Austin Daye Rumors | Hoops Rumors

West Notes: D’Antoni, Jackson, Blazers, Spurs

March 16th, 2014 at 8:09pm CST by Zachary Links

There are a lot of different takes on coach Mike D’Antoni within the Lakers organization, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. One league source says the Lakers have not offered any indication D’Antoni’s job has become in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the Lakers don’t plan to evaluate him until after this season ends on April 16th and they may not decide definitely then, either. More out of the West..

The Knicks’ hire of Phil Jackson puts pressure on Blazers owner Paul Allen and GM Neil Olshey, writes John Canzano of The Oregonian. If Jackson can pull the Knicks out of their mediocre spin and make a deep run in the playoffs before the Blazers do, it’s going to confirm what many have said all along – that Allen would be better off simply hiring good basketball people and getting out of the way.
The Blazers announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled guard Allen Crabbe from the Idaho Stampede of the D-League. During Crabbe’s three-game stint in Idaho he averaged 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds and shot 42.6 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from three-point range.
The Spurs announced that they have recalled forward Austin Daye from the Austin Toros of the D-League. In Saturday night’s contest against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Daye recorded 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots in 40 total minutes. The California native has appeared in two games for the Spurs’ varsity squad, averaging 3.0 points in 1.5 minutes per contest.

And-Ones: Harden, Collins, Daye, Williams

March 15th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Cray Allred

In a series of tweets, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says there was more to the Thunder‘s decision to trade James Harden before last season than money concerns. Coming off their Finals loss, Harden wanted an increased role on the team, believing himself to be the superstar talent we now know he is. Kyler says Harden wanted to stay, but the Thunder didn’t want to change their roster dynamics to accommodate his wishes. Here’s more from around the league:

Jason Collins is happy stay with the Nets for the rest of the season, he tells Roderick Boone of Newsday. “Thank you to the Nets organization, coaches and players,” Collins said.“Our team is playing really well right now and I’m glad to continue to be here.”
The Spurs have assigned Austin Daye to their D-League affiliate per a team release.
After showing promise in some extended playing time with the Raptors, Ed Davis has struggled to see many minutes with the Grizzlies, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The lack of playing time has come because of a crowded frontcourt in Memphis, not a lack of skill on Davis’s part, says coach Dave Joerger. “It’s tough and he’s a similar style to the guys that are at that position,” said Joerger. “What his athleticism is, is a different look for us. But it’s tough with Marc [Gasol] and Zach [Randolph] in front of him.”
Derrick Williams has been debated as a “true” small forward or power forward since coming into the league, but Kings coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that Williams’ versatility is a good thing. “You go back to his days at Arizona, when he was the No. 2 pick, he played a lot of four (power forward),” Malone said. “I see in the NBA if a bigger guy is guarding him, he can take that guy out on the perimeter. If you play him at the small forward, you can post him up some. He’s got that versatility and athleticism that is very attractive. The league is getting a lot smaller it seems, and I think Derrick’s versatility is a real advantage when you play him at the four.” If small forward Rudy Gay picks up his $19.3MM player option in Sacramento for next season, Williams will likely have to establish his ability to thrive at the power forward spot.

Spurs Notes: Daye, Free Agents

February 28th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Cray Allred

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters, including Josh McDonald of San Antonio Express-News, that Nando De Colo‘s request for San Antonio to move him to a better situation was the impetus for GM R.C. Buford to trade him to the Raptors last week. Popovich says Buford was working to accommodate De Colo’s wishes for some time (Twitter links). Here’s more from San Antonio:

Popovich said in the same session that he isn’t feeling very anxious about what free agents the Spurs could add, per Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links): “R.C. and the boys are doing their due diligence but there’s nothing there we’re super excited about.” The Spurs have been linked to multiple players on the buyout market, but haven’t landed any to this point.
Austin Daye, whom the Spurs acquired in the De Colo trade, tells Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press that turbulence with the Pistons during his few years in the league helped him mature: “I saw a lot of things usually a lot of first-year guys don’t see, second-year guys don’t see—guys getting into it with coaches and stuff like that and all type of different stuff going on. It was tough when guys didn’t want to go to shootaround and all that stuff,” says Daye. “I kind of had to grow and mature as a player and as a person. I think I was able to do that my third to fourth year. Just be mature, come into work every day and beat somebody out for their spot. Just earn your minutes as best you can, instead of expecting stuff.”
Daye hopes to make enough of an impression for the Spurs to guarantee the final year of his contract next season, worth $1.1MM. He wants a chance to succeed like other Spurs reclamation projects have. “Look at what happened to [Danny Green]. He wasn’t playing at all in Cleveland, never sniffed the floor when he was there. He came into this system and the system really helps players like that. It helps players with perhaps a special skill-set or maybe even one skill-set,” says Daye. “I think it’s a great chance for me—I don’t think it’s the last chance for me. If that’s what they’ve been saying, that’s what they can think. I know I’m a good player in this league, I know I can play in this league.”

