Andrew Bogut Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Bogut, Blazers, Lawson

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavs center Andrew Bogut is willing to come off the bench, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. That would allow coach Rick Carlisle to start Dirk Nowitzki at center. “He offered to come off the bench, if that’s a better situation for us,” Carlisle told Sefko. “You don’t often get a player of his stature offering to come off the bench for the betterment of the team. But because of his suggestion and this situation, we have that as an option.” Nowitzki faces difficult defense challenges playing power forward against more mobile players and is not used to coming off the bench. The downside is that Bogut is generally considered one of the league’s premier defensive big men.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers need to find improvement from within rather than seeking a solution on the open market, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com argues. Portland’s defensive issues stem from its conservative approach, which forces the second fewest turnovers in the league, Pelton continues. He also points out that the Blazers have to cut down on their penchant for fouling and improve their defensive rebounding. Injuries to forward Al-Farouq Aminu have also contributed to their defensive decline, Pelton adds.
There will be no suspensions or fines regarding the altercation on Tuesday between Rockets forward Trevor Ariza and Mavs center Salah Mejri, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Ariza was ejected after taking exception to something that Mejri said. After the game, Ariza and some of his teammates tried unsuccessfully to confront Mejri outside the Dallas locker room. The game was also marred by eight technical fouls and two flagrant fouls.
Backup point guard Ty Lawson is reviving his career with the Kings, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee examines in a column. Lawson has tenuous job security because of his non-guaranteed contract, Voisin notes, but he has become a big part of the Kings’ rotation. He averaged 15.5 points and 4.3 assists during a four-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday night. “He makes the game really easy for people and gets up and down the floor, and gets in the paint,” coach Dave Joerger told Voisin. “He’s playing really well. It’s been a successful week because of Ty Lawson.” Lawson’s $1,315,448 salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster beyond January 10.

And-Ones: Jackson, Griffin, Bogut

December 28th, 2016 at 10:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Phil Jackson announced via Twitter that he and Lakers team president Jeanie Buss have decided to end their engagement, explaining how the distance between the two has made sustaining a relationship a difficult feat. Jackson is under contract with the Knicks for two more seasons after this one, but his contract contains a mutual option that would allow either side to opt out this upcoming summer. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post speculates that the decision to part ways with Buss could mean that Jackson is planning on staying on as New York’s team president. The Zen Master will make $12MM if he returns to the Knicks next season.

Here’s more from around the league:

When Jackson took the Knicks‘ job, the league made Jackson and Buss sign documents to ensure there would be no conflicts of interest between the two clubs, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports. Sources tell Shelburne that the documents included a provision that the duo inform the NBA and its owner should they ever decided to marry.
Jackson had long been rumored to be a candidate for a role in the Lakers’ front office should Buss decide to make changes, though with the news of their break-up, it appears that door has closed, Bill Oram of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Oram speculates that Jerry West return to the organization in some capacity should the team make organizational changes.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer details how the Clippers are finding success without Blake Griffin in the lineup and the scribe wonders if the team should trade the oft-injured power forward. O’Connor notes that Griffin’s contract, which expires after this season, could dissuade rival teams from giving up valuable assets for the him, as he could simply walk in free agency.
Despite owner Mark Cuban‘s declaration that the team isn’t interested in tanking, the Mavericks would be wise to trade Andrew Bogut with the future in mind, O’Connor argues in the same piece. O’Connor lists several teams, including the Blazers and the Celtics, that could use the big man’s defense.

Texas Notes: Bogut, Barea, Nene, Ennis

December 26th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks center Andrew Bogut, who has been sidelined since December 5th with a bone bruise on his right knee, could be back on the court this week, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Coach Rick Carlisle announced the news today on Bogut, who started 16 games before the injury. The 32-year-old, who was acquired in a trade from Golden State to sure up the Mavericks’ interior defense, is averaging 3.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per night. He was considered a prime candidate to be traded again when Dallas was at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but Mavericks may consider keeping him as they inch back toward playoff contention. The way he and the team play between now and the February 23rd trade deadline could determine how long he stays in Dallas.

There’s more basketball news out of Texas:

Carlisle also indicated good news might be coming about J.J. Barea, according to Sneed (Twitter link). The backup guard, who has been out with a muscle strain in his left leg, still has no timetable to return, but his coach says it’s “on the shorter end of things.” Barea has only been available for 11 games this season.
The Rockets‘ plan for veteran center Nene involves more games and fewer minutes, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. With starting center Clint Capela out a month or more with a fracture in his left fibula, Houston needs Nene to play in back-to-back games. The Rockets play the Suns tonight and the Mavericks on Tuesday, and coach Mike D’Antoni plans to limit him to fewer than 20 minutes in the second game. “I think it’s working out,” D’Antoni said. “I talked to him [Monday]. He said he’s feeling great. I would like to avoid some back-to-backs, but we can’t right now. The sooner we get Clint back the better.”
Tyler Ennis hasn’t played much since coming to Houston in a September trade, but he is hoping to be part of the Canadian National Team, Feigen relays in a separate story. Ennis met tonight with Suns assistant Jay Triano, who serves as Canada’s coach, to discuss his future role with the squad. “I’ve always played for the national team,” Ennis said. “With the Canadian guys we have in the NBA now, there’s more interest in playing. Hopefully, one summer, we’ll get everybody to come and play. We’re all pretty young.”

