Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Grizzlies, Joerger, Thunder, Ellis

September 15th, 2013 at 8:29pm CST by Zachary Links

A first-time coach could be an obstacle in the early season, but Grizzlies management is convinced the team will quickly gain chemistry with Dave Joerger, who was an assistant coach under Lionel Hollins. “You have to start rebuilding your momentum and re-creating your roles and we have a number of new faces,” GM Chris Wallace told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “Because of the personnel and the dynamics of the organization, you hope that his transition is looser than if an outside person came in.” Here's more from the Western Conference..

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman has some questions to ponder before training camp opens for the Thunder. One of the big question marks for OKC is whether Jeremy Lamb is ready to step up and contribute. The youngster will be called upon to be a big contributor after the Thunder let Kevin Martin go this summer.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News sizes the Mavericks' Monta Ellis against ten other top shooting guards in the league over the last six seasons, based on scoring average. The Mavs gave Ellis a three-year, $28MM deal this offseason after missing out on some more ambitious free agent targets.
Anthony Davis' cousin, Keith Chamberlain, was among 34 players trying out for the Pelicans' D-League affiliate this weekend, according to Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com.

Cap Details: Grizzlies, Raptors, Bulls, Pistons

September 5th, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports has published his first column for SBNation.com, discussing how the Sixers' proximity to the salary floor has been overblown in recent weeks. As I wrote when I examined the issue last month, there's no real penalty for failing to meet the NBA's minimum payroll threshold, so there's no pressure on the 76ers to add unnecessary salary. However, as Deeks notes, the flexibility could open up a number of trade opportunties for the team.

Deeks also passes along a couple of cap details on other teams in his piece and in his latest update at ShamSports, so let's round up the rest of the noteworthy items….

The Grizzlies and Raptors stretched the contracts of Fab Melo and Quentin Richardson, respectively, when releasing those players last week. That means that instead of a cap hit of about $1.31MM in 2013/14, Melo will count toward Memphis' books for about $437K for each of the next three seasons. For the Raptors, Richardson's cap hit figures to be about $467K for the next three years, rather than about $1.4MM this season.
For both the Grizzlies and Raptors, the likely motivation was creating a little flexibility below the tax threshold, potentially accommodating further signings or trades.
The Bulls also used the stretch provision when they released Richard Hamilton in July, as I suggested earlier today. That doesn't really create extra flexibility for Chicago, but it will reduce the team's tax bill for 2013/14.
Josh Harrellson's two-year deal with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K in year one, and non-guaranteed in year two, according to Deeks.

Southwest Rumors: McGrady, Hamilton, Covington

September 3rd, 2013 at 7:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs came tantalizingly close in June to giving late-season addition Tracy McGrady a championship ring before his NBA career concluded, but T-Mac's professional playing days might not be over just yet. Sources indicate to the Chengdu Business Daily that there's mutual interest between McGrady and the Sichuan Jinqiang Whale of China, according to China Daily USA. McGrady hinted at a return to China when he announced his NBA retirement last week. Here's more news related to the NBA's Southwest Division clubs:

Richard Hamilton is probably looking at no better than the minimum salary, but the Rockets, as well as the Knicks, are among teams that may have interest in the former Bull, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
Undrafted small forward Robert Covington scored a full guarantee on the first year of his three-year deal with the Rockets, per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, and the former Tennessee State Tiger tells Jason Friedman of Rockets.com about what set him apart in summer league, his relationship with James Harden, and more.
HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis names ex-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins first on his list former NBA coaches likely to receive an offer the next time an opening emerges. Hollins beat out reigning Coach of the Year George Karl, who'd prefer to take a job with a Western Conference contender.

Fab Melo Clears Waivers

September 1st, 2013 at 4:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Big man Fab Melo has cleared waivers after being cut loose by the Grizzlies late last week, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Syracuse product was set to earn $1.31MM in 2013/14.

Melo's stint in Memphis didn't last very long as he came over via trade from the Celtics in mid-August. It's still unclear if the Grizzlies intended all along to waive the center after giving up Donte Greene to get him. Ultimately, the move cost the Grizzlies a little bit of cap flexibility but netted them at least $300K in cash as the C's gave them $1.66MM in the swap.

Melo was the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft and only appeared in six NBA games for the Celtics in 2012/13. He spent the bulk of the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, averaging 9.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 33 games for the Maine Red Claws. Despite his lack of a real professional resume, it wasn't a given that Melo would clear waivers given his size and athleticism.

