Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Lakers, Kilpatrick, Meeks

March 14th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard D’Angelo Russell has star potential, but rival executives have doubts about power forward Julius Randle’s ceiling, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. Polling a dozen front office executives, Berger found that Russell is the more highly regarded of the Lakers’ duo. Randle, their 2014 lottery pick, is viewed more as a piece to the puzzle or an energy guy, Berger continues. It’s conceivable the Lakers deal one or both for a proven star, Berger adds, but a lot of the their decision-making this offseason is contingent on whether they keep their lottery pick. They must convey their pick to the Sixers if they fall out of the top three.

Nets shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who has signed two 10-day contracts, hopes he can stick around for the remainder of the season and beyond, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Kilpatrick is averaging 13.6 points in his last five games with the club. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase I would say for the past six months. It’s crazy, man,” Kilpatrick told Mazzeo. “That’s why when you ask, ‘Do I want to be here?’ Like, I’m tired of living out of a suitcase.”
Shooting guard Jodie Meeks is back in uniform but will have a tough time cracking the Pistons rotation, according to David Mayo of MLive. Meeks broke his right foot in the team’s home opener and required a lengthy recovery. Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy prefers to utilize no more than nine players, and swingman Stanley Johnson and power forward Anthony Tolliver have recently returned to the rotation after recovering from injuries. “I can’t control that,” Meeks told Mayo. “So whenever my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”
The Celtics recalled rookie power forward Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. Mickey has made 11 appearances with Boston this season.
The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the Thunder’s website. Huestis has already started 19 games for the Blue this season, averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per contest.

Texas Notes: Cuban, Martin, Goudelock, Holt

March 13th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks haven’t been a real contender for a few seasons, but owner Mark Cuban isn’t ready to shift gears and begin the rebuilding process, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Dallas lost Saturday to the Pacers to drop to .500 and just two games up in the loss column on ninth-place Utah.

“We’ll always be opportunistic,” Cuban said. “It takes a little bit of luck. I don’t care who it is. Then you look at the teams that said, ‘OK, let’s just blow it up.’ Who’s it worked for lately?”

The Mavericks are nonetheless stuck on the mediocrity treadmill, having no clear path to becoming legitimate contenders, MacMahon contends in the same piece. MacMahon examines the team’s decisions since winning the title in 2011 and doubts that Dallas can attract marquee free agents during the upcoming summer due to the plethora of teams set for ample cap flexibility. See more on the Mavs amid news from the Lone Star state.

Kevin Martin was linked to the Mavs, Rockets, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat and Thunder as he worked a buyout with the Timberwolves a couple of weeks ago, but he said the Spurs were his choice all along, according to The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). “There was only one team I’d do a buyout for and it was here [San Antonio],” Martin said.
Andrew Goudelock believes he significantly expanded his game in the nearly three years that passed between the end of his time with the Lakers in 2013 and his signing with the Rockets this week, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “My basketball IQ has grown,” Goudelock said. “I’ve seen a lot of different things. I’m able to read offenses and defenses better. I’m able to handle the ball a lot better. I’m able to play both guard positions. I’m able to see things on the floor I wasn’t able to see before. I was just a scorer. That’s all I brought to the game. Now, I’m passing the ball and defensively I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve come a long way defensively. That was one of the knocks on me. I’m a pretty decent defender now.”
Critics could argue that Peter Holt, who transferred control of the Spurs to his wife this past week, simply rode the wave of success that coach/president Gregg Popovich built, but Holt’s faith in Popovich amid difficulty early in his coaching tenure shows that the outgoing owner deserves credit, opines Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Noah, Pressey, D-League

March 12th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed that Joakim Noah will not return to the court this season as he recovers from surgery that that repaired his dislocated left shoulder, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Noah has not played since the middle of January.

Here’s more from around the league:

Phil Pressey will head to the Idaho Stampede of the D-League after the Suns declined to bring the point guard back after consecutive 10-day contracts, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis averaged 12.2 points and 1.32 blocks in 19 D-League games this season.
The Warriors have assigned Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Golden State’s website.
The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, per a team press release. Dawson was on assignment with the Erie BayHawks.

