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Spurs Expected To Pursue Aldridge Before Gasol

May 18th, 2015 at 2:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs are widely expected to focus their attention on LaMarcus Aldridge first before turning their attention to fellow free agent target Marc Gasol, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The understanding as of two months ago was that Gasol would be San Antonio’s No. 1 target, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported then, though that was before a series of reports that made it clear that Portland’s star is strongly considering a move elsewhere. Stein indeed deems Aldridge as the more “gettable” free agent, though it’s not entirely clear whether San Antonio would prefer Aldridge over Gasol, all things being equal.

The Spurs are the team that Memphis fears most, Stein writes, cautioning that it’s premature to anoint San Antonio the most likely non-Memphis destination for the Spanish center given the expectation that the Spurs will attempt to woo Aldridge first. Most teams around the league predict that Gasol will wind up re-signing with the Grizzlies given his strong ties to the city of Memphis and his desire to win a title, according to Stein. Still, Gasol has given little precious little indication of his thinking, Stein notes.

The Knicks have long been linked to Gasol as a suitor, but former Knick and current Gasol teammate Beno Udrih recently posited that New York is out of the running. Many of Gasol’s comments about Memphis have made his love for the city undeniable, but Gasol in February refused to rule out the Knicks or any other team.

Memphis has Gasol’s Bird Rights and can give the 30-year-old a five-year deal with 7.5% raises, while other teams are limited to four-year contracts with 4.5% raises. Still, the expected leaps in the salary cap over the next couple of years stand to mitigate that advantage if the Arn Tellem client is confident he can still warrant maximum-salary consideration in another year or two. The Spurs will have the flexibility to make a maximum-salary bid on Aldridge, Gasol or another sought-after free agent this summer, but it may well require Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to retire or take drastically reduced salaries, as I explained.

The Spurs believe they can sign Aldridge, who’s considering them as well as the Mavericks and a new deal with the Blazers, as Stein recently reported. The Knicks and Lakers are apparently planning to become Aldridge suitors, too, as are the Celtics.

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Western Notes: Clippers, Thunder, Grizzlies

May 17th, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Will Joseph

DeAndre Jordan is in no rush to discuss his plans as an unrestricted free agent this summer, and if the big man re-signed with the Clippers, his contract would restrict their ability to upgrade their bench, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I’m not a free agent until July,” Jordan said when asked about his future after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs. Clippers president of basketball operations and coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that the team’s lack of a strong bench was exposed in the playoffs. It would be hard to improve the bench, if Jordan agreed to a maximum five-year contract with the Clippers for an estimated $108.3MM, Bolch writes. That would leave the Clippers with only the mini-mid-level exception of $3.376MM per year for up to three years and some veteran’s minimum contracts, Bolch adds.

“We have to get this team more support,” Rivers said. “With the contracts we’re hamstrung with, it’s going to be minimum deals for the most part. There are no big deals out there that we’re going to make, most likely.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • There’s a good chance small forward Jeff Green exercises his $9.2MM option for next season and tries to have a breakout year with the Grizzlies, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes. Green struggled in Memphis and approached coach Dave Joerger about moving to a bench role during the regular season.
  • The decision to fire Monty Williams as coach was more about the Pelicans‘ ownership and management being uncomfortable with Williams as its leader for the long haul and it had nothing to do with a power struggle or communication issue with GM Dell Demps, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The Raptors will reportedly gauge interest in Williams as an assistant.
  • Maurice Cheeks is emerging as a possible addition to Thunder coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Cheeks served as an assistant in Oklahoma City under Scott Brooks from 2009 to 2013.
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Grizzlies Rumors: Gasol, Playoffs, Randolph

May 16th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was characteristically silent about his future after Memphis’ playoff run ended Friday, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal [subscription required]. As the free-agent-to-be exited the game with a few seconds remaining, many in the crowd encouraged him to remain with the Grizzlies. But Gasol, who has offered few public clues about his long-term plans, didn’t seem to acknowledge them. “I normally don’t hear anything that the crowd shouts, either good or bad,” he said. “I haven’t even spent a second thinking of that.”