Grizzlies Waive Fab Melo

August 30th, 2013 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Just two weeks after acquiring him from the Celtics, the Grizzlies have released big man Fab Melo, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It's not clear if that was Memphis' plan all along, or whether the team changed its opinion on Melo after trading for him, but either way, his stint with the Grizzlies didn't last long.

In the deal that sent Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, the Grizzlies gave up a non-guaranteed salary of about $1.03MM to add a guaranteed $1.31MM salary. However, as Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld tweeted last week, the Celtics also included $1.66MM in cash in the swap. So even though the Grizzlies still take a cap hit for Melo, ownership technically saved a little money in the deal, at the expense of some flexibility.

Assuming Melo isn't claimed on waivers, he'll become an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team except the C's. Meanwhile, by cutting him prior to the August 31st deadline, the Grizzlies can use the stretch provision on Melo, allowing the club to stretch his salary payments and cap hit into three equal parts over the next three years.

Of course, it's no given that Melo will clear waivers. As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter) it's possible that a team with cap space or a trade exception big enough to absorb his salary will take a flier on the young seven-footer, which would take the Grizzlies entirely off the hook for his contract.

Sixers Acquire Tony Wroten From Grizzlies

August 29th, 2013 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

August 29th: The league has officially approved the trade, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

August 22nd: The second-round pick going to Memphis will be heavily protected and may never change hands, a source tells Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

1:29pm: A week after acquiring a 2012 first-round pick from the Celtics, the Grizzlies have sent their own 2012 first-rounder to Philadelphia. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies have traded Tony Wroten to the Sixers in exchange for a future second-round pick.

Wroten, 20, was selected 25th in last year's draft by the Grizzlies, but appeared in just 35 games for the team in his rookie season, playing limited minutes. In 11 contests for the D-League's Reno Bighorns, the University of Washington product averaged 17.0 PPG, but didn't shoot particularly well (.415/.326/.548).

Like Fab Melo, who the Grizzlies acquired from Boston, Wroten is viewed as a young player with upside. However, while Memphis was willing to roll the dice on Melo, it seems the team was ready to cut ties with Wroten. The move indicates that the Grizz have confidence in Nick Calathes as their backup point guard behind Mike Conley. Jerryd Bayless is also available to play at the point, though he's more of a combo guard, and Josh Akognon is under contract as well, but has a non-guaranteed deal. Wroten's departure could bode well for Akognon's chances of earning a regular-season roster spot.

The Sixers, meanwhile, had only been carrying 12 contracts (10 guaranteed), and need to add more players if they intend to surpass the league's required salary floor. Wroten's modest salary won't raise team payroll to the minimum threshold, but it's a start. Philadelphia had also been carrying just one point guard (Michael Carter-Williams), so taking a chance on Wroten makes sense for a team not expecting to compete for the playoffs.

Because they still have plenty of cap room, the 76ers able to absorb Wroten's contract without sending out any salary in return. The over-the-cap Grizzlies will create a traded player exception worth Wroten's salary ($1,160,040), the latest in a long list of TPEs for the club. Clearing that salary from their books should also give Memphis a little more breathing room below the luxury tax.

Reaction To Antawn Jamison’s Deal With Clippers

August 26th, 2013 at 5:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Minimum-salary signings usually don't generate much buzz, but when it's a player who averaged double-figure scoring for 13 consecutive seasons, the rules are different. Antawn Jamison put up a career-low 9.4 points per game last season in 21.4 minutes per contest, another low watermark, but he felt capable of a larger role. Here's more on his L.A. switch from the Lakers to the Clippers, as we detail here:

The Clippers have had interest in signing both Jamison and Lamar Odom, but the effect that recent rumors of personal trouble for Odom will have upon his chances of joining the club is unclear, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Even with Jamison, the Clippers have an open spot on the regular season roster.
Jamison was "hardly" interested in rejoining the Lakers, Medina writes in the same piece. The forward was turned off by infighting among his teammates and he didn't have the best relationship with coach Mike D'Antoni, who made him a healthy scratch for six straight games last season.
The Bulls and Grizzlies had interest in Jamison, as a weekend report indicated, but his preference all along was to join the Clippers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Jamison's meeting with Doc Rivers earlier this month essentially cinched the deal, as Rivers prioritized bringing aboard a veteran without an ego who's eager to win a championship, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). The Clippers envision Jamison as a mentor for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Shelburne adds in a separate tweet.
Jamison is joining a contender, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors predicted. “This is a good fit for me. Hopefully, I’m the player that can help take the team over the edge (for a title),” Jamison told Spears (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Pierce, Odom, Collins, Cavs

August 25th, 2013 at 9:22pm CST by Zachary Links

The Sixers took their time in appointing a head coach this summer so it's no surprise to see them making late additions to the staff. Today, Philadelphia plucked Grizzlies assistant Lloyd Pierce to work alongside head coach Brett Brown, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter). Here's more from around the Association..

