Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Nearly Traded Ray Allen To Grizzlies

April 18th, 2012 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Celtics ended up standing pat at last month's trade deadline, the team was close to making one or two blockbuster moves and breaking up its Big Three, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

According to Wojnarowski, Ray Allen received a phone call from Celtics coach Doc Rivers, telling him he'd been traded to the Grizzlies for a package that included O.J. Mayo and a draft pick. However, shortly after the call, Allen received word that the deal had fallen apart.

The Celtics also had serious discussions with the Nets about a deal that would've sent Paul Pierce to New Jersey in exchange for Mehmet Okur and a lottery pick, says Wojnarowski. Grantland's Bill Simmons wrote of those talks last week, noting that the Nets eventually elected to acquire Gerald Wallace from Portland for a similar package (one which also included Shawne Williams).

While the Celtics have played their best basketball of the season since the deadline and are a popular choice to upset the Bulls or Heat in the Eastern playoffs, the team's failed trades are interesting to consider. Had they made those deals, Boston would be heading into the summer armed with three first-round picks and even more cap flexibility, without Pierce on next year's books. We'll see if the Celtics' Big Three has one more run left to reward GM Danny Ainge's deadline decision to stand pat.

Notable April Extensions

April 13th, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

April is a time when most teams have set their rosters and are either making a playoff push or evaluating the assets they have going into the offseason. That doesn't mean front offices are ghost towns this time of year, and last couple of April have featured some notable contract extensions. No such deals are on the horizon this year, but let's take a look back and see how these late-season decisions have panned out for teams and players:

On April 2, 2010, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers agreed to a three-year, $83.5MM extension that kicked in this season. It's certainly paying dividends for L.A. so far, as Bryant is leading the league with 28.1 PPG and averaging 38.4 MPG, almost five more minutes a game more than last season despite the condensed schedule. Though he's missed the last few games with an injury to his shin, Bryant, 33, has looked as spry and healthy as ever after receiving experimental treatment on his knees in the offseason. The team expects Bryant to continue playing after the extension is up, and seems committed to making him a Laker for life. We'll see come 2014, but for now, it seems Bryant is content and will continue to produce for L.A. as one of the NBA's highest paid players.
Manu Ginobili and the Spurs agreed to a three-year, $38.9MM extension April 8, 2010. The deal makes him the highest paid player on the Spurs aside from Tim Duncan, giving him more per year than Tony Parker. It took effect last season, when Ginobili became more of a focal point of the offense, taking the second greatest number of shots per game in his career (5.5) and delivering his second highest scoring average (17.4). He also tied a career high with 4.9 APG. A full-time starter last season, he's most appeared off the bench this year, and his numbers have tailed off, in part due to a broken left hand and a strained left oblique that caused him to miss significant time. Still, Ginobili is making a career-best 51.3% of his shots from the floor, and the Spurs continue to win, so the deal continues to look smart for both sides.
Marcus Camby signed an incentive-laden two-year extension with the Blazers on April 20, 2010. The base pay is $17.7MM, and there was $7.8MM available to Camby if he reached certain benchmarks, though at least $1.49MM of that won't be claimed. The Blazers sent Camby to the Rockets in March, the same month the veteran big man turned 38. He's seen fewer minutes the past two seasons, but will go into free agency this summer having proven he's still one of the league's most effective rebounders. In fact, he's averaged more than 14 rebounds per 36 minutes during the extension, a number he had never before reached. He led the NBA in blocks per game four times, and has averaged 1.8 blocks a night with Houston. His board work and basket protection were certainly assets that helped the Blazers claim a playoff spot last year, and it appears the same will be true for the Rockets this season. Still, his likely incentives push his cap hold to more than $11.2MM this season, and it's probably a stretch to say someone who plays only about half the game and is not much of an offensive factor is worth that amount of money.
One year to the day after the Blazers extended Camby, Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies agreed to a four-year, $66MM extension that begins this season. The final year is a player option, and the $66MM figure doesn't include $1.25MM per year in unlikely incentives. It represented quite a comeback for Randolph, whom the Clippers saw as expendable before trading him straight up for Quentin Richardson in the summer of 2009. With the ink barely dry on the extension, Randolph powered Memphis to an unlikely playoff run last year, averaging 22.2 PPG and 10.8 RPG in 13 postseason games. A knee injury caused Randolph to miss most of the deal's first year, however, and he's putting up his lowest scoring and rebounding numbers in nine years as coach Lionel Hollins works him back in a bench role. I doubt that, with the money he's making, Randolph will be out of the starting lineup for too long. Injuries happen, but it's disconcerting to see Randolph go down in just the first year of his deal. Even at 30 years old, he carries 253 pounds on his 6'9" frame, and it makes you wonder what condition his knees will be in come 2015.

Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Hornets, Grizz, Odom

April 12th, 2012 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Around the time I posted this afternoon's Free Agent Stock Watch piece on Eric Gordon, SI.com's Sam Amick published an article in which he discussed Gordon's impending free agency with the Hornets guard himself. While New Orleans has the inside track to sign Gordon this summer, Amick names the Pacers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Suns as other teams with some interest. The Hornets' new ownership group could also have an impact on how aggressive New Orleans is in matching rival offers for Gordon.

Here are a few more Southwest Division links:

Mike Dunleavy is part of the group likely to purchase the Hornets, a fact that concerns the team's current management, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. "Mike is going to want his own people in there, he has a reputation as a control freak," a Hornets source told Deveney. "It will be good for the team obviously to have an owner in. But I think everybody is a little on edge because of that, because you don't know what is going to happen. Or I guess you do know, you know there are going to be changes coming once there’s a new group in charge. It could be a house cleaning."
Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has transformed the team's rotation through minor roster moves and lineup shuffling, says Rob Mahoney of the New York Times.
Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders how much money Lamar Odom cost himself in the long-term due to his poor season with the Mavericks.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban never believed that Odom wanted to sit out this season, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Odds & Ends: Smith, Olympics, Anthony

April 11th, 2012 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Two of the nation's top high school prospects, Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad, have been creating some buzz in the college basketball world regarding which schools they will commit to respectively for the 2012-13 season. While Muhammad announced that he will choose UCLA, Jeff Goodman of CBS tweets that Noel has chosen Kentucky over Syracuse and Georgetown. ESPN's Chad Ford provides a look at who could possibly headline the 2013 NBA Draft (Insider link), and Noel and Shabazz top the list. With that aside, we'll keep tabs of this evening's other noteworthy stories here:

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel took some time to shed some light on Magic guard Ishmael Smith after his standout performance against the Pistons on Monday. In a separate piece, Schmitz outlines the uphill battle Orlando faces as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Six of their last eight games are against above-.500 teams, and four of those games are on the road.
If Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade could have things their way, players on the USA basketball team would be compensated for their participation in the Olympics. While Allen sees it as a matter of opportunity cost, Wade focused more on the jersey sales and summer commitment aspect of it (Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports). According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo responded to their comments, saying: "It’s never been discussed and it’s not even feasible in the reality of economics."
Jim Cavan of the New York Times examines the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after being moved to the power forward slot as well as the role it has played in the Knicks' recent success. If New York can hang onto a playoff spot and Amare Stoudemire is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see how Anthony will translate that success at the small forward position with Amare in the lineup.
The Kings team owners will make a case to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that the plan to finance a new arena in Sacramento needs more negotiating, writes Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
Gilbert Arenas tells J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that he is happy to be out of the spotlight in Memphis as he looks to move forward from his troubled past.

Minor Moves: Selby, Jazz, Ahearn, Randolph

April 9th, 2012 at 9:40pm CST by Michael Pina

In a team statement, the Nets announced they have signed guard Armon Johnson to a 10-day contract (Twitter link). The move was likely made to help replace Jordan Farmar, who will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. The 6’3″ Johnson has played just five minutes this season with the Trail Blazers.

