Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

And-Ones: Diogu, Silver, Labissiere

October 24th, 2015 at 10:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Ike Diogu has signed with Guangdong Southern Tigers of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando reports. The power forward played last season with Dongguan Leopards of the CBA and he last played in the NBA for the Spurs during the 2011/12 campaign.

Here are a few more notes from the basketball world:

During his press conference on Friday, commissioner Adam Silver emphasized transparency and the sharing of financial information, which could be a big issue for the NBPA, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com tweets.
Silver also admitted that the influx of TV money into NBA will reduce the number of teams losing money, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
Kentucky Freshman Skal Labissiere has received NCAA eligibility to play the 2015/16 season, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Labissiere is projected to be a top pick in the 2016 draft.
Jeff Green, who will be a free agent after the 2015/16 season, hopes to stay in Memphis long-term, but the forward also understands that basketball is a business and that a lot can change between now and the end of the season, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. “It’s too far [away] for me to think about,” Green said. “You just have to take it one game at a time. If we do what we have to do and win, everything will take care of itself. My main approach is to continue to be Jeff Green, continue to be aggressive and more consistent. Then, everything will fall into place next summer.”

Grizzlies Waive Diawara, Carter, Jones, Stepheson

October 24th, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have waived Yakhouba Diawara, Sampson Carter, Lazeric Jones and Alex Stepheson, the team announced. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported the moves minutes earlier (Twitter link). The Memphis roster drops to 16, which means one more cut has to take place no later than Monday. JaMychal Green, who has a $150K partial guarantee, and Ryan Hollins, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, are the only remaining Grizzlies without full guarantees. The four players Memphis is letting go have no guaranteed money.

Diawara, 33, was attempting an NBA comeback after having played overseas since his last NBA appearance in 2009/10. The swingman averaged 2.3 points in 16.0 minutes per game across six preseason contests this month.

Carter was a 25-year-old combo forward who went undrafted out of UMass in 2014. Last season he hopped from BC Prievidza in Slovakia to CAB Madeira in Portugal and finally to Club Virgilio Castillo, also known as Chola, of the Dominican Republic. Pincus reported that his contract was a one-year, minimum-salary arrangement without a guarantee. He averaged 1.0 point and 6.0 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.

Jones’ contract was the first NBA deal for the former UCLA point guard who spent three years playing overseas. The 25-year-old put up 5.8 points in 14.3 minutes per game over six preseason contests for the Grizzlies.

Stepheson followed a similar path, playing overseas after going undrafted in 2011 out of USC and finally landing his first NBA deal with the Grizzlies earlier this month, when the team cut camp invitee Michael Holyfield. Stepheson’s deal was a one-year, minimum-salary arrangement without a guarantee, as Pincus reported. He averaged 2.3 points in 9.2 minutes per game over three preseason appearances.

Southwest Rumors: Duncan, Mavs, Grizzlies

October 19th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tim Duncan is trying to sort out where he fits into the Spurs’ pecking order with the emergence of small forward Kawhi Leonard and the addition of power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. With high-scoring Aldridge at power forward, Duncan is likely to spend more time in the high post and use his passing skills, Wright continues. “My role has changed a little bit this year,” Duncan told Wright. “I’m trying to figure that part of it out. But it’s fun to be out there. It’s fun to be with the guys that I’ve been with for so many years and some new guys that I’m learning.” Even before Aldridge joined the Spurs, Duncan’s role in the offense was reduced, Wright notes. His usage rate of 22.2% last season was the lowest of his career but his true shooting percentage of .560 tied his best since 2006/07, Wright adds.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

International veteran Salah Mejri has fought his way into the mix for a rotation spot with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. The 7’2” Mejri gives the Mavs length at center and has displayed shot-blocking and rebounding skills during the preseason, Sefko continues. However, he needs to work on his strength, Sefko adds. Mejri received a guaranteed rookie minimum of $525,093 from Dallas.
Power forward Jarnell Stokes seems to have fallen out of favor with the Grizzlies and that could help journeyman center Ryan Hollins gain a roster spot, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Stokes only played six minutes in the team’s preseason game on Sunday, while coach Dave Joerger has made a point of praising Hollins, Herrington continues. With Marc Gasol as the only other true center on the roster, Hollins might fill a bigger need, Herrington adds. Stokes has a guaranteed contract worth $845,059 this season, while Hollins’ $947,276 deal is not guaranteed.
Rookie center Joshua Smith is getting extensive court time as he battles for the Rockets‘ final roster spot, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Injuries to big men Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones and Clint Capela have allowed Smith, who has a non-guaranteed deal worth $525,093, to make an impression on the coaching staff. “You look at a guy in my position – just trying to make the team – any chance you get to start, you have to take advantage,” Smith told Feigen. “I’m humbled they’re giving me a lot of opportunities. I just have to keep trying to make the best out of them.”

