Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Ryan Hollins To 10-Day Contract

January 21st, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by Will Joseph

THURSDAY, 1:14pm: Memphis has officially signed Hollins to a 10-day contract, the team announced. The deal is set to cover five games.

MONDAY, 11:13am: The Grizzlies will sign center Ryan Hollins, whom Memphis recently waived, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). In adding Hollins, the Grizzlies are expected to let guard Elliot Williams go after his 10-day contract expired Sunday, Charania adds. Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweeted earlier today that the Grizzlies would not re-sign Williams.

This will mark Hollins’ third go-around with the Grizzlies. Memphis waived him on January 7th after signing him on December 29th. Hollins was with Memphis during training camp, but the Grizzlies waived him before the season started. Hollins had a strong showing in training camp, but it just wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies to keep him, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal detailed last month.

The addition of Hollins signals that Mike Conley’s return is imminent, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal tweets. Hollins is averaging 1.7 points and two rebounds per game this season, which includes five games with the Wizards and four with the Grizzlies. Hollins signed with Washington following his initial release from the Grizzlies, but the Wizards waived him December 23rd.

And-Ones: Pelicans, Conley, Magic

January 21st, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s widely known that the Pelicans want to shake up their roster, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick, who says in a video report that sources tell him New Orleans has been much more willing to trade Eric Gordon than Ryan Anderson. Of course, the broken right ring finger that’s likely to keep Gordon out for the next four to six weeks complicates that situation. The Kings reportedly turned down an offer from New Orleans of Gordon and Alonzo Gee recently amid talks about Rudy Gay, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported last week. See more from around the NBA:

Mike Conley gave strong indication that he’d be hard-pressed to sign with any team other than the Grizzlies in free agency this summer, pegging the difficulty of leaving teammate Marc Gasol as an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 in response to a question from Matt Moore of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). We recently discussed Conley’s impending free agency in Tuesday’s Community Shootaround.
The Magic have lost eight of their last nine games, and GM Rob Hennigan pins it on inconsistency that stems from having a roster laden with young players, as he told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Hennigan said he accepts blame for building a roster that perhaps has too much youth and suggested that he’s been trying to make moves to add experienced hands. “We’ll continue to be extremely selective with the types of veterans we pursue. But rest assured we’ll aggressively pursue any and all players that we feel fit the character of our team and can help push the team forward,” Hennigan said as part of a larger interview with the Sentinel scribe.
Hennigan also hinted that he played a role in the team’s decision to bench former No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo earlier this season and praised coach Scott Skiles, citing the need for patience with the first-year coach even though it’s not his first NBA head coaching gig, as Robbins relays. The GM indicated a strong desire to retain soon-to-be restricted free agent Evan Fournier, countering the idea that the team isn’t entirely sure about re-signing him. “We really value Evan,” Hennigan said to Robbins. “We’ve said that all along, and I’ll say about Evan what we said about Tobias [Harris], which is it’s our intention that he’ll be here for many years to come. We really, really like him and think he’s a great piece to continue to grow with our team.”

And-Ones: Sixers, Gay, D-League

January 18th, 2016 at 3:34pm CST by Will Joseph

The Sixers will listen to offers, but it doesn’t seem like the Philadelphia will be making any deals before the trade deadline, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. This would present a change under GM Sam Hinkie because the Sixers have made trades around this time in each of the last two seasons, Pompey adds. It is worth mentioning that since the Sixers hired longtime NBA executive Jerry Colangelo to serve in their front office, there seems to be a different direction with the franchise more willing to acquire veteran talent.

