline, but such talks didn’t go anywhere, league sources told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The Blazers were one of four finalists who made maximum-salary offers to Monroe when he was a free agent this past summer.
Jeff Green sees an extra $250K if his team wins at least 54 games this season, a possibility that appeared remote when he was with the Grizzlies but is solidly in play following his trade to the Clippers, Lowe notes in the same piece. That bonus increases to $450K if the Clips hit 56 wins and $700K if they make 58, according to Lowe. L.A. is projected to pay an additional $2.50 in taxes for every extra dollar Green receives.
The lack of a ready-built arena hampered Virginia Beach’s pursuit of the Kings in 2013, as did a fragmented television market, as attorney Tom Frantz, who’s part of a push to consolidate marketing efforts among municipalties in eastern Virginia, explained to Paula C. Squires of VirginiaBusiness.com. “The [Kings] looked at Richmond to the oceanfront as one market. … They said it would have been critically important for them to come here to have one sports station covering the Richmond and Hampton Roads [Metropolitan Statistical Areas] to help promote the team,” Frantz said. Plans for a privately owned arena in the area have been approved, Squires notes.

Southwest Notes: Wright, Stephenson, Dejean-Jones

March 1st, 2016 at 4:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Brandan Wright is liable to miss anywhere from a week to eight weeks with a sprained MCL in his right knee that the team revealed in a statement Monday. The Grizzlies didn’t say whether the sprain is a Grade I, which is the milder form, or a Grade II, which would keep him out longer, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears it’s merely a Grade I (Twitter link), but coach Dave Joerger hinted at a much more pessimistic outlook, saying it will be difficult for the Grizzlies the rest of the year without him, Tillery relays (Twitter links). See more on the Grizzlies and other news from the Southwest Division:

Talk of the Grizzlies picking up Lance Stephenson‘s $9.405MM team option for next season that Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal referred to last week appears to have been speculative, as Herrington portrays it within his Pick-and-Pop column. It would take either an unexpected late-season flourish or an offseason gone awry for Stephenson’s option to look appealing to Grizzlies, Herrington believes.
James Ennis seems like the Grizzlies player most likely to be cut if the team wants to add someone else, Herrington posits in the same piece.
Bryce Dejean-Jones doesn’t have any guaranteed money beyond this season in his deal with the Pelicans, which is a three-year pact for the minimum salary, but he can trigger a partial guarantee of $80K for next season if he participates in summer league and a skill and conditioning program, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). It’s unclear how his broken right wrist will affect his ability to fulfill those requirements. The partial guarantee would go to $100K if he sticks on the roster through July 25th, Pincus adds.
Marcus Thornton‘s release from the Rockets was just that, rather than a buyout deal, as Pincus shows Thornton didn’t give up any salary when he hit waivers last week (Twitter link).

Heat Notes: Dragic, Conley, Johnson, Tax

March 1st, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat were feeling out the trade value of Goran Dragic before the deadline, a source told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, and that jibes with an earlier report that the team was open to hearing offers for the point guard. Deveney also reiterates that Miami is unsurprisingly eyeing prime free agent Mike Conley. It’s all part of what appears to be a two-year plan that team president Pat Riley has in place to use his reputation as a recruiter and team builder and the natural appeal of Miami to restore the Heat to title contention, league sources told Deveney. See more from South Beach:

Joe Johnson wants to play the rest of his career with the Heat, and while he acknowledged it’s not certain whether he will, the 34-year-old said that’s Riley’s goal too, observes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “The most important thing Pat told me was that this wasn’t just a short-term deal, that he would like me to finish my career here,” Johnson said. “That’s what we’re working toward. I want to come out and help as much as possible.”
The Heat promised Johnson a starting role before he signed, The Herald’s Ethan Skolnick notes.
The Johnson has often spent time in Miami for offseason workouts and said he felt right at home when he signed, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel details. “I really didn’t know much about the Heat organization and how they worked. Things I’ve heard that they were very first class. Just in the past couple of days, I’ve seen a lot of things I haven’t seen in my 15-year career. So I’ve been impressed,” Johnson said.
Soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside expressed some encouraging sentiments today about his future with Miami, as The Herald’s Manny Navarro relays (Twitter link). “I feel comfortable as long as I’ve got a Heat jersey on,” Whiteside said. “Coming off the bench, starting, I just love playing for this team.”
The Heat have about $41,600 to spend without going over the tax line after Monday’s controversial buyout with Beno Udrih, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported and as we detailed in an earlier post about the market for reported Miami target Marcus Thornton. Miami would have more to spend if another team claims Udrih off waivers.