Western Notes: Williams, Martin, Cousins

March 11th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Assistant coach Monty Williams will not return to the team this season as he continues to grieve in the wake of the tragic passing of his wife, Ingrid, the team announced today. “The most important thing for Monty during this time is for him to be with his family, and the most important thing for us as an organization is to support him as a person, in any way that we can,” GM Sam Presti relayed in the team’s statement. “Even though Monty will not return to the team this season, his presence will be felt by all of us within the program and we will remain close with him and his family.”

Coach Billy Donovan also expressed his support for Williams, saying, “I have really enjoyed my relationship with Monty, and clearly we will miss him, but we value and embrace that it is critical he is there for his family at this time and our focus is on doing whatever we can, in any small way, to help him. He and his family will continue to be in our thoughts.”

Here’s more from out West:

Kevin Martin joined the Spurs with his eyes firmly fixed on playing in the postseason, which was his primary motivation for choosing San Antonio over other suitors after reaching a buyout arrangement with the Wolves, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News relays. “I think you look at where you’re at in your career, when you’ve kind of been on a lot of teams where you’re a No. 1 option guy, but you really don’t get to play until the end of May or early June,” Martin said. “So I think I just wanted to be with a championship pedigree. That was the ultimate No. 1 thing in my decision.” The veteran shooting guard sacrificed exactly half of his $7,377,500 player option for next season and $352,750 of this season’s salary in order to secure his departure from Minnesota.
The Kings should give DeMarcus Cousins one more chance to make things work in Sacramento by hiring a new coach for next season, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com opines (video link). The ESPN scribe notes that the situation between the volatile but talented center and coach George Karl is toxic, and Cousins was seemingly in check under former coach Michael Malone, which demonstrates that the big man can be kept in line if he respects the person in charge. Trading Cousins should be the absolute last resort, Adande adds, since it would be virtually impossible to receive equal value in return. The team suspended Cousins this week for one game without pay for his latest verbal run-in with Karl.

Western Notes: Russell, Gasol, Freeland

March 10th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Spanish national team coach Sergio Scariolo believes there is still a chance that Grizzlies center Marc Gasol will play in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, as he told the Spanish media outlet ACB.com (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype). “Marc is hoping to be there, but health comes first and the main thing is he recovers 100%,” Scariolo said. “When the time comes, he will tell us what’s his situation and his club’s opinion because with Marc there’s a lot of factors at play. I wish it was only up to him to make the decision.” While Scariolo’s comments were likely tinged with a dose of optimism, the mere possibility of Gasol being able to suit up and play this summer bodes well for the big man being able to be on the court for Memphis come opening night next season. Gasol is out for the remainder of the 2015/16 after undergoing surgery in February to repair damage to his broken right foot.

Here’s more from out West:

D’Angelo Russell tries not to think about the implications his performance could have for the future of the Lakers, but he believes that as he, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle play better, it helps the team’s case for free agents this summer, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If we keep playing at a high level, the sky is the limit,” Russell said. “That could dictate who wants to come here and who feels like we don’t need to bring this guy here because we have such and such. We can play a certain part.”
Joel Freeland, who signed a two-year deal with the Russian club CSKA Moscow this past summer, said he had a number of NBA offers, including one from the Mavericks, but chose to head overseas because of the playing time that doing so would provide, Mark Woods of MVP247.com relays. “I wanted to play. I probably had four or five offers from the NBA, but at the end of the day, nobody would guarantee me minutes,” Freeland told Woods. “And I never knew what my situation was going to be, going to those teams. So I felt like this was my best option, especially coming to a team with a great heritage, a great organization and a team that’s hopefully going to be fighting for championships.” Freeland became a free agent last offseason after his rookie deal expired and the Trail Blazers declined to submit a qualifying offer to him.
The Thunder have assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Huestis has appeared in 18 games with the Blue this season, averaging 11.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32.9 minutes per night, while McGary has made 19 appearances and is averaging 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per contest.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Spurs Sign Kevin Martin

March 9th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

MARCH 9TH, 12:30pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. San Antonio waived Rasual Butler minutes earlier to clear a roster spot for the move.