A close contact of Lamar Odom told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork (on Twitter) that even though Odom "is going through a lot in his personal life" he wants to join the Lakers.
Nets coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that Jason Collins was a candidate to join the team this offseason, but there's no longer a place for the center with 15 men on the roster, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I think he can still play,” Kidd said. “His knowledge as a veteran. There’s always a veteran that can help a young team. I think he’ll find a job at some point here.”
Contrary to a report back in May, the Cavs don't plan to bring Hungarian center Greg Somogyi in to training camp, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. The 7'3" big man was with the Lakers, and coach Mike Brown, in training camp last season. The Cavs are still putting together their training camp roster, but they have invited St. Mary's point guard Matthew Dellavedova and are considering former Georgetown forward Henry Sims.

Clippers Nearing Deal With Antawn Jamison?

August 25th, 2013 at 8:56pm CST by Zachary Links

8:56pm: The Clippers have expressed renewed interest as of late, but there's no offer yet, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter). The Grizzlies and Bulls are also in the mix.

8:21pm: The Clippers are closing in on a deal with free agent Antawn Jamison, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). The Clippers have been in talks with the veteran for much of the summer. Terms of the deal are not yet known but the Clips can only offer Jamison the veteran's minimum.

Jamison, 37, spent last season with the Lakers, averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 21.5 minutes per contest. It was a noticeable step back from the forward's previous career averages of 19.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 36.3 minutes per game. Jamison's new club might not give him the opportunity to shine as he has in years past, but it will save him a bit in moving fees.

The Clippers were said to be waiting on other options, namely Lamar Odom, before signing Jamison. In fact, they told Jamison as much nearly two weeks ago when he thought he was on the verge of a deal.

The UNC product is represented by the Wasserman Media Group, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

Joerger On Grizzlies’ Chances Next Season

August 24th, 2013 at 8:55pm CST by Spencer Lund

After interviewing high-profile head coaching candidates George Karl, Ed Pickney and Alvin Gentry for their vacant head coaching position, the Grizzlies promoted long-time assistant Dave Joerger to be their new head coach.

The team had parted ways with their most successful head coach in franchise history, Lionel Hollins, after disagreements with management – including ESPN stats guru John Hollinger - over the future of the team.

Joerger hasn't ever coached at the NBA level, and now he's expected to lead the Grizzlies in their hunt for an NBA title. His first season as coach will come only an offseason removed from the team's farthest playoff run in franchise history last year when they appeared in the Western Conference Finals.

The Commecial Appeal's Ronald Tillery relates what Joerger told MVP season ticket holders at the FedEx Forum early this morning about his new team's chances next season and what it's like to finally coach an NBA team of his own:

On the biggest difference in being a head coach rather than an assistant this summer:

“The head coaching part of it I’ve gone through. Mentally, you’re always working on the next year,” Joerger admitted. “What’s different is all of the other things that come with it. The stakes are a lot bigger. There’s more media. It’s a bigger organization. Your time gets stretched more than any other time I’ve been a head coach and certainly as an assistant coach.”

On offseason improvements to stay up with other teams in the West:

“I feel like we addressed some of our team needs,” the new coach said. “We’ve added championship experience. We’ve added IQ. We’ve added shooting. We’re trying to grow from within. Those are all very positive. You better be ready to play in the West. Houston got better. Golden State got better. Minnesota got better. And the Clippers have definitely improved themselves. I also feel like we’ve kept up.”

On the Grizzlies' offensive struggles last season:

“We do some things really well offensively, Joerger challenged. "I don’t want to lose those things. I want to add to them. On the front end of it, I want to add more pace. I want to add more ball movement. With the ball movement comes a continuation of offense. The ball can’t stop. When there’s eight seconds on the clock, the ball can’t just come out (and get stuck in isolation). We have to keep going. I’m trying to push the basketball. Other guys are going to have to be able to make decisions with the basketball at times. The ball needs to move.”

On rotational differences compared to Lionel Hollins' approach last season:

“I like our roster. I’m hoping we’ve created depth,” said Joerger. “I’m hoping Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter, Ed Davis and Kosta Koufos keep growing. If they do that and have a good year this year, then we have some really nice depth. We need those guys to make shots. They’ve got to play. And I’m looking forward to having that. I know what Mike Miller is going to give us from the perimeter. Hopefully, those other guys have a big year. I want the bench to be successful. It’s a long season and the West is a gauntlet.”