And-Ones: Len, Brown, Cavs, Roberts

February 29th, 2016 at 11:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns interim head coach Earl Watson has no qualms about pairing up centers Alex Len and Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Watson wants to utilize Len as the team’s primary offensive target the rest of the season and foster his development, Coro continues. “Who’s playing two 7-footers any more?” Watson explained to Coro. “We have this trend of playing small ball and we know the greatest small ball team is the Warriors. We’re not going to catch them. Let’s create a new trend. Let’s let Alex Len get experience.”

In other developments around the Western Conference:

Swingman Jabari Brown, who played with the Lakers last season, is joining the team’s D-League D-Fenders after returning from China in recent days, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Brown, who appeared in 19 games with the Lakers as a rookie, was the last player cut in training camp when the club decided to keep veteran Metta World Peace.
A coaching change that’s produced only an 11-6 record so far and the inability to land Joe Johnson are among the problems that ail the Cavaliers, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Internal carping from players about their respective roles, shots and ability to mesh on the court with LeBron James has also been a factor, Aldridge hears.
Point guard Brian Roberts, whom the Trail Blazers recently acquired from the Heat, believes he’ll land an NBA job next summer when he enters the free agent market, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders reports. Roberts passed through the Heat organization via the Hornets after he was included in the three-team deal that sent Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies to Charlotte. “I feel like I’m a guy that whatever opportunities I get I’m going to make the most of it,” he told Brigham. “I’m reliable, and that’s what it comes down to in this league. If you can be dependable every night, you’ll have a job.”
Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson will be a prime target for the Mavericks in free agency, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor would make him a very good fit but he’ll be in heavy demand, Sefko notes.
The Grizzlies recalled rookie power forward Jarell Martin from the Iowa Energy, the D-League club tweets. Martin, a first-round pick, averaged 18.3 points over three games in his latest assignment there. He made his fourth appearance with Memphis on Monday night.
The Bucks recalled small forward Damien Inglis from the D-League’s Westchester Knicks, Milwaukee announced through its website. Inglis played 13 games for the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.4 minutes.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Thornton, Dekker

February 28th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks have no interest in signing Rockets center Dwight Howard if he opts out this summer, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko touched on two other free agent centers, stating that Dallas is concerned about “off-court issues” involving Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, while Atlanta’s Al Horford would be a nice fit between Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. In a question-and-answer session, Sefko also said the Mavericks may pursue Harrison Barnes if Parsons opts out, but he believes Barnes will stay with the Warriors.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Former Rockets guard Marcus Thornton cleared waivers this afternoon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston released Thornton on Friday after he was sent to Detroit in a deal at the deadline that was later voided because of health concerns involving Donatas Motiejunas. Despite trading for Thornton, the Pistons don’t have any interest in signing him.
The Rockets have recalled rookie combo forward Sam Dekker from their D-League affiliate, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston made Dekker the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, but he has only appeared in three games for the Rockets because of back surgery. A Wisconsin native, Dekker was called up just in time for the team’s trip to Milwaukee on Monday. “That’s just how it worked out,” he said. “… Now I get to go home, see my family. … I’m sure there will be a lot of Badger fans in Bradley Center tomorrow.”
The versatility of Lance Stephenson, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Clippers, has helped the Grizzlies deal with the loss of Marc Gasol, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. There were concerns that Memphis might collapse after Gasol’s broken foot, but the team was averaging 108.6 points in five games without their center before Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. “It’s a whole new identity for us with different groups, different guys,” coach Dave Joerger said. “I’m trying to play Lance at four different positions. Matt Barnes is playing two different positions, sometimes three. We can struggle defensively, but we’ll just keep working at it.”