9:49pm: The Thunder, Grizzlies and Wizards were among the teams pursuing Martin, Stein tweets.

MARCH 4TH, 9:01pm: The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent shooting guard Kevin Martin, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). San Antonio currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move will be required prior to inking Martin. The Mavs, Rockets and Hawks also had expressed interest in signing Martin once he cleared waivers, as Stein also recently reported.

Martin was available for a trade for months prior to the February trade deadline, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press first reported in December, but potential suitors were apparently reluctant to take him on without knowing what he’d do about his player option for 2016/17. Once the trade deadline passed, Martin and the Wolves reached an agreement on a buyout that saw the player sacrifice exactly half of his $7,377,500 player option for next season and $352,750 of this season’s salary.

The 33-year-old has appeared in 39 games for Minnesota this season, including 12 starts. Martin is averaging 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.4 minutes of action per appearance. His career numbers through 698 games are 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists to go with a shooting line of .438/.385/.870.

Western Notes: Augustin, Gordon, Barton, Varejao

March 8th, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets deadline trade acquisition D.J. Augustin has quickly taken to his new surroundings and says he’d love to re-sign with Denver when he hits free agency this summer, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. Coach Michael Malone is a fan of the point guard, particularly his offense, as Dempsey relays.

“I would love to be here,” Augustin said. “It’s a great city, great fans. I love the coaching staff and organization. Everything is great. So, I would love to find a home here.”

Augustin hoped for a chance to join a team that would give him more playing time as he faded from the Oklahoma City rotation this season, and while he expressed his appreciation to the Thunder for facilitating such a deal, he said he didn’t ask for a trade, Dempsey notes. See more on the Nuggets amid news from the Western Conference:

Eric Gordon is having surgery today on his broken right ring finger, a source told Scott Agness of VigilantSports (Twitter link). No timetable exists for the soon-to-be free agent who suffered the injury Saturday, though the Pelicans reportedly fear it’s a season-ender. It’s the same finger Gordon broke in January, an injury that forced him to miss about five weeks. The final day of the regular season is five weeks from Wednesday.
Malone knew little about Will Barton when the coach took over the Nuggets in the offseason, but the 25-year-old shooting guard is team’s second leading scorer this year, the first on a new three-year, $10.6MM deal, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee examines. “I’d be lying to you if I said I expected him to play as well as he has this year,” Malone said. “He’s a hard worker. He committed himself to getting better, coming back as an improved player and, like all players, I feel he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity given him. We play him 25, 30 minutes a night, put the ball in his hands and allow him to make plays and he’s done a great job of doing that, especially in the open court.”
Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk acknowledged that recent signee Anderson Varejao isn’t what he used to be, but Schlenk said in a radio appearance with Matt Steinmetz on 95.7 The Game’s “NBA This Week” show that Varejao and Joakim Noah were the best centers in the NBA three years ago. The 33-year-old Varejao only twice averaged double-figures in either points or rebounds, peaking in 2012/13 at 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game, though he played only 25 games that season because of injury.

And-Ones: Weems, Mirotic, Augustin

March 7th, 2016 at 10:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers acquired swingman Sonny Weems to reach the salary floor but they plan to take a hard look at him, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Sixers claimed Weems from the Suns on Monday, allowing them to reach the minimum team salary requirement for the season since they’ll get credit for his full $2.814MM salary, even though they’ll only have to pay less than $700K, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders points out (Twitter link). The Sixers made similar moves to reach the floor last season, including a claim of power forward Thomas Robinson, whom they did not re-sign, Pompey notes. Weems may be a different case. Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas and Hollis Thompson are the only true wing players on the roster, and thus Weems should get some opportunities to play, Pompey adds. A league source conceded to Pompey that it looks unseemly for the Sixers to work the system to meet the salary floor two years in a row but argued that the team has a legitimate need for a wing player that Weems can fulfill.