There’s more from Memphis after a second-round exit:

  • Gasol will have plenty of suitors this summer, according to Shaun Powell of nba.com. With quality centers in short supply, the two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year is expected to get a flood of offers. Powell speculates that the best fit might be in San Antonio, where Gasol could play alongside Tim Duncan for another year or two and then take over Duncan’s role when he retires. If Gasol prefers a big city, the Knicks and Lakers are expected to be very interested.
  • The Grizzlies need to re-examine whether their style will ever bring playoff success, contends Royce Young of ESPN. He notes that Memphis’ grit-and-grind philosophy is a rarity in the modern NBA and points out that the team has been ousted in the first or second round of the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. “We have who we have,” said Mike Conley. “We have our personnel. We play through our personnel. We have big guys, and that’s what we have to play through our strengths. We can’t change that. We have to work with what we have.”
  • Zach Randolph‘s desire to acquire a few shooters this offseason is a familiar refrain, writes Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal [subscription required].  “Add some shooting, get some shooting,” Randolph said after Friday’s loss. “Spread the floor, open the floor. We’re right there. We have a good team.” But Cohen notes that the Grizzlies signed Vince Carter last summer and traded for Jeff Green during the season, but barely improved their playoff 3-point output. Carter is inked through 2016/17, while Green has a player option this summer.
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Southwest Notes: Davis, Gasol, Grizzlies

May 11th, 2015 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

A max deal is waiting for Kawhi Leonard, but Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili hold the keys to the Spurs‘ summer, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote last week.  If they retire, the Spurs will have the capacity to sign an elite free agent without moving anyone.  If they stay, it may displace other key members of the team.  While we wait to see how this pivotal offseason plays out for the Spurs, here’s a glance at the rest of the Southwest Division..

  • The Pelicans have a lot of big decisions to make this summer, but nothing will carry more weight than trying to get Anthony Davis to sign a five-year extension, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes.  New Orleans is preparing a max money five-year offer and that’s no surprise given the year that he had.  Davis ended the regular season with an eye-popping 30.8 PER, the eleventh highest for a single season in league history.
  • The Grizzlies‘ trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers in the deal that fetched them Marc Gasol was controversial at the time, but GM Chris Wallace felt that it was the right move, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes.  “Our crowds were minuscule, and in our own market we were second but might as well have been 100th,” Wallace said. “We were nowhere near the Memphis Tigers in terms of capturing the imagination of the city. Pau’s candle had been doused; he wasn’t performing well and we weren’t performing well as a team.”  Of course, that deal brought Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol, to Memphis.
  • Gasol could be a franchise changer for the right team, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes.  Memphis officials have maintained that bringing Gasol back is their top priority this summer and all signs point to him staying put with the Grizzlies.  However, he’s still expected to explore his options.
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Grizzlies Notes: Gasol, Allen, Conley

May 10th, 2015 at 6:11pm CST by Will Joseph

Marc Gasol, who will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, is showcasing why he’s considered one of the elite players this summer’s market has to offer. The Grizzlies‘ big man seized control of the second quarter in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals series against the Warriors, Michael Cohen of the Commercial Appeal writes. Gasol played every second of the second quarter, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds while missing only two shots from the field. Gasol, who was guarded by elite defender Draymond Green in the second quarter, finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Here’s more out of Memphis:

  • Tony Allen, who has two years remaining on his contract after the Grizzlies re-signed him in July 2013 to a four-year deal worth $20MM, wants to be remembered as one of the all-time elite defenders, Michael Wallace of ESPN.com writes in a lengthy profile of the veteran guard/forward. “When they talk about the Bruce Bowens, Dennis Rodmans and Michael Coopers, I want them to remember my name, too,” said Allen, who was named to the All-NBA Defensive first team in 2011/12 and 2012/13. “I’m not just playing this game to be average. I want to be elite. I think I am, and I’ve proven it this year. It’s all right to be acknowledged; nothing wrong with that.” Wallace adds that while Marc Gasol is the face of the franchise, it is Allen who resonates more with Memphis because of his blue-collar work ethic.
  • Despite battling through several injuries, Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has made things difficult for the Warriors’ Stephen Curry in the Western Conference semifinal series between the two teams, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes. Conley’s five-year, $45MM extension back in November 2010 is widely considered more of a bargain than it was when he was initially inked to the deal. His contract is up after next season.
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2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Grizzlies

May 5th, 2015 at 9:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Grizzlies utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Iowa Energy

Affiliation Type: One-to-one

D-League Team Record: 26-24

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 3

Total D-League Assignments: 14

Player Stats While On Assignment

  • Jordan Adams: 5 assignments, 11 games, 18.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.8 APG. .462/.383/.795.
  • Russ Smith: 3 assignments, 18 games, 19.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.6 APG. .479/.418/.719.
  • Jarnell Stokes: 6 assignments, 23 games, 15.1 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.1 APG. .617/.000/.698.

