Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Mayo, Collison, Lin

October 3rd, 2012 at 7:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies ended practice early today upon the news that Dana Davis, the team's vice president of basketball operations, had been found dead in his apartment, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported. The Grizzlies released a statement detailing his role with the team, in which he oversaw programs that worked toward personal, professional and social development of players, as well as his extensive community outreach work. Davis was a member of the National Civil Rights Museum Board of Directors. Here's more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle appears to have anointed O.J. Mayo as the starter at two-guard, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram tweets. "He’s going to be a starter for us, whereas he’s been a sixth man for Memphis," the coach said.
Carlisle also has praise for new point guard Darren Collison, who must replace a championship-winning point guard in Jason Kidd and endure comparisons to would-be Mav Deron Williams, as HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram writes. "I always feel like in the NBA you’ve got to be your own player," Collison said. "Deron Williams is a good player, and I’m pretty sure Mavs fans would love for him to come here, but I’m my own player. I have a job to do here. My job is to win and make this team successful, and that’s it."
Jeremy Lin told Matt Thomas of KBME radio in Houston that it was difficult to fight off complacency and keep his edge amid his sudden rise of the top. Chris Fedor of Sports Radio Interviews has the transcription.
Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com gives his Southwest Division preview.

Grizzlies Sign Kyle Weaver, Flip Murray

October 1st, 2012 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

12:45pm: The Grizzlies have announced Weaver's signing in a press release, and confirmed Ronald "Flip" Murray's deal as well. Murray's agreement had been reported previously, but wasn't yet confirmed.

12:15pm: The Grizzlies have added Kyle Weaver to their training camp roster on a non-guaranteed deal, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Based on the team's reported agreements to date, Weaver would be the 20th player under contract in Memphis.

Weaver, 26, was the 38th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He has since appeared in 73 games for the Thunder and Jazz, as well as playing in the D-League, in Germany, and in Belgium. The 6'6" wing has averaged 5.0 PPG and 2.2 RPG in his NBA career.

Western Notes: Redd, T-Wolves, Hollins, Harden

October 1st, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

It's Media Day for many NBA teams, which means we're in store for plenty of news and notes today, along with a handful of quotes from players in the "best shape of their lives." In the meantime, here are a few updates from some Western Conference clubs:

The Timberwolves thought they had landed Michael Redd to a non-guaranteed deal, but the veteran shooter changed his mind, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (via Twitter).
Lionel Hollins has only had "limited discussions" with the Grizzlies about a contract extension, but the head coach expects to have a new deal in place before his current contract expires at season's end, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
With just over four weeks until this year's extension deadline, it's beginning to look as if James Harden will hit restricted free agency next summer rather than re-up this month with the Thunder, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes.
The Kings haven't found a permanent solution at small forward in recent years, but offseason acquisition James Johnson is the latest candidate for the job, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News profiles one of the Spurs' only offseason additions, Nando De Colo.

Grizzlies Rumors: Power Forward, Gay, Randolph

September 30th, 2012 at 9:16am CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies were dealt some tough news this week when Darrell Arthur and Hamed Haddadi went down with injuries, leaving the team thin up front. Arthur will be out four to six weeks, while Haddadi will be down for eight. That's a challenge for a team that GM Chris Wallace says has "more talent across the board and more depth than in any other season" that he's been on the job, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Tillery has plenty of news on the Grizzlies as training camp begins, and we'll round it up here.

The Grizzlies are considering signing "an athletic power forward" to a non-guaranteed deal to make up for the losses of Arthur and Haddadi. Hoops Rumors list of remaining free agents shows some of the most prominent free agent power forwards include Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, Troy Murphy and Jordan Williams, though it's unclear which, if any of them, fit the "athletic" profile Wallace and company are looking for.
The team fielded several offers for Rudy Gay over the offseason, but Wallace turned them down because the team still values him highly and because the perception around the league that the Grizzlies simply wanted to dump Gay's contract led teams to lowball offers, Tillery writes. Gay's contract has three years and $53.667MM left on it.
Zach Randolph addressed concerns that he and Gay aren't a good mix, saying, "I don't understand where that comes from. Me and Rudy play well together. Before he got hurt a couple of years ago we were winning. Me, Coach and Rudy used to laugh when people said that. We complement each other very well."