In other news around the league:

Bulls power forward Nikola Mirotic has to prove he’s part of their future, now that he’s returned from an appendectomy, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. He endured major growing pains during his second season with the team prior to the injury and he now has to work his way back into shape and be productive, Cowley continues. “You can’t play scared that if you get hit, something may happen, or you’ll have a setback,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told Cowley and other members of the Chicago media. “You just have to go out there and react and play. I think it was big step for Niko. Now it’s a matter of getting his lungs in shape and getting his wind back.’
Point guard D.J. Augustin has revived his career with the Nuggets, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. Augustin averaged 12.8 points and shot 54.3% on 3-point attempts in his first nine games with Denver after he was acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Thunder. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has averaged 16.4 turnovers, fourth-most in the league, since the trade, Horne notes.
The Warriors recalled power forward Kevon Looney from their D-League affiliate, as the Santa Cruz Warriors tweet.
The Thunder assigned forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis has already appeared in 16 D-League games this season, while McGary has played 17 games with the Blue.

L.A. Rumors: Jordan, Mbah a Moute, Durant

March 6th, 2016 at 7:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being the focus of the biggest free agent controversy in years, DeAndre Jordan tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he’s happy with how it turned out. Jordan initially committed to the Mavericks before changing his mind a few days later and signing a four-year deal to stay with the Clippers. The eighth-year center hasn’t gotten everything he asked for in free agency, but he’s content to be with a contender and in familiar territory. Jordan had hoped for a larger role in the offense and wanted a coach who would call more plays for him. But his offensive numbers are fairly similar to last season’s at 12.3 points and 6.5 shots per game.

“There is still more things that I want to do to better my game,” Jordan said. “But on certain teams, everybody has a role to help that team be successful. I know what mine is with this team. … I found my niche, I found something that I’m good at and want to be great at. But I don’t want to be labeled as [just a shot blocker and defender], I want to continue to get better all around. But for this team to be great, that’s what I’ve got to be.”

There’s more basketball news out of L.A.:

Several changes, including the addition of Luc Mbah a Moute, have helped the Clippers build a defense that ranks among the league’s best, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Mbah a Moute, who signed with L.A. in September, has sparked a remarkable turnaround after a slow start in November and December. The Clippers surrendered 97.2 points per 100 possessions in their last 15 games, the best performance in the NBA over that stretch.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers seems unlikely to pursue anyone on the buyout market, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. “Overall, guys getting bought out aren’t guys that necessarily are going to change the destiny of your franchise,” Rivers said.
Despite being among a handful of teams that can afford two maximum-salaried free agents, the Lakers are a long shot to land Kevin Durant, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Three straight losing seasons have taken some glamour away from the franchise, and Pincus said leaving a contender in Oklahoma City to play with L.A.’s young core would represent a gamble for Durant. Although, if the Lakers do get Durant, they may trade some of the youngsters to build a veteran team around him.

Northwest Notes: Mohammed, Mudiay, Stotts

March 6th, 2016 at 11:24am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Thunder signed Nazr Mohammed to be a team leader in the locker room, Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman writes. “He knows what’s right and what’s wrong,” Russell Westbrook said. “He definitely can keep everybody accountable and try to find ways to help us win more games.” Mohammed reached the finals with Oklahoma City’s 2012 team, backing up Kendrick Perkins at the five.

The team traded Perkins away at last year’s deadline and the team misses the center’s presence in the locker room, Tramel adds. Mohammed should provide leadership, just in a different way than Perkins did.

“Perk’s a special guy.” Mohammed said. “His voice is always going to be hard to replace because that’s just his personality. I speak in my own way. I’m definitely a vocal guy, but I’m more of a pull-a-guy-to-the-side-and-explain type of guy and only speaking to the group when necessary.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Nuggets believed Emmanuel Mudiay could be an elite player when they drafted him No. 7 overall last summer and although he struggled to begin the season, the point guard is starting to look the part, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “For a 19-year-old kid, to kind of go through the adversity that he was going through, he bounced back in a big way. That gives me so much hope and excitement for the future,” coach Mike Malone said.
The Blazers embrace coach Terry Stotts and the team’s chemistry is a major reason why Portland is in the playoff hunt this season, Jason Quick of Comcast Sportsnet. Portland has a team option on Stotts for next season. “I always want to play hard for him,’’ said Ed Davis, who joined the team on a three-year, $20MM deal last offseason. “That’s one thing I can say: Everybody on this team can play for Coach, and it’s not like that on every team.”