D-League Signings

Assignment/Recall Log

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New York Notes: Lopez, Young, Gasol

May 3rd, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Will Joseph

The Nets have made it clear to Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young — both can opt out of their current deals — that they would like them to return, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Young said he first would want to see what Lopez plans to do before making a decision. “I definitely wanna see what the big fella’s gonna do also, but we’ve already been told that they expect us back next year and they want us back next year — no matter if we pick up our options or opt out,” Young said. “But for me, like I said, I’m just gonna factor in everything possible across the board and just try to make the right decision.” In what Mazzeo describes as an uncertain offseason for the Nets, Alan Anderson said he plans to opt out of his current deal, while Mirza Teletovic can become an unrestricted free agent if the Nets don’t submit a qualifying offer.

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

  • In the same piece, Mazzeo writes that Nets coach Lionel Hollins believes Lopez has the potential to be a franchise player — if the big man’s low-post game gets better.“I think when you look at Brook, I think that you can think about him that way,” Hollins said. “He has some limitations. When I say limitations, I think that if he developed his post-game, he could be a franchise player. But I don’t want to put that pressure on him, to say that if he doesn’t do that, he isn’t. I’m just saying that potentially with size and athleticism and the whole nine yards, from an offensive perspective. But there’s a lot more that goes into a franchise player than just skill, so I don’t even want to go there.” There’s a strong belief around the league, according to previous reports, that Lopez will opt out but re-sign with the Nets on a max deal this summer.
  • Lopez said his mind isn’t made up on what to do, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “You know, I don’t know,” Lopez said. “There’s lots of different stuff. I haven’t thought about it at all. The season just ended, so I haven’t given it any thought.”
  • Anderson, on the other hand, is very sure about opting out, Bontemps adds in the same piece. “I’m free,” Anderson said. “I mean, I would love to stay in Brooklyn, but I am a free agent. So I will be free.” The Nets, as Bontemps notes, will have Anderson’s Early Bird rights, giving them some additional flexibility to re-sign him, after he spent the past two years with the team.
  • Former Knicks player Beno Udrih, who is now on the Grizzlies, said New York doesn’t have much of a shot at landing Memphis’ Marc Gasol, who will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, tweets Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling. “They’re not going to get him. He’s a laid-back guy and doesn’t like drama,” Udrih told Zwerling.
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Northwest Notes: Brooks, Thunder, Aldridge

April 25th, 2015 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder GM Sam Presti doesn’t think Scott Brooks is a bad coach, but he believes he can find a better one, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Brooks was fired Wednesday after the Thunder narrowly missed the playoffs with a 45-37 record. Tramel speculates that the move was about the future, noting that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have had the same coach since they entered the league. He said Presti likely wants to give them a fresh voice as they enter the next stage of their careers.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

  • Three leading candidates to replace Brooks as Thunder coach were compared by Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Florida’s Billy Donovan and Connecticut’s Kevin Ollie have both been wildly successful as college coaches, while Tom Thibodeau has made the Bulls a perennial playoff team but is rumored to be in hot water in Chicago.
  • LaMarcus Aldridge is the latest in a long line of talented power forwards in Portland, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. When he was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2006, it was to ultimately replace the man who he is now lining up against in the playoffs, the Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph. Aldridge said he remembers being labeled as a “project” early on. “People always called me ‘soft,’ but Z-Bo never did,” Aldridge said. “In practice, I would go at it. I wasn’t strong enough to bang, but I would bang with him as much as I could.” Randolph was dealt to the Knicks in 2007, but the Blazers are hoping to keep Aldridge. He is expected to be among the most sought-after free agents on the market this summer.
  • Aldridge made comments to Holmes that echoed those he gave to Michael Lee of The Washington Post earlier this season in which he reflected on a time when he didn’t think the Blazers viewed him as a star in the making. “I wish I could say that,” Aldridge said to Holmes. “I want to give you that story so bad. But I’m trying to tell you, they did not believe in me in the beginning. I was a ‘project.'”
  • After losing most of his season to shoulder surgery, Utah’s Alec Burks is looking forward to next year, reports Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News. The surgical procedure came just two months after Burks agreed to a four-year, $42MM extension with the Jazz. “It was tough,” he said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that missing so many games, but I learned a lot. I’ll be able to play next year, and I can’t wait.”
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Western Notes: Gasol, Brooks, Paul

