Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Owner Ends Sale Talks With Ellison

March 29th, 2012 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has instructed his attorney to stop negotiating with billionaire Larry Ellison about a potential sale of the franchise, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Ellison made "repeated overtures" about moving the team, something Heisley is looking to avoid at all costs.

"We’re not even considering Ellison," the Grizzlies owner said. "This team cannot be moved."

Ellison recently had exploratory talks about buying the Grizzlies, inquiring for at least the third time about buying the team. The Oracle founder and CEO is reportedly interested in bringing an NBA franchise to San Jose, but if Heisley sells his team, he intends to find a buyer who will keep the team in Memphis.

Heisley, who is seeking $350MM, acknowledged to Tillery that another suitor is in the mix: "But I don’t know how if he’s serious. I think I’ll own the team for a while."

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Memphis Grizzlies

Minor Moves: Josh Selby

March 26th, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's notable international and D-League-related transactions here:

The Grizzlies assigned Josh Selby to their D-League affiliate in Reno, the team announced today. Selby, a rookie guard, hadn't seen action for Memphis since the team signed Gilbert Arenas. It's the second time this season he's been assigned to the Bighorns. The Kansas product has averaged 21.5 PPG in four games (31.0 MPG) at Reno, and 2.5 PPG in 23 games (8.8 MPG) for the Grizzlies.

Odds & Ends: Turiaf, Arenas, Lakers, Greene

March 26th, 2012 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

Let's check in on a few Monday morning odds and ends from around the league….

The player option included in Ronny Turiaf's deal with the Heat for next season is worth $1.2MM, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
This week's Morning Tip column from TNT's David Aldridge examines the Bulls and the Pacers, and includes an interview with Dwight Howard.
Although the Lakers worked out Gilbert Arenas before the veteran guard signed with the Grizzlies, it doesn't sound like L.A. was ever close to adding him, as coach Mike Brown tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times: "Unless something gets real close or it might not even get close, I'm not always involved with the process. It never got to a point where they wanted my opinion on it or said we're not going to do it because of this or that."
Facing free agency this summer, Kings forward Donte Greene just has a few more weeks to prove his value, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com fields questions on the Pistons' draft and free agent outlook in his latest mailbag.

Odds & Ends: Butler, Heisley, Kroenke, Bayless

March 23rd, 2012 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Much of the NBA spent the evening with concerns about Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus, who suffered a head injury during tonight's game with the 76ers and left the arena in an ambulance. It originally appeared Pietrus would spend the night in a hospital, as ESPN's Chris Forsberg and others reported, but apparently his injury, a concussion, will allow him to return home for the night, Forsberg tweets. Here's more from around the Association:

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports that Rasual Butler, who is drawing attention from the Bulls, would have gotten a look from the Heat at the beginning of the season had they not signed Shane Battier (Twitter link).
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is out of the running to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, but separate groups that include Magic Johnson and Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke remain in the hunt with a decision looming as soon as next week, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Raptors backup point guard Jerryd Bayless shined while starter Jose Calderon missed games with injury earlier this month, and Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld argues the team should bring back the restricted free agent this summer and give him a larger role.
Despite a loss to the Raptors tonight, the Knicks have been playing markedly better since Mike Woodson took over as coach, but that doesn't mean the team had quit on former coach Mike D'Antoni, Tyson Chandler says, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets that the Pistons have offered retiring Ben Wallace a job for when he hangs up his sneakers, but Wallace is undecided on whether he'll take it.

Southwest Notes: Arenas, Camby, Smith, Mills

March 22nd, 2012 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest out of the Southwest, the only division in the NBA that would send four teams to the playoffs if the season ended today:

Gilbert Arenas, recently signed by the Grizzlies, spoke to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a number of topics in a lengthy interview. Arenas says that in addition to the Grizzlies and Lakers, the Hawks and Nets also had interest in him.
Another new addition, Marcus Camby, brings "a different vibe" to the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets assigned Greg Smith to their D-League affiliate yesterday, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News noticed the Spurs listed a "Mills" as one of their inactive players on the official scoresheet for last night's game, and wonders if the team has finalized its rumored deal with Patrick Mills.