The Grizzlies recalled Josh Selby from the D-League, according to J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today (via Twitter). If that sentence looks familiar, that’s because Memphis has sent the guard to Reno and recalled him three times this season. That’s the maximum number of times that a player can be demoted in a year, so Selby won’t be sent down again.
The Jazz are expected to sign Blake Ahearn to a ten-day contract, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Ahearn is the D-League’s all-time leading scorer and led the league in scoring this season 23.8 PPG while shooting over 40% from three-point range.
Former NBA player Shavlik Randolph has officially signed with Puerto Rico’s Piratas de Quebradillas, according to Sportando. He spent the first part of this season in China.

Southwest Notes: Jack, Arenas, Diaw, Jackson

April 9th, 2012 at 10:49am CST by Chuck Myron

The most pressing news out of the Southwest Division is Lamar Odom's departure from the Mavs, but there are a few more items of note as the Spurs, with an eight and a half game lead over the Grizzlies, close in on the title:

Jarrett Jack's season is over with a stress fracture in his right foot, the team confirms on its website. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports originally reported the news via Twitter. The Hornets guard enters the final season of a four-year, $20MM contract next year, when he's scheduled to make $5.4MM. The team currently has 14 players on its roster, so they wouldn't have to let anyone go to bring in an extra point guard for the season's final weeks.
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal looks at how recent Grizzlies signee Gilbert Arenas has reinvented himself to fit in with the team.
Boris Diaw, who signed with the Spurs after the Bobcats bought him out, got his first start with San Antonio on Sunday in the team's win over Utah as coach Gregg Popovich continues to tinker with the lineup, notes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. Stephen Jackson, acquired at the trade deadline, did not play.

Minor Moves: Josh Selby

April 6th, 2012 at 8:12am CST by Chuck Myron

Keep an eye on this post throughout the day as we track D-League and international movement:

The Grizzlies have sent rookie guard Josh Selby to the D-League, according to the D-League website. It's the third time the rookie has been assigned to the Reno Bighorns this year, meaning that if he's recalled to the big club, he can't be sent back down again this season. The 6'2", 183-pound Kansas University product has averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.2 APG in 8.8 minutes a game for the Grizzlies this year.

Odds & Ends: Calipari, Bucks, McGee, Stern

April 3rd, 2012 at 10:05pm CST by Michael Pina

The stars are aligning for current University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari to take the same position with the Knicks, according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski believes the newly crowned national champion would have an easier transition now than when he took over the Nets over 10 years ago.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Michael Hunt writes that with the cap room they were afforded after they traded Andrew Bogut, the Bucks will make a strong push to re-sign free agent Ersan Ilyasova this offseason. But that they can't afford to pay him $10MM a year. If another team, like New Jersey, makes a run, Milwaukee would be wise to spend their money on a cheaper big man option.
HoopsWorld.com's Alex Kennedy writes about how shocked former Wizard JaVale McGee was when he found out he was traded to Denver.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum has been in the news for some unwise decision making lately. So much so that the team decided to fine him an undisclosed sum of money following last week's game against Golden State. Despite the immediate controversy, L.A.'s general manager Mitch Kupchak came out today and said Bynum was still a major part of the team's future plans, and that they still intend to exercise his $16.1MM team option next season, according to the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan.
In his weekly mailbag, The Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko talked about how the Mavericks' might approach the future, specifically their involvement in the draft and how they'll deal with some of their young players.
Today, SI.com's Sam Amick wrote a piece about how despite Minnesota's recent demise due to multiple injuries, the team still has a bright future. Financially they have flexibility by way of the amnesty provision, and Darko Milicic could be a prime candidate.
Sean Deveney of Sporting News says that recent call ups from the D-League could have a major influence in this year's playoffs.
In an Associated Press report, Commissioner David Stern said he'd "love to add a year" in relation to the league's age limit. Right now, all American players must be 19-years-old and one year removed from high school.
Since joining the Grizzlies, Gilbert Arenas has shown he can play the role of mature veteran, writes NBA.com's Steve Aschburner. One interesting note from the story is Arenas saying New Jersey "kept calling" him. Most likely with hopes to lure Dwight Howard.
Utah head coach Tyrone Corbin says he likes the mismatches his team can create playing Paul Millsap at small forward, writes The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm.
Chicago general manager Gar Forman said that talks to extend head coach Tom Thibodeau were initiated before this season started, and that they'll resume once it's over, according to ESPNChicago.com.