“We will continue to look for opportunities if there are things that we can do to add players for now and the future,” Hinkie said. “We will look, but I’m not sure it will happen.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The Grizzlies can improve their current roster and make a vital move for the future by acquiring Rudy Gay in a trade with Kings, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal suggests in a Q&A piece. It was recently reported that the Pelicans are interest in acquiring Gay. Memphis, however, would benefit from adding Gay because he would bring scoring, versatility and tough defense, Tillery writes. The Grizzlies traded Gay in 2013.
Speaking of Gay, he’s an intriguing possibility for the Pelicans, but his contract would do harm to the team’s cap space and his 3-point shooting and defense have both been inconsistent, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. Gay is owed $13.3MM next season, as Verrier points out. It remains to be seen whether the Pelicans will be collecting assets for an offseason reboot or making a postseason push, Verrier surmises.
The Celtics recalled Jordan Mickey from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release. Mickey’s recall is for ankle treatment, though, and he won’t be joining the Celtics on their current trip, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets.

Western Notes: Barnes, Kerr, Barea

January 17th, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Will Joseph

Grizzlies small forward/power forward Matt Barnes was slapped with a $35K fine from the league for his comments about Knicks coach Derek Fisher, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Before the two teams played Saturday, Barnes said: “Every man who looks at the situation knows what’s right and wrong. Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it is. … I just don’t like him, plain and simple. He knows I don’t like him.” After the game, however, Barnes claimed he had moved on from the October incident that led to a two-game suspension, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

The Warriors could benefit right now from Steve Kerr because the coach’s return would give them a necessary jolt of adrenaline in their quest to repeat as champions, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group opines. There is still a strong expectation that Kerr will be back at some point this season, but there are no guarantees, Kawakami reports.
J.J. Barea, who has three more years left on his deal after this season, said he is “having the best time of his life” while competing for minutes on the Mavs. Barea made that and other comments in an appearance on The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley on KESN-FM 103.3 in Dallas (interview transcription via the Dallas Morning News). “Dallas is like my second home away from Puerto Rico,” Barea said. “I feel comfortable and I love it. I don’t want to be anywhere else. My family loves it. I got a bunch of friends. I feel like when I play for Dallas I’m playing for Puerto Rico.”

Heat Rumors: Stokes, Udrih, Wade

January 16th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have recalled Jarnell Stokes from their D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, the team announced today. The center/forward has appeared in 14 games over four trips to the D-League, averaging 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. He has scored at least 20 points nine times and has recorded seven double-doubles. Stokes, who was part of the November 10th trade that also brought Beno Udrih to Miami and sent Mario Chalmers and James Ennis to Memphis, could be a player to watch, writes Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald. He hasn’t appeared in a game yet for the Heat, but injuries to Josh McRoberts and Chris Andersen could provide an opportunity. However, an illness will force Stokes to miss Sunday’s game at Oklahoma City, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Stokes is expected to join the Heat when they return home Tuesday.

There’s more news out of South Beach:

Many Heat fans are complaining about the loss of Chalmers, even though Udrih has arguably put up better numbers since the trade, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The 33-year-old point guard is averaging more assists per 36 minutes, fewer turnovers and has a slightly better shooting percentage than Chalmers since they switched teams. Udrih takes a philosophical approach toward a journeyman NBA existence that has seen him land with seven teams in 11 seasons. “The contracts I have had have been easy to trade,” he said. “Sometimes I was thrown into a trade; sometimes I was traded because the other team wanted me.”
Dwyane Wade, who will be a free agent again this summer, ranks among the most productive 34-year-olds in league history, Jackson writes in a separate story. Wade is averaging 18.4 points through 38 games this season, third best among active players who have reached age 34 and the 26th-highest mark of all time. Wade inked a one-year, $20MM deal last summer.

Grizzlies Rumors: Adams, Ennis, Barnes

January 16th, 2016 at 4:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies shouldn’t write off Jordan Adams as another draft failure despite his knee surgery this week, contends Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. Adams has only appeared in two games for Memphis this season after averaging 3.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in 30 games during his rookie season of 2014/15. While admitting the Grizzlies have a spotty record in drafting and player development, Herrington argues that it’s too early to give up on Adams considering that he’s only 21, still on a rookie contract and has been promising when he has played. Adams is likely to be out of action six to eight weeks, meaning he will rejoin the team before the season ends. However, Herrington notes that the injury has left his role for next season in question.