Odds & Ends: Kaman, Gee, Arenas

March 21st, 2012 at 8:23pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

NBA.com's David Aldridge reports (via Twitter) that the Hornets' stated plan to finish out the season with Chris Kaman, rather than pursuing a buyout, has not changed.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott told the Plain-Dealer's Tom Reed (Twitter link) that the team views Alonzo Gee as a long-term piece going forward. Gee is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace told radio host Chris Vernon (Twitter link) that the seed for his signing of Gilbert Arenas was planted by a blog post that was sent to him.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Joseph, Arenas, Grizzlies

March 20th, 2012 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest from the Southwest Division, where the Mavericks' Monday night victory pulled them into a tie with the Grizzlies, four games behind the division-leading Spurs….

Jason Terry isn't expecting the Mavericks to be in on any new free agents like Derek Fisher and J.J. Hickson this week, as he tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "We're not doing anything over here. That's been proven. We're not signing anybody."
The Spurs have re-assigned Cory Joseph to the D-League's Austin Toros, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. Perhaps the move indicates the team is close to officially signing Patrick Mills.
Zach Lowe of SI.com isn't sure whether Gilbert Arenas is the answer for the Grizzlies, but he says it's probably worth a low-cost flier to find out. Memphis made the signing official today.

Grizzlies Sign Gilbert Arenas

March 20th, 2012 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzles have officially signed Gilbert Arenas, reports TNT's David Aldridge (on Twitter). Arenas agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum salary with Memphis, and had been scheduled to take his physical today.

Arenas worked out for both the Grizzlies and Lakers this season, in the hopes of returning to the NBA. The 30-year-old continues to be paid by the Magic, who amnestied him in December with three years and $62MM+ remaining on his contract. Though Arenas posted 22.6 PPG and 18.7 PER for the Wizards just two seasons ago, his numbers took a huge hit last year, falling to 10.8 PPG and 10.8 PER in 70 games with Washington and Orlando.

The Grizzlies figure to have Arenas work off the bench behind Mike Conley at the point. The team won't need to make a corresponding move, as it had two open roster spots available.

Kyler On Arenas, Hickson, Turiaf, Fisher, Powell

March 20th, 2012 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler checks in on a few free agents and free-agents-to-be, providing updates on their potential destinations. Let's round up the highlights….

Gilbert Arenas is expected to take a physical and finalize his deal with the Grizzlies today.
The Pacers, Cavaliers, and Raptors, who all have enough cap space to easily absorb J.J. Hickson's $2.35MM salary, won't be placing waiver claims.
A number of teams are interested in Ronny Turiaf but "word is" the forward will likely decide between the Celtics and Heat. Like Hickson, he doesn't figure to be claimed on waivers by clubs with cap space.
The Lakers have extended an offer to Derek Fisher to join the team's basketball operations staff. However, it doesn't appear Fisher is ready to retire just yet. We heard earlier today that the Thunder and Heat are the favorites to land the longtime Laker.
Josh Powell is drawing interest from the Suns and Celtics, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reported last night. I believe Powell signed in Switzerland late in February, and I haven't seen any reports that indicate he's parted ways with Neuchatel. The Swiss regular season has ended though, so perhaps Powell is lining up an NBA job for when he returns. Since he hasn't played for an NBA team this season, he can sign after March 23rd and still be eligible for the postseason.

Grizzlies Intend To Sign Gilbert Arenas

March 19th, 2012 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

5:25pm: The Grizzlies are on the verge of signing Arenas and the guard will sign a one-year deal for the prorated portion of the veteran's minimum, sources told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com.

4:56pm: Gilbert Arenas worked out for the Grizzlies today and was impressive enough that the team is planning to sign him for the remainder of the season, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

According to Tillery, Arenas is scheduled to take a physical later today. If he passes it and agrees to accept a pro-rated portion of the veteran's minimum salary, Memphis will bring him aboard.

Arenas, 30, was amnestied by the Magic prior to the season and hasn't played in the NBA since then. He worked out for the Lakers earlier this year, but Los Angeles decided not to sign him. If Arenas joins the Grizzlies, Memphis won't need to make a corresponding move, since the team currently has two open roster spots.