April 19th, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by Will Joseph

In using LeBron James‘ decision to bolt from the Heat and join the Cavaliers after the Spurs beat Miami in last year’s NBA Finals as an example, Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal opines that how the Grizzlies fare in the playoffs will impact Marc Gasol‘s free agency decision. Gasol was not at all forthcoming when asked if the playoffs could have an impact on his future. The big man has spent his entire seven-year career with the Grizzlies. “I don’t know,” Gasol said. “Honestly, I haven’t put in my mind what’s going to weigh what, and I really don’t know. I honestly can’t tell you because I haven’t had time to even think about it. So, I don’t know.” 

Previously, Gasol cast doubt on the idea that an early postseason exit for the Grizzlies would dissuade him from re-signing. Earlier this week owner Robert Pera expressed a similar view that the playoffs would not have much bearing on Gasol’s decision.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

  • The Blazers are decimated by injury, they are facing the Grizzlies — a team that has beat them in all four contests this season — and have several question marks heading into the summer. All of that presents this time period as the biggest challenge since GM Neil Olshey was hired in June 2012, John Canzano of the Oregonian opines. This summer, the team’s top player, LaMarcus Aldridge, will become an unrestricted free agent. Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez will also become unrestricted free agents.
  • Embattled Thunder coach Scott Brooks, whom the team is reportedly evaluating prior to making a decision on his future, has received three significant votes of confidence, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Serge Ibaka has joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in supporting Brooks, who has guided the team since the 2008/09 season. “Why are you going to fire him?” Ibaka is quoted in a piece by Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. “What has he done? Injuries were not his fault. Why would he go? He has not done anything. He’s not responsible for the injuries. He did his best with the team he had. Would [another] coach do better with a team with so many injuries? What could he possibly do about it? The team is with him. You can’t blame him for what has happened.”
  • Chris Paul has never led a team beyond the second round of the playoffs and although the star point guard has never received much backlash for his lack of postseason success, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders opines that if Paul fails to get far this postseason, his name won’t be associated with the transformation of the Clippers.
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Southwest Notes: Rondo, Gasol, Spurs

April 17th, 2015 at 3:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rajon Rondo has been a disappointment for the Mavericks since they traded for him in December, owner Mark Cuban admits to Grantland’s Kirk Goldsberry, and as the point guard readies to take on the Rockets in the playoffs with free agency looming this summer, Rondo’s time is now.

“He hasn’t been as good of a fit as we would’ve liked,” Cuban said. “And Rajon would tell you the same. I think that he is a guy that is built for the playoffs, and we haven’t had a lot of practice time together. He’s been here for maybe five or six practice days.”

While we wait to see if Rondo, who’s fallen out of the top 10 in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, can recover some of his value with a strong postseason, here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

  • Marc Gasol in February cast doubt on the idea that an early postseason exit for the Grizzlies would dissuade him from re-signing, and owner Robert Pera echoed his center in comments to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. “It’s a very long season and there are always going to be ups and downs,” Pera said. “You can’t get too high when shots are falling or too low when they aren’t. With respect to Marc, he is unique in that he is as much a Grizzlies stakeholder as I am. He has been a Grizzly his entire career, experiencing the lows of rebuilding and the highs of the past few seasons. I believe his goal, like mine, is to build a winning culture in Memphis that will carry on long after we have both faded into the background. In that sense, I believe his decision will be based not on any one particular result but on the process generally and his confidence in the direction of our franchise.”
  • Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich has made Danny Green his whipping boy, but it’s not because he isn’t high on the swingman, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News explains. One unnamed executive who spoke with Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops recently estimated Green’s value at $6MM a year.
  • The Spurs have assigned rookie Kyle Anderson to the D-League, the team announced. San Antonio’s affiliate has a playoff game tonight, while the NBA club doesn’t tip off its first-round series against the Clippers until Sunday night.
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