There’s more news out of Memphis:

James Ennis hasn’t seen much playing time with the Grizzlies, but he’s too much of a bargain to get rid of, Herrington argues in the same piece. Ennis came to Memphis from Miami in a November 10th deal, but has appeared in only seven NBA games and has made eight trips to the D-League. However, he is signed for next season at a little more than $980K, and Herrington says that value made it a wise decision to keep him over Ryan Hollins last week when Memphis signed Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract. Herrington also speculates that Hollins could be brought back after Williams’ deal expires Sunday.
Matt Barnes hasn’t changed his mind about Knicks coach Derek Fisher in the wake of the October incident that led to a two-game suspension for Barnes, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The former friends haven’t been on speaking terms since an alleged physical confrontation October 3rd at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, and Barnes said he plans to keep it that way when the Grizzlies host the Knicks tonight. “I just don’t like him, plain and simple. He knows I don’t like him,” Barnes said. “Don’t say nothing to me, I don’t plan on saying nothing to him. Don’t try to shake my hand. There’s none of that. There’s nothing there. There never will be. Just stay away from me basically.”

Western Rumors: Durant, Cauley-Stein, Gasol

January 16th, 2016 at 10:14am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant is irritated by the notion that the Thunder aren’t serious title contenders, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com. The media generally considers three teams — the Warriors, Spurs and Cavaliers — as the only ones that can win the championship this season, Young adds, and Durant feels his team is being overlooked. “Man, the [media and experts are] always trying to nitpick us,” Durant told Young. “I mean, they don’t like us. They don’t like how Russell [Westbrook] talks to the media, they don’t like how I talk to the media. So obviously, yeah, they’re not going to give us the benefit of the doubt. … They don’t mean nothing, the critics. Their opinions, everybody has one, but we don’t really care about them. Every day we’re just going to keep grinding this thing out. We feel like we can compete with anybody.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Willie Cauley-Stein is meshing well with DeMarcus Cousins and that’s why the Kings rookie center has returned to the starting lineup, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. Cauley-Stein’s defensive presence allows Cousins to play power forward and moves Rudy Gay to his natural small forward spot, giving the Kings an imposing frontcourt, Jones adds. Cauley-Stein missed two games with a finger injury. “It takes a load off me,” Cousins told Jones. “I’ve got a huge load a lot of games, and having Willie makes it easier and helps me out so much. I think he’s very seasoned on the defensive end for a rookie. He has the potential to be a very good player in this league, and I’m glad to have him back.”
Combo forward Kostas Papanikolaou, who was caught off-guard by the Nuggets waiving him earlier this month, has attracted the interest of two Euroleague powers from Greece, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, according to Sportando via Sport24. Panathinaikos has made an offer through June 2018 while the Olympiacos offer runs through June 2017, the story continues. FC Barcelona holds Papanikolaou’s European rights and would have a week to match if he agrees to either offer, the story adds.
Marc Gasol‘s offensive numbers are down this season and Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger believes his veteran center looks worn down, he told Peter Edmiston of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Memphis’ lack of frontcourt depth has made it difficult for Joerger to reduce Gasol’s minutes. “He’s exhausted,” Joerger told Edmiston. “His legs are tired. He carries a heavy load and he’s exhausted. He won’t say it, but someone who’s been around him as much as I have, it looks to be that he’s banged up and he’s played too many minutes. It’s just what we’ve had to do; I don’t have a lot of options.” Gasol is shooting a career-low 44.5% from the field.

Western Notes: Gay, Price, Brown, Williams

January 15th, 2016 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Pelicans are continuing trade talks focused on Rudy Gay, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The latest report is that Sacramento is refusing to accept New Orleans’ offer of Eric Gordon and Alonzo Gee. The Pelicans reportedly turned down an offer of Gay for Ryan Anderson earlier this week. In November, Gay signed a three-year, $40MM extension with the Kings, with a player option on the final season in 2017/18. Gordon is making more than $15.5MM in the final year of his contract, while Gee inked a two-year, $2.75MM free agent deal with the Pelicans in July.