Western Notes: Odom, Lillard, Randolph, Davis

October 13th, 2015 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Damian Lillard downplayed any rumored issues between him and LaMarcus Aldridge, and denied that their relationship was part of the reason Aldridge decided to leave the Trail Blazers for the Spurs as an unrestricted free agent this summer, Paul Flannery of SB Nation writes. “Our relationship was fine,” Lillard said. “Me and LA never had an argument. People are searching for something that’s not there. When you have two All-Stars on the same team and one of them decides to leave, it’s automatically, ‘They didn’t get along.’ We had back-to-back 50-win seasons. We both made the All-Star team. We played through him and after that it was me and that was that. We played well together. We never had an issue.”

Portland executive Neil Olshey noted that the franchise sought Lillard’s approval before embarking on a full-rebuild and surrounding the point guard with a younger crop of players, Flannery adds in the same piece. “This was not done without Dame’s participation,” Olshey said. “If he was at all reticent, if he said it would be great if you could get me another vet to help out, we would have gone out and found a couple of other guys to take the pressure off of him. He’s not that kind of kid. He embraces it. He thrives on it.”

Here’s more from out West:

Former NBA player Lamar Odom was hospitalized after he was found unconscious earlier this evening at a Nevada brothel, Andrew Dalton and Sally Ho of The Associated Press report. The 35-year-old was stabilized and taken to Desert View Hospital in nearby Pahrump, a sheriff’s office statement said. There was no further word on Odom’s condition. Odom’s last NBA action came during the 2012/13 season with the Clippers.
Zach Randolph is prepared to do whatever it takes to help the Grizzlies win this season, including accepting a reduction in his minutes in order to preserve his energy and health, Teresa M. Walker of The Associated Press writes. “I think I’m still in my prime, and I’m going to let my game, the way I play, speak for itself,” Randolph said. “But I mean whatever I need to do to help this team, if it’s play less minutes, whatever, I’m with this team whatever we need to do.“
Blazers power forward Ed Davis has switched representation from Relativity Sports to IT Sports Management and agent Paolo Zamorano, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Davis inked a three-year, $20MM deal with Portland this offseason.
Dwight Howard has no desire to repeat the circus that accompanied his previous forays into free agency, and he intends to keep the focus on the Rockets‘ 2015/16 campaign, and not where he may be playing next season, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. The big man can opt out of his current deal after the season and become an unrestricted free agent, Blinebury adds, and Howard believes that he can play for another 10 seasons. “Even though this will be my 12th season in the NBA, I still feel like I’ve got a lot left in me,” Howard said. “I believe my best 10 years are still in front of me, if we play it smart and I appreciate the coaching staff, the training staff and everybody for working toward that.“

Western Notes: Durant, Donovan, Grizzlies, Barnes

October 13th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti carries an upbeat attitude as his team enters the final season of Kevin Durant‘s contract, but he understands the stakes, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com details. Presti acknowledges plenty of competition will exist for the former MVP, and when Shelburne asked his thoughts on the rising salary cap that will give more teams a shot to sign Durant, Presti simply pointed to a magnet on his wall that reads, “Forget It, Jake, It’s Chinatown.” The question remains about whether Durant and Russell Westbrook can lead the team to the championship as a united force in perhaps the last season they’ll play together, Shelburne writes.

“We are not going to bury our head in the sand,” Presti said, “and pretend that’s not going to be in the air.”

