Al Jefferson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Varnado, Sims, Mirotic

March 19th, 2014 at 8:37pm CST by Alex Lee

If new commissioner Adam Silver gets his wish and changes the NBA draft’s age minimum from 19 to 20, he will have two dissenters in the Pistons‘ Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith, both of whom would have been affected had such a rule been in place when they entered the league. “I just feel like if a kid’s ready, he’s ready to – why two years?” Jennings told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. “Then if I’m a kid that’s talented and you expect me to go to college and eat McDonald’s all the time. I’m not rolling.”

Let’s take a look at what else is going on in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night:

Mississippi State product Jarvis Varnado, who inked a multiyear deal with the Sixers earlier this month, was adamant he’d stick in the NBA earlier this season despite being on a 10-day contract, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who talked with Varnado in his time with the Bulls.
Henry Sims has been a bright spot for the Sixers since coming over from Cleveland in the Spencer Hawes deal, and may have a future in Philadelphia, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders breaks down the salary cap implications of Chicago bringing over Nikola Mirotic this offseason from Real Madrid, who the Bulls took with the 23rd pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. The move would involve a buyout of over $3MM as well as enough money to entice Mirotic to want to leave Europe.
Al Jefferson signed with the Bobcats just eight months ago, but he’s already prepared to recruit others to Charlotte, as he tells Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated. “It’s on me to let other free agents know, ‘Why not Charlotte?’,” Jefferson said.

Odds & Ends: Dragic, Jefferson, Carmelo

January 28th, 2014 at 1:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

The summer of 2010 shows why teams would be unwise to make compromising moves at next month’s trade deadline just to clear cap space for the coming offseason, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller writes. Few clubs land true superstars in free agency, but many more have success with cheaper additions, as Ziller explains. While we wait to see how teams position themselves for the summer ahead, here’s the latest from around the NBA:

Goran Dragic has a realistic chance to earn a spot in next month’s All-Star Game, and if he does, he’ll receive a $1MM bonus, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Al Jefferson thought Kemba Walker was joking this summer when he suggested the big man should join the Bobcats, but agent Jeff Schwartz persuaded Jefferson to travel to Charlotte, where Steve Clifford helped convince the 6’10” free agent to sign. Steve Aschburner of NBA.com has more from one of 2013’s most surprising moves.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears Carmelo Anthony wouldn’t mind joining Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (Twitter link). Rumors have linked Anthony to the Clippers, but most such reports suggest Griffin would go to the Knicks in return for Anthony.
The Sixers have again sent Lorenzo Brown to the D-League, the team announced. Philly sent Brown to the Delaware 87ers early Monday so he could play in their day game and recalled the point guard in time for him to appear in the big club’s loss to the Suns at night.
Jimmer Fredette may not be long for the Kings, but he isn’t destined to become the sort of star he was in college no matter where he ends up in the NBA, opines Brad Rock of the Deseret News. Rock hears the Jazz would have passed on him in the 2011 draft even if he had slipped to them at the No. 12 pick.
The United States Olympic Committee and the NCAA’s Big East Conference have shown interest in hiring incoming NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.

Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Jazz, Lakers

December 21st, 2013 at 9:33pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

With all but six teams around the league in action today, it has been a busy day on the hardwood. Off the court news has also been in abundance. Here are a few notes:

Prior to Al Jefferson facing his old team, the Bobcats center spoke (Twitter link) with Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune regarding his exit from the Jazz last year. Jefferson told Falk he knew the Jazz were likely going to move on from him and Hawks forward Paul Millsap. According to Jefferson he gave the Jazz “the first option” to sign him but knew with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter coming up in the Jazz organization that it would likely be time for him and Millsap to move on.
Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News he wishes Richard Jefferson hadn’t stated his intentions for next summer when the Jazz are still “trying to be a championship-contending team” this season. Corbin said Jefferson has been a great player for the Jazz this year but wishes the forward who will be “hunting” to play for a championship team in free agency would have discussed the championship push this year’s team is trying to make.
While we asked you guys what the Nets should do now that Brook Lopez is out for the year, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN (Insider piece) thinks the Nets should try to get a trade together with the Lakers to trade away Lopez himself. Doolittle thinks the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol‘s expiring contract in return for two years of a healthy Lopez when they will be trying to chase two final titles for recently extended Kobe Bryant. He also argues that Gasol could help the Nets continue to try to get a championship this year.

Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Andersen, Nelson

December 8th, 2013 at 10:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Al Jefferson calls his decision to sign with the Bobcats a “no-brainer,” but he also tells HoopsWorld’s Bill Ingram that he thinks the Jazz will benefit from letting go of him and Hawks signee Paul Millsap.