Pacific Notes: Bogut, Deng, Griffin

December 22nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Warriors traded away Andrew Bogut in the offseason and it took the team some time to learn how to play without its former starting center, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com writes.

“You lose a guy like Bogut who, you almost can funnel stuff to Bogut,” Draymond Green said “You funnel someone to him, you know he’s there and he can kind of erase any mistake that someone makes, and then you lose that, you have to get used to not having that there. When you had it there for the last four years, it takes a little while to adjust to that. However, I think we adjusted to it.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Luol Deng signed with the Lakers during the offseason in part because he was intrigued with Luke Walton‘s system as well as the team’s young, up-and-coming roster, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. The small forward struggled earlier in the season, but he is beginning to feel more comfortable in his new role. “When you’re with a new group, guys start to realize what you can do and what you can’t do,” Deng said. “A lot of times at the beginning of the year, guys were just standing still. The way I play, I’m always moving.”
The Clippers know how to play without Blake Griffin, something they did for 47 games last season, and their offense remains effective without the five-time All-Star in the line-up, Jesse Dougherty of the Los Angeles Times writes. “The thing is, by playing small and playing [Paul Pierce] at the four, it allows us to spread the floor a little bit more,” J.J. Redick said. The shooting guard added that Griffin’s loss with likely hurt more on the defensive end.

Southwest Notes: Parsons, Bogut, Barea

December 19th, 2016 at 8:52pm CST by Austin Kent

Chandler Parsons could be back in action for the Grizzlies in a “matter of days,” tweets Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. The news is the latest in a series of positive headlines for a franchise that has already recently welcomed back Mike Conley and James Ennis.

Parsons has been out of action since November 18 when he sustained a bone bruise on his left knee, the latest in a concerning line of various knee ailments. On Monday, however, the 28-year-old forward practiced for the first time in a month and spoke with Tillery about getting back into routine with the Grizzlies.

Having fallen victim to knee injuries twice in the past year (he had surgery on his right knee back in March), Parsons will have his work cut out for him to prove that he can be a reliable option for the Grizzlies. In a feature for CBS Sports earlier this month, James Herbert detailed some of the small forward’s previous injuries, going so far as to say that concern over his torn meniscus is what led to the Mavericks opting against signing him to a long-term contract over the summer.

In six games of limited action prior to the bone bruise, Parsons had been brought along slowly and posted averages of 7.7 points and 3 rebounds per game.

Elsewhere in the Southwest Division:

J.J. Barea will play for the Mavericks tonight in their tilt against the Nuggets, says Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Not surprisingly, he will be on a minute restriction after missing the last 17 games with a calf injury.
SportsDay’s Eddie Sefko thinks that the Mavericks would be ready and willing to ship out Andrew Bogut should a contending team inquire about him over the course of the season. Bogut had been averaging 3.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game before suffering a bone bruise earlier this month.
The Spurs retired Tim Duncan‘s jersey Sunday and the tribute videos are out in full force. The NBA’s YouTube channel has uploaded the full retirement ceremony and San Antonio’s official website is celebrating 21 Days of TD.

Southwest Notes: D’Antoni, Beverley, Frazier, Mavs

December 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets‘ Mike D’Antoni is the early favorite to be named Coach of the Year, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack has turned James Harden into an MVP candidate and has made Houston a contender in the West. The Rockets are off to a 19-7 start after a disappointing 41-41 season under Kevin McHale and J.B. Bickerstaff. Stein says a close runner-up to D’Antoni is new Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, whose team is 18-9 despite an injury-filled start to the season.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets are 13-2 since Patrick Beverley‘s return from injury and he may be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Houston has improved to 17th in defensive efficiency since it got Beverley back in the lineup, and he has a shot at becoming the first guard to win the award in 20 years. “I feel like I am the best defensive player in the league right now,” Beverley said. “I hope the whole world sees it. If we win games, more and more people see it. But the last guard to get the Defensive Player of the Year award was Gary Payton. Why not me? I have the same type of killer mindset that he had, the lateral quickness and quick hands. The swagger also. That’s one of my goals, my biggest goal. If I can get a goal like that, I will put my team in a position to win a lot of games.”
Pelicans point guard Tim Frazier will be sidelined with a contusion on a bone in his wrist, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Frazier estimates his recovery time at a week to 10 days.
Harrison Barnes has been a pleasant surprise in a dreadful season for the Mavericks, states Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. After joining the team on a max contract this summer, Barnes has responded by averaging 20.4 points per game. In his weekly chat, Cowlishaw also addresses possible trades involving Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, as well as the potential consequences of shutting down Dirk Nowitzki for the rest of the season.