See more on the Thunder amid our look at notes from the Western Conference:

The atmosphere around the small-town Thunder offers new coach Billy Donovan the chance to concentrate on the X’s and O’s of basketball, and it’s clear that success on the court will be more important than Donovan’s ability to manage egos, as Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding believes.
The Grizzlies didn’t add a shooter in the offseason, but as long as Zach Randolph and Tony Allen have prominent roles in the rotation, there’s little the team can do improve in that area, argues Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, writing in his “Pick and Pop” column.
The trade that netted Matt Barnes didn’t cost the Grizzlies much, so if his situation with Derek Fisher becomes too much of a distraction, the team wouldn’t be making too much of a sacrifice, all told, if it decides to part ways with Barnes, Herrington opines in the same piece.

Cavs Lead With 16 Free Agent Signings

October 12th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers have drawn plenty of attention the past few months for a free agent they haven’t signed, but even though Tristan Thompson lingers in free agency, Cleveland has taken care of more free agent business than any other team in the league during the 2015 offseason. They signed 16 free agents, three more than the Spurs, the team that recorded the next most free agent signings. The Cavs just made their latest signing this weekend, replacing Michael Dunigan with Dionte Christmas on the camp roster.

It might be easy to presume a direct correlation between free agent activity and success, given the teams at the very top and bottom of the list below. The Cavs and Spurs are strong bets to win their respective conferences this season, while the Jazz, Timberwolves and Sixers are nowhere near the title picture. The presence of the Warriors and Thunder on the bottom half of the list and the Kings and Nets close to the top debunk that theory, however. It has more to do with the fact that the Cavs had only four players signed for 2015/16 when they ended last season, while the Jazz had 13. Cleveland simply had more jobs to hand out.

Still, other factors are at play, since free agent signings don’t encompass draft picks, draft-and-stash signings, trades or waiver claims. The Trail Blazers made significant changes to their roster, but they did much of their work via trade instead of free agency. The Rockets had 10 players under contract on July 1st, but they still wound up making 11 free agent signings.

Here’s a look at the number of free agent signings for each team. Click the team’s name to see the names of each of their signees via our 2015 Free Agent Tracker.

Western Notes: Kobe, Morris, Barnes, Davis

October 8th, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The majority of the two dozen team executives, scouts, agents and other figures from around the NBA who spoke with Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com said the Lakers definitely shouldn’t re-sign Kobe Bryant if he decides to play beyond the expiration of his contract at season’s end. Another sizable chunk of respondents said it should depend on his health, while only one said the Lakers should definitely bring him back. Part of the issue involves repeated assertions from people around the league that free agents won’t want to sign with the Lakers and play with their longtime star, as Holmes relays. Bryant has said he won’t play for an NBA team aside from the Lakers, but if he did, few teams would have interest, Holmes hears. One executive mentioned the Knicks as a possibility, and another brought up the Clippers. See more from around the Western Conference:

Markieff Morris gave further indication Wednesday that he indeed wants to stick around Phoenix, telling reporters, including Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, that he intends to convince local fans he’s on board. “I’ll win them back,” Morris said. “That’s all I can say about that.” Morris last week backed off his trade demand from the summer, and the Suns apparently have no interest in sending him out, even though the Pistons are reportedly interested.
Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger and Matt Barnes sloughed off the notion that reports that Barnes physically attacked Knicks coach Derek Fisher will have any bearing on the team, and Joerger expressed full support for his player, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Barnes said that he hasn’t spoken with anyone from the league office, but the NBA is investigating, Tillery adds. Memphis traded for Barnes this summer, and he’s entering the final season of his contract.
Ed Davis prioritized the chance for minutes over money when he decided to sign a three-year, $20MM deal with the Blazers this summer, as Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com details. “I was playing well in Toronto my third year, then I got traded to Memphis,” Davis said. “I played behind [Zach Randolph] and Marc [Gasol] for a year and a half, didn’t really get the opportunity. I was playing 13, 14 minutes a game and there’s no way that’s you’re going to be successful in the NBA with those minutes. That set me back for a year and a half. I guess the media or whatever thought I couldn’t play, or whatever it was. Went to L.A. [Lakers] last year, had a decent year and everything turned. Now I’m in a great situation and I’m looking forward to it.”

Fisher Mulls Legal Action Against Barnes

October 8th, 2015 at 2:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

THURSDAY, 2:23pm: Barnes drove to his ex-wife’s home when one of his children Facetimed him and expressed concern, as Barnes told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, who shares Barnes’ details of the leadup to the incident. Barnes didn’t address the reported altercation with Fisher, though he did address his relationship with his former Lakers teammate.