“Most definitely, I think Derrick Favors and Enes (Kanter) are going to be big time big men in this league,” Jefferson said. “I kind of had a feeling that it really just wouldn’t make any sense basketball wise to sign back me or Paul Millsap back when you have them two young guys coming up. It was still tough to leave them. I felt like they were my little brothers, but it’s part of the business and it was the best decision for everybody.”

Jefferson had long been a fan of Kemba Walker, and says to Ingram that the former Connecticut guard was one of the Bobcats who recruited him to Charlotte. The ‘Cats are off to a 9-11 start, better than in years past, but they’re only in fourth place in the Southeast, the most competitive division in the Eastern Conference. Here’s more from those teams:

Chris Andersen is 35, but he tells Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick that he intends to play another three or four years (Twitter link). The Heat reserve thinks the two-year drug suspension that kept him away from the nightly NBA grind kept his body relatively spry.
Trade candidate Jameer Nelson has been frustrated with playing off the ball as the Magic try rookie Victor Oladipo at point guard, but he insists that he remains no less dedicated to the only NBA team he’s ever played for, observes John Denton of Magic.com.
The Dwight Howard trade gave Magic cornerstones Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless chances to play the sort of key roles they most likely wouldn’t have been in with their old teams, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel examines.

Michael Jordan Talks Tanking, CBA, McRoberts

November 1st, 2013 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats dropped their first game of the season in Houston on Wednesday night, but will look to get in the win column later today when they host the Cavs in Charlotte. In advance of tonight’s home opener, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan spoke to The Associated Press and the Charlotte Observer about a number of subjects related to his team. Courtesy of Steve Reed (AP) and Rick Bonnell (Observer), here are a few highlights from the six-time champion:

Asked about tanking, Jordan said that’s not a path the Bobcats plan to go down. “I don’t know if some teams have thought of that,” Jordan said. “That’s not something that we would do. I don’t believe in that…. If that was my intention I never would have paid Al Jefferson $13MM a year.”
More Jordan on tanking: “It’s not guaranteed [the player] you are going to get is going to be that star anyway. I did read that certain teams are thinking about doing it. But I’m not one of them.”
Jordan referred to the amnestying of Tyrus Thomas as a statement that showed the Bobcats weren’t going to be shy about spending to improve the roster. Charlotte is still paying Thomas, and the cap space cleared in the move helped the club add Jefferson and re-sign Gerald Henderson.
Initially, Jordan was unconvinced that the league’s new CBA was helping to level the playing field, but he has started to come around on its benefits. “We are still going through and seeing the full effects of it,” Jordan said. “From a business standpoint if you operate your team in the right way it gives you a chance to break even or be profitable. And it makes it more difficult for your talent to get up and go somewhere else.”
Jordan singled out Josh McRoberts, who re-signed in Charlotte this past summer, as one of the keys to the club, expressing hope that he won’t opt out of his deal at season’s end.

Odds & Ends: Burke, Jefferson, NBPA

October 12th, 2013 at 10:57pm CST by Spencer Lund

Jazz rookie Trey Burke fractured his right index finger and will be evaluated on Monday tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Genessy notes, via Twitter, that Scott Machado has been given the most time behind Burke and John Lucas III at point guard this preseason.

Genessy also wonders, in a tweet, whether the Jazz will bring someone else in depending on the severity of Burke’s injury, and mentions Jamaal Tinsley as a possibility. Marc Stein of ESPN tweets that he’s heard of interest from the Jazz about the Bulls’ Marquis Teague, and postulates they may revisit that with Burke going down. The Jazz will find out Monday whether Burke’s fractured finger will require surgery, Stein adds (Twitter).

Here are a smattering of other links from around the league tonight:

After the Bobcats‘ big free agent, Al Jefferson, severely sprained his ankle, he told the AP in Milwaukee that he’s trying to be back for opening night, tweets the Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell.
That’s 18 days away, Bonnell adds on Twitter, and he wonders in his next tweet whether the Bobcats might look to add a center in the interim.
The Mavericks pickup of DeJuan Blair this summer might be huge for them, as we noted earlier tonight. Blair is looking forward to playing his former team, the Mavs intra-state rival Spurs, writes the Star-Telegram’s Dwain Price.
Blair’s bitterness about his time in San Antonio is evident when he tells Price, “[the Spurs] didn’t give me nothing when I was there. I mean, the fans gave me everything, but everything else, it is what it is. I don’t look at that. I look for us to get a win.”
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports that the NBPA will not pay their new union head the $3MM annually that former executive director Billy Hunter made before he was ousted. Union sources say the annual pay will be around $1.5MM for the new executive director.
The Knicks lost to the Celtics by 30 tonight in preseason action, but Touré Murry and Ike Diogu both made a case for a roster spot, writes ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.

Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Bosh, Oden, Magic

October 12th, 2013 at 7:34pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Bobcats made their first big splash in free agency this summer by signing Al Jefferson to a 3-year, $40.5MM contract to helm the post for one of the league’s most disappointing teams over the last half decade. The Bobcats announced today that Jefferson sprained his ankle against Miami in last night’s preseason action, and will be in a walking boot for several days:

“[Jefferson] suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half of last night’s preseason game vs. Miami. X-rays taken at the arena proved to be normal. As a precaution, Jefferson is expected to be in a walking boot for several days in an effort to contain the swelling and not put any pressure on the joint. Once out of the walking boot, he will be re-evaluated and will begin the rehab process.”

Here are a few more notes tonight from around the Southeast division, including more on Jefferson:

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets that Jefferson was in extensive pain and because it’s preseason the Bobcats are likely to treat the sprain conservatively so as not to endanger the health of their new big man.
With so much speculation about what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will do this coming summer when they can opt-out of their contracts with the Heat and become unrestricted free agents, Chris Bosh will have the same opportunity. But he’s grown comfortable with his role on the team as the third wheel of a champion, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
Winderman also reports that Magic CEO Alex Martins said before their preseason matchup against the Heat, that he’d like the Magic to have their own D-League affiliate in Jacksonville.
Sources say Heat center Greg Oden will be cleared to practice next week, and could see action for the first time in four years in one of the Heat’s final preseason games, reports Michael Wallace of ESPN (by way of the Toronto Sun).
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel profiles Magic camp invitees, Mickell Gladness, Manny Harris, Solomon Jones and Kris Joseph. None of the four will see a dime unless they make the Magic’s final roster, which means overcoming the long odds against them, Robbins adds.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Bobcats, Caldwell-Pope

October 5th, 2013 at 5:40pm CST by Spencer Lund

Mark Stein of ESPN.com reports, via Twitter, that according to the "eyes of a spy I trust," Derrick Rose looks even better now than he did in the past.

Here are a few Eastern notes as fans eagerly await the return of Rose when the Bulls and Pacers tip off at 7 p.m. EST tonight in the first preseason game for each team.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer looks at the Bobcats' bench to show how they can tap into the talents of Ben Gordon, Bismack Biyombo and others.
Bonnell also talked to Bobcats assistant coach Patrick Ewing after practice today at UNC-Asheville. Ewing doesn't want to be categorized as merely a big man coach, but that hasn't stopped Charlotte's big free agent acquisition, Al Jefferson, from soaking up his knowledge.
Despite the addition of Chauncey Billups in free agency this summer and the continued presence of Rodney Stuckey, Pistons rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is making his case for the starting job at the off-guard position, writes MLive.com's David Mayo.
Entering his third year in the NBA, Knicks Journal's Keith Schlosser asks whether Iman Shumpert is under the most pressure to improve his production this coming season if the Knicks are to have a real shot in the improved Eastern Conference.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Bobcats, Abdul-Jabbar

September 24th, 2013 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks are taking a new approach to next season, including starting the year with Amar'e Stoudemire on a capped minutes restriction, writes KnicksJournal.com's Keith Schlosser.
According to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker was incredibly helpful in the recruitment process that brought Al Jefferson to Charlotte.
Long in search of a head coaching gig in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to stop searching for a position when the Bucks hired Larry Drew instead of giving the Hall of Fame center a chance, according to New York Daily News reporter Mitch Abramson.

Bobcats Notes: Jefferson, Zeller, Biyombo

September 24th, 2013 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer spoke to Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins and GM Rich Cho today about a few of the team's offseason moves, including the signing of Al Jefferson. Let's dive in to Bonnell's piece and check out the highlights from the Bobcats brass….

Kemba Walker, who shares an agent with Jefferson, played a significant role in helping to recruit the former Jazz center to Charlotte, reaching out to him prior to the July free agency period. According to Higgins, when the team president told Walker that Jefferson had agreed to sign with the Bobcats, the point guard said that he "almost shed a tear."
Higgins suggested that Charlotte's decision to amnesty Tyrus Thomas opened up the door to land Jefferson: "Once we decided to amnesty Tyrus Thomas, ownership gave us the green light to find a difference-maker. [Jefferson] is a difference-maker."
Discussing Cody Zeller, Cho raved about the big man's basketball IQ, and said the NBA player who reminds him most of Zeller is LaMarcus Aldridge.
Signing Jefferson and drafting Zeller doesn't mean the Bobcats are losing faith in the development of Bismack Biyombo, according to Higgins. "Biz fits in well with us. He’ll get opportunities to grow," Higgins said. "Biz still has a tremendous upside."