Mavericks Notes: Curry, Nowitzki, Bogut, Cuban

December 10th, 2016 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries to Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut have depleted the Mavericks’ front line, but at least their backcourt is getting healthy, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Seth Curry returned to the lineup and played 25 minutes Friday night. Deron Williams no longer has a minutes restriction, while Devin Harris is playing, although he is still limited to 20 minutes per game. “I was a little careful with [Curry] with the minutes in his first game back,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “I thought considering he’d been out nine days, he did fine. Having that extra guy at the guard position really alleviates a minutes crunch. And it helps Devin’s situation, too.”

There’s more news out of Dallas:

Andrew Bogut Diagnosed With Bone Bruise

December 7th, 2016 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 7, 10:53am: According to Bogut, the preliminary prognosis on his knee suggests he’ll be out for about 10 days, though he admitted there’s a chance he could miss up to three or four weeks (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News).

DECEMBER 6, 4:00pm: Mavericks center Andrew Bogut has been diagnosed with a minor bone bruise in his right knee and could return to action within two weeks or so, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). The team, which has not confirmed Stein’s report, initially diagnosed Bogut with a hyper-extended knee after he was forced out of Monday’s loss to Charlotte.

Head coach Rick Carlisle said earlier today that the Mavericks expect to be without Bogut for at least the next three games, and possibly longer, but he doesn’t think the injury will sidelined the former first overall pick for a significant period of time, per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.

“We’ll know more later,” Carlisle said. “My understanding is that this is not going to be terribly serious. He’s going to miss some time. We’ll probably know better in a day or two how much time. But I don’t see him playing (Wednesday against Sacramento) or Friday or Saturday, for sure. And probably longer.”

Bogut, who is in the final year of his contract, has become a popular subject of trade speculation with Dallas off to a poor start this season. The Mavs have insisted privately and publicly that they don’t intend to throw in the towel anytime soon and aren’t shopping Bogut at this point. However, in another month or two, if the club’s playoff chances continue to slip away, the front office will likely consider moving the 32-year-old, knowing that a rim-protecting, defensive-minded center would have value on the trade market.

The Celtics have been mentioned as one team that will likely explore the possibility of acquiring Bogut if the Mavs make him available. Based on Stein’s report, it doesn’t look like Bogut’s knee injury will affect his availability later in the season.

Injury Updates: Bogut, Parker, J.R. Smith

December 6th, 2016 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

After leaving Monday night’s game against the Hornets with an apparent leg injury, Mavericks center Andrew Bogut has initially been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. MacMahon reports that Bogut will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, which the team is hoping will confirm that initial diagnosis.

As head coach Rick Carlisle said, the Mavericks believe they “dodged a bullet” on Bogut’s injury, which could have been much more serious, but the veteran center will still likely be sidelined for multiple weeks, per MacMahon. Bogut should return to the court well in advance of February’s trade deadline, and by the time he gets back in the lineup, the Mavs’ hopes of making a run at a playoff spot may have further dwindled, increasing the likelihood that the former No. 1 pick gets dealt. MacMahon reported on Monday that Dallas isn’t shopping Bogut at the moment, but could consider a move in the new year if the chance to make the postseason slips away.

Here are a few more injury notes and updates from around the NBA:

Having missed two games with a thigh contusion, Tony Parker returned to the Spurs‘ lineup on Monday, but was sidelined again with an apparent knee injury. There’s no official word on Parker’s situation yet, but head coach Gregg Popovich said the point guard’s latest injury could keep him out for an extended period (link via ESPN.com).
J.R. Smith didn’t return to the Cavaliers‘ game on Monday against Toronto after suffering a left knee injury in the first quarter. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com details, initial X-rays were negative, but Smith will be further evaluated to determine the extent of the injury.
While the aforementioned players were being knocked out of action, one injured player returned to his team’s lineup on Monday, as Al-Farouq Aminu was active for the Trail Blazers after being sidelined for nearly a month due to a calf injury (Associated Press link via ESPN.com). Aminu saw 17 minutes of action in his return for Portland.

Celtics May Target Andrew Bogut

December 5th, 2016 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Between now and the February trade deadline, the Celtics are expected to strongly consider adding a defensive-minded, rebounding big man, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, who suggests that Mavericks center Andrew Bogut will likely emerge as a trade target for Boston.

While Bogut is considered a logical trade candidate based on his talent, his expiring contract, and the Mavericks’ 4-15 record, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com that Dallas has “no immediate intention” to shop Bogut, since the team still wants to try to salvage its season. That lines up with owner Mark Cuban‘s comments last week about how the Mavs have no intention to tank this season.

Still, the Mavs don’t look like a playoff contender, particularly with Dirk Nowitzki out indefinitely, and if the February trade deadline draws closer and a postseason berth isn’t realistically within reach for the franchise, Dallas could become motivated to move Bogut, writes MacMahon. As the ESPN scribe notes, Mavs management recognizes that the veteran center has plenty of value on the trade market, with league sources suggesting to MacMahon that Bogut should be worth a first-round pick.

A former first overall pick, Bogut has seen his scoring average dip over the years, and is currently averaging just 4.1 PPG for Dallas. However, the 32-year-old is contributing 10.6 RPG in 25.9 minutes per night, and is the sort of reliable rim protector that a handful of contending teams may covet at the deadline. He’ll earn just over $11MM this season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2017.