Grizzlies Recall Josh Selby

March 31st, 2012 at 9:06pm CST by Zachary Links

We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves here..

The Grizzlies recalled guard Josh Selby from the Reno Bighorns, the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the club announced today. In two stints with Reno, Selby has averaged 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in six total contests. Selby saw his minutes decrease when the team inked veteran Gilbert Arenas.

http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/selby_recalled-120331

Assessing Marquee Free Agents Who Re-Signed

March 31st, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

A while back we looked at some of the biggest names to switch teams in free agency this past offseason. Now, let's take a look at some of the top free agents from the class of 2011 who wound up back with their teams and see how the deals have paid off so far:

Marc Gasol signed a four-year, $57.5MM offer sheet with the Rockets, but the Grizzlies matched it even though it meant they'd be well over the cap and flirting with luxury tax territory this year. So far it looks like it was worth it, as he's averaging career highs in virtually every relevant statistical category and made his first All-Star Game this year. The 27-year-old's improvement helped mitigate the absence of fellow post player Zach Randolph for much of the season. The only negative has been his 48.8% shooting from the floor, which barring improvement will represent his first season shooting below 50%. Still, the struggles of Nene Hilario and DeAndre Jordan, the market's other top centers this past offseason, make Gasol's deal look smart.
The Nuggets did an about-face on Nene Hilario's signing so quickly that team president Josh Kroenke had to deny they weren't looking to get rid of him all along. Nene missed most of training camp as he and the team hammered out a five-year, $65MM deal. That missed time, coupled with injuries, helps explain a dip in scoring and a jump in turnovers in his play for Denver this year. Since his trade to the Wizards, he's shown signs of breaking out of the funk, averaging 14.8 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Though the numbers are from a tiny sample size of six games, they would be career highs if extended out over an entire season.
The Warriors had to have thought they were sure to have DeAndre Jordan this season when he inked a four-year, $43.04MM offer sheet with the team in December. Clippers GM Neil Olshey swallowed hard and matched the offer, however, locking up the 23-year-old long-term despite more promise than production in three previous seasons. His averages in points (7.7), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (2.2) are up, but that's largely been the result of increased minutes, as his per-36-minute numbers are mostly consistent with where they've been throughout his career. His PER, though, is at 17.2, well above the 14.8 PER he posted last year, so his progress seems to be a matter of which stats you trust. The question of whether the Clippers can trust Jordan to deliver on his contract, however, is yet to be resolved.
Tayshaun Prince might have fit in well with a contending team looking to add a veteran with championship experience. Instead, he re-signed with the Pistons for four years and $28MM. He's responded with 12.8 PPG, his worst scoring average in eight years, even though he's taking a career-high 13 shots a game. His PER of 12.6 suggests he's having his worst season since his rookie year, when he was only on the floor for 10 minutes a night. The only consolation for GM Joe Dumars on this one is he's making less per season than Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, his much-maligned signings from the summer of 2010, as well as Rodney Stuckey, who's become a more efficient scorer after inking a three-year, $25.5MM deal before the season.
Compounding the misery for Dumars is the play of former Pistons draftee Arron Afflalo, whose points per game number is up for the fourth straight season after re-signing with the Nuggets for $36.75MM for five years. He's been a fixture in the starting lineup for Denver ever since coming over from Detroit three years ago for the bargain price of just a second-round pick, and Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri was willing to pay a premium to keep Afflalo even though he's not a top-tier shooting guard. His 14.2 PPG this year reflects the increased offensive load he's been carrying as the team deals with a multitude of injuries and another shakeup at the trade deadline. His steady improvement and willingness to commit to the team long-term may prove worth the price.