“We were close. We were friends. Some things have happened to change that. It is what it is,” Barnes said to Shelburne about Fisher.

4:57pm: During his pregame press conference today, Fisher was asked if there would be any legal ramifications from the incident, to which he replied, “We’ll see,” Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.

WEDNESDAY, 4:24pm: Knicks coach Derek Fisher and Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes had a physical confrontation Saturday in Los Angeles and Fisher is considering legal action for the incident, but has not yet filed any charges, Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports report. Ian Mohr of The New York Post first reported the altercation. The Knicks, Grizzlies and NBA security have been made aware of the incident and are expected to soon start working together on a probe of the events, according to Charania and Wojnarowski. “We are aware and currently gathering information regarding today’s report involving Matt Barnes,” the Grizzlies said in a press release.

The conflict stemmed from Fisher’s romantic involvement with the estranged wife of Barnes, a former teammate, and when Barnes found out, he allegedly attacked Fisher, sources informed Mohr. Fisher and Barnes’ ex, Gloria Govan, have been dating for “a few months,” a source told the Post scribe, a relationship that began after Fisher filed to divorce his wife of 10 years, Candace, this past March.

“Derek was in Gloria’s back yard with about 10 people having a bonfire on Saturday,” said Mohr’s source. “Derek’s separated from his wife and there’s a relationship with [Gloria]. Barnes was in Santa Barbara [at Memphis Grizzlies training camp] and heard that Fisher was in his house. He went crazy. He got in his car and went to the house and went after Fisher.” A source close to Fisher who spoke with Mohr confirmed the fight, but had conflicting information regarding whether or not Fisher would pursue legal action, saying, “Matt came after Derek but he only had a few scratches … Derek’s not going to press charges, he’s going to let it go.”

A significant part of the NBA’s security department is overseas working closely on the league’s preseason games in Europe, sources told Charania and Wojnarowski. This could certainly delay any investigation from being completed fully, as well as any subsequent disciplinary action, if warranted, though that is merely my speculation.

Grizzlies Sign Alex Stepheson, Cut Michael Holyfield

October 7th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:59pm: The Grizzlies followed up with a press release to formally announce the Stepheson signing.

2:38pm: Holyfield’s release is official, the team announced, though the Grizzlies made no mention of Stepheson.

12:24pm: The Grizzlies are switching out big men on their camp roster, waiving center Michael Holyfield to make room for the signing of power forward Alex Stepheson, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Tillery indicates the transactions have already taken place, though the team has not made an announcement. Stepheson, who went undrafted out of USC in 2011, was with the Mavericks in summer league this year, but this will be his first NBA contract. It’ll be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Grizzlies can hand out after using their mid-level exception on Brandan Wright, though the level of guarantee on Stepheson’s deal isn’t immediately clear. Holyfield, who signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Grizzlies in August, went scoreless in eight minutes in Tuesday’s preseason opener for Memphis. The Grizzlies roster will remain at the preseason limit of 20.

Stepheson, 28, scored a total of five points in about 18 minutes of playing time spread across three games with the summer league Mavs in July. He also appeared in summer league with the Kings in 2014, but most of his pro career has played out overseas. Stepheson averaged 12.3 points and 9.2 boards in 26.8 minutes per game across 29 appearances with Turkey’s Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi last season, showing his skill as a high-volume rebounder. He began his college career at North Carolina before transferring to USC, where he pulled down 9.2 RPG in 32.9 MPG as a senior in 2010/11.

Holyfield was with the Grizzlies summer league team this year before formally joining the Memphis roster. He went undrafted out of Sam Houston State in June. The Grizzlies can retain his D-League rights if they wish, just as they can with as many as four of the players they waive. Fellow Memphis camp invitee Dan Nwaelele, whom the Grizzlies waived earlier this week, appears set to become one of those four, as international journalist David Pick reported that he’s on his way to the D-League affiliate of the Grizzlies.

Memphis has 14 full guarantees plus a partial guarantee for JaMychal Green, as our roster count shows. Thus, Stepheson doesn’t appear to have much of a chance to stick with the Grizzlies for long, so he, too, is a candidate to end up with their D-League team.