Camp Rumors: Howard, Hornets, Murray, Miller

September 29th, 2012 at 4:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's looking more like the Lakers will have Dwight Howard in the lineup to start the regular season, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports hears the big man is determined to be ready for opening night, and that the progress he's made in recent weeks has upped his chances. Howard says his surgically repaired back is at 85%, Wojnarowski reports. The Lakers still don't have a timetable for his return, but it's just one more reason for optimism in L.A. The mood is upbeat all around the league this time of year, as teams start fresh in training camp. Here's a roundup of news from camps across the Association.

John Reid of The Times-Picayune hears that Hornets GM Dell Demps will work in tandem with executives Mickey Loomis and Dennis Lauscha on the team's basketball-related decisions. It's unclear exactly what role everyone will play, but I imagine Demps will continue to function in the day-to-day role of most GMs.
Ronald "Flip" Murray, who has an agreement to join the Grizzlies, was not on the camp roster released by the team today, but Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the journeyman guard will indeed be in camp (Twitter link).
This could be the last training camp for Heat swingman Mike Miller, who hinted at retirement after last season and wants to see how his back responds before promising anything beyond this year, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida writes (Sulia link). Miller's deal has more than $13MM left on it and runs through 2015, with a player option in the final season.
Many of the Celtics veterans have been working out together since early September, while the rookies have been in Boston for most of the past three months. That's led to better chemistry as camp starts, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes.

Heisley Confident Grizzlies Sale Will Be Completed

September 27th, 2012 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

It has been three and a half months since we first heard that Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley had reached an agreement to sell the franchise to communications technology magnate Robert Pera. Despite the delay in finalizing the transaction, Heisley tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he remains confident the sale will be completed.

"I don't think it's dragging on," Heisley said. "Putting together the financing involving hundreds of millions of dollars is always a complex process. The banking industry is a lot more cautious and it takes a little longer than it did in the past. But I have no reason to believe that it won't go forward."

Sources familiar with the situation tell Tillery that the deal will not close in September, but is expected to be finalized at some point next month. Once Pera satisfies the terms of the contract, the NBA's Board of Governors, which meets on October 25th, must approve the transaction.

Pera has worked to put together a group of local investors that will account for roughly 30-35% of the team's ownership, assuming the deal is approved, and Heisley praised the prospective owner's efforts to include the Memphis community.

"I'm tremendously pleased," Heisley said. "I've always said since I first got here that the more that people from Memphis are involved the better this situation is. There's more (Memphians) involved than when I put it together and that's good. I'm sure they'll find Pera a great guy to work with."

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Memphis Grizzlies

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Young, Bell, Thunder

September 26th, 2012 at 10:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today, we heard Grizzlies power forward Darrell Arthur had suffered a leg fracture, and the team's website reports the left leg injury will keep him out four to six weeks. The timetable is longer for center Hamed Haddadi, who'll be rehabbing for the next eight weeks after right thumb surgery, according to the team. Since Marreese Speights enters camp as the only healthy big man on a guaranteed deal behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, the injuries could represent an opportunity for camp invitees Jerome Jordan, Jarrid Famous and Michael Dunigan. Here's the rest of what's happening around the Association:

Nick Young expressed his excitement about his new Sixers teammates to reporters today, including Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. He also spoke about how he ended up in Philadelphia. "I was shocked. I didn’t see this being one of the places I was going to come to," he said. "(Coach) Doug (Collins) called me early, 6:00am L.A. time, and we were just talking and it was a great talk. He had a good spirit to him. He talked to my dad and my mom and once my mom started raving about him that was pretty much it."
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune hears that Raja Bell and the Jazz haven't made any progress toward a buyout with the start of training camp looming just five days from now (Twitter links).
Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman believes the Thunder are willing to become a taxpaying team to retain James Harden, but the question is just how much they're willing to dole out.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has details on some of the 23 new members of the Magic front office, coaching and scouting staffs, including recently retired guard Anthony Parker, who'll work as a scout.
James Worthy's favorite offseason addition for the Lakers is Steve Nash, and the Hall-of-Fame forward has some strong criticism of Dwight Howard, as Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register writes.