There’s more tonight from the Western Conference:

The Suns‘ Ronnie Price won’t be able to resume basketball activities for at least three weeks after having surgery on his right big toe, tweets Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Surgeons had to remove “loose bodies” from the toe. The veteran guard has appeared in 34 games this season.
The 10-day contracts signed by the Suns‘ Lorenzo Brown and the Grizzlies‘ Elliot Williams will both expire on Sunday, tweets former Nets executive Bobby Marks. He notes that both teams will have the option of offering a second 10-day contract.
The Rockets have recalled K.J. McDaniels from their Rio Grande Valley affiliate in the D-League, the team tweeted today. McDaniels has appeared in just 11 games with Houston after signing a three-year, $10MM deal in the offseason.

Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Rozier, Mickey, Barnes

January 15th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Last season’s trade to the Celtics helped Isaiah Thomas blossom into an All-Star candidate, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Thomas was an effective sixth man in Phoenix before the deal, averaging 15.2 points and 3.7 assists as part of a three-guard rotation with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. But he has blossomed this season in Boston, boosting his averages to 21.6 points and 6.7 assists while keeping the Celtics in the playoff race. “He’s a terrific player,” said Suns GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s having a heck of a year. I wish we could’ve got him to accept his role better or utilized him better ourselves. In retrospect, those three guys – Bledsoe, Dragic and Thomas – all being in their 20s and all having All-Star aspirations made it challenging. With their sizes, you couldn’t play all three together a lot and they were all starting-caliber players who deserved to play and had a lot of success in the league.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics sent guard Terry Rozier and forward Jordan Mickey to their Maine affiliate in the D-League, the team tweeted today.
Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes implies that he had the support of at least one Knicks player in his altercation with New York coach Derek Fisher, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Barnes was suspended for two games for his actions in the fight with Fisher, which took place in October at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife. “It’s been great — my teammates, organization, other guys throughout the league, people from his team, people from other sports, people from the entertainment world,’’ Barnes said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support throughout the whole situation.”
Sixers coach Brett Brown has been impressed by the working relationship between GM Sam Hinkie and chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Since Colangelo was hired last month, the Sixers have hired Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach, traded for Ish Smith and signed veteran Elton Brand. “There’s another way to see where we are at,” Brown said, “and different [eyes] coming in and making clean assessments about where we are at.”

Western Notes: Suns, Kings, Davis

January 15th, 2016 at 3:47pm CST by Will Joseph

Mirza Teletovic and P.J. Tucker have attracted interest on the trade market, but the Suns are delaying discussions about those two players until they believe they are out of the playoff picture, one league source told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. That time might come soon, however, considering the Suns are 13-27 and four and a half games behind for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Markieff Morris is also still viewed as a valuable stretch-power forward on the trade market, according to Deveney. That’s because Morris’ contract (he has three years and $24MM left after this season) is affordable and he still has plenty of upside, one source told Deveney.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac does not make it a priority to return calls from other executives around the league, according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst (link to podcast hosted by ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe; h/t Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com). What’s more, Divac was unaware that there was a trade call to the league office when Sacramento sent Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, and Nik Stauskas to the Sixers, according to Lowe.
Ed Davis, whom the Blazers signed to a three-year, $20MM deal in the summer, said Portland differs from his previous team, the Lakers, because the Blazers have a clear-cut rebuilding plan, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. “Here, we’re trying to build something,” Davis told Kennedy. “I enjoyed my time with the Lakers. Coach [Byron] Scott, [GM] Mitch [Kupchak] and all those guys were good to me, so I don’t really have any complaints. But it’s just different [in Portland]. Obviously in L.A. they want those big stars and they’re not really trying to keep a core together. Now they’re starting to do it because they aren’t getting those top free agents in. Here, there’s just stability. You know that guys are going to be around for a while. You don’t have the feeling that you could get traded any minute or that they’re going to bring a superstar in [to replace you]. You can just focus on doing your job. You know [the plan] and that everything is going to be fine.”
The Grizzlies assigned James Ennis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Ennis’ seventh assignment to the Iowa Energy.