Western Notes: Rubio, Arthur, Babbitt, Jones

September 26th, 2012 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Timberwolves signed Kevin Love to a four-year extension, rather than a five-year deal, many assumed the team was saving its five-year franchise-player designation for Ricky Rubio. However, Britt Robson, who recently wrote about T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor for Twin Cities Business, hears from GM David Kahn that Rubio is likely to receive the same four-year offer Love did (Twitter link). Here are a few more links dealing with Western Conference clubs:

Darrell Arthur, who was re-signed by the Grizzlies this summer, has suffered a leg fracture and won't be ready for training camp, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It's another bad break for Arthur, who torn his achilles tendon and missed all of last season.
Luke Babbitt isn't sure whether or not the Trail Blazers will pick up his fourth-year option for 2013/14, but he doesn't intend to let his contract become a distraction, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes Dominique Jones, who also has a fourth-year option decision pending, could be a breakout candidate for the Mavericks.
Heading into the season with a newly rebuilt roster and virtually no veteran players, GM Daryl Morey thinks his Rockets will be perhaps the league's most difficult team to forecast. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the story.

Grizzlies To Re-Sign D.J. Kennedy

September 25th, 2012 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Just a week after waiving him, the Grizzlies will re-sign D.J. Kennedy to their training camp roster, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Kennedy had already been on a non-guaranteed contract, so I'm not 100% sure why it was necessary to sign him to a new deal, but according to Tillery, the new contract limits the Grizzlies' liability.

Kennedy was acquired by the Grizzlies two months ago in the swap that sent Jeremy Pargo to the Cavaliers. When the 6'6" wing was cut by Memphis, it appeared the deal had just been a salary dump for the Grizzlies, but it seems the team at least likes Kennedy enough to bring him to training camp.

Kennedy spent most of last season in the D-League playing for the Erie Bayhawks, with whom he averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 44 games. When the 22-year-old was released, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wondered if a return to the D-League would be next. Kennedy probably isn't a strong bet to make the Grizzlies' regular season roster, so perhaps we'll see him on the Reno Bighorns when the D-League season gets underway.

Odds & Ends: Renfroe, Knicks, Cavs, Grizzlies, Bell

September 23rd, 2012 at 12:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

Guard Alex Renfroe was reportedly close to signing with the Warriors earlier this month, but now it appears the former Belmont University standout is headed to the Spanish club CB Valladolid, David Pick reports via Twitter (hat tip to Sportando). Renfroe is like many who remain as free agents this time of year, faced with the choice between more money overseas and a shot at making an NBA roster on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. While the NBA remains far and away the premier league worldwide, there is legitimate competition for players on the fringes of the Association. Here's the latest:

Raptors radio analyst Eric Smith says the Knicks have hired former Raptors assistant Dave Hopla as an assistant coach for player development (Twitter link).
The Cavaliers considered adding another veteran this summer to fill the leadership vaccum left by the departures of Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker, but decided against it, believing coach Byron Scott as well as Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson can provide voices that are strong enough, writes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that the Grizzlies will remain in the top tier of an improved Western Conference if they can stay healthy.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes Raja Bell would be a welcome addition to the Heat. The 36-year-old shooting guard says the Heat would be his first choice if he can secure a buyout from the Jazz.
Former Spurs enforcer Bruce Bowen talked to Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com about the Spurs' decision to largely stand pat this season, the Heat's chances to repeat, and his desire to get into coaching or a front office job someday.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside spoke with guard Cameron Jones, who made first team All-Rookie in the D-League last season after spending training camp with the Heat. Jones is a cousin of Raptors guard Landry Fields.