Southwest Rumors: Nowitzki, Grizzlies, Daye

February 24th, 2014 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets are apparently on the mind of Charlie Villanueva as the possibility of a buyout from the Pistons looms, while the Grizzlies are interested in Lester Hudson, who last played in the NBA two years ago with Memphis. Here’s the rest of what we’re hearing from the Southwest Division:

Dirk Nowitzki said last month that he’ll probably re-sign with the Mavericks on a two- or three-year deal this summer, but the 35-year-old can envision a series of one-year deals after that, keeping him in the NBA past his 40th birthday. Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the details.
The Grizzlies were willing to make a trade that put them a hair over the tax line, but they weren’t going to give up Ed Davis, an object of desire for many teams, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his latest “Morning Tip” column for NBA.com.
Austin Daye was overjoyed when he heard about Thursday’s trade that sent him to the Spurs, telling reporters, including Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, that he screamed into his pillow in a moment of exuberance upon hearing the news. Daye, whose contract is partially guaranteed for next season, said the Spurs have been one of his favorite teams since childhood, McDonald adds (Twitter links).

Spurs, Raptors Swap De Colo, Daye

February 20th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs and Raptors have announced their swap of Nando De Colo for Austin Daye. De Colo has been on frequent D-League assignments this year, having ceded playing time at backup point guard to Patty Mills and Cory Joseph. Daye has been even less of a factor for the Raptors, appearing for just 33 minutes total after signing a two-year minimum-salary deal this summer. NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks

De Colo, a 2009 second-round pick of the Spurs, finally signed with the team on a two-year deal in 2012. The contract gives him slightly more than the minimum, and he’s making $1.463MM this year. He’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Daye’s pact is partially guaranteed for $250K next season. He was the 15th overall pick the same year the Spurs drafted De Colo, but he never panned out in three and a half seasons with the Pistons, who traded him to the Grizzlies as part of the three-way Rudy Gay trade in January 2013.

Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first tweeted news of the deal.

Odds & Ends: ‘Melo, LeBron, Popovich, Harrison

October 19th, 2013 at 11:01pm CST by Spencer Lund

Here are some links from around the Association as we come inside 10 days before the regular season starts:

The New York Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence compares and contrasts the different ways LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have handled their possible impending free agency next summer. That’s when both can opt-out of their current deals with the Heat and Knicks, respectively.
Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich told the Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman he dreams about LeBron James and Ray Allen almost every night after the Spurs’ tough loss to the Heat in the Finals last season.
Austin Daye told the Toronto Sun’s Ryan Wolstat he chose the Raptors this offseason in free agency – despite receiving some interest from the Heat – because he believes in the organization and thought he’d get more playing time.
Sixers coach Brett Brown will “deal with” Lavoy Allen missing practice today after he claimed to have overslept, writes the Intelligencer’s Thomas Moore.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter against the Pacers on Friday night and will be out indefinitely.
Harrison Barnes expects to play in the Warriors season opener against the Lakers on October 30th, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Barnes has missed the last three preseason games with a left foot inflammation, and there’s no word on whether he’ll dress for the remaining two preseason games.
Ridiculous Upside’s Keith Schlosser reports that D-League players want to be paid more.
Foreign clubs routinely offer more money than the NBA’s D-League, so the impetus to stay and compete is low unless a certain club expresses direct interest in a player and asks them to play.
Schlosser suggested individual NBA teams could pay the salaries instead of the NBA itself, but there are only 17 D-League franchises right now with a number of teams sharing the same affiliate, so it’s unclear which team would pay which salaries.

Eastern Notes: Carmelo, Daye, Heat, Pistons

July 31st, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest column for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Chad Ford assigns grades to all 15 Eastern Conference teams for the moves they've made this summer. While I disagree with a few of Ford's grades, and think it may be a little early to assume each team's offseason work is done, his explanations are worth reading. It may come as no surprise that Ford, a draft expert, gives top marks to the Sixers, who snagged a pair of top-10 prospects in last month's draft and figure to have two lottery picks next year as well. Here's more from around the East:

ESPN.com's 5-on-5 crew also breaks down a few questions relating to which Eastern teams made the best and worst offseason moves.
While there's no real indication that Carmelo Anthony wants to explore the free agent market next summer, he also isn't saying he plans to be a long-term Knick, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Carmelo will have the chance to opt out of his contract in search of a new deal next summer.
Before Austin Daye agreed to sign with the Raptors, the Heat were one team with interest, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who also cites the Lakers as a suitor for Daye.
The Pistons have two roster spots open after trading three players for Brandon Jennings, leaving room to sign second-round pick Peyton Siva. However, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the more pressing need for the team may be a big man to provide frontcourt depth.

Raptors Reach Agreement With Daye

July 30th, 2013 at 6:28pm CST by Michael Pina

The Raptors have reached agreement on a two-year deal worth $2MM with free agent forward Austin Daye, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 25-year-old has been a disappointment since entering the league as the 15th overall pick four years ago, averaging 5.6PPG on just 41% shooting from the floor. Last season, Daye was included as a throw-in piece in the three-team Rudy Gay trade, sending him from the Pistons to the Grizzlies. He averaged 4.5PPG in 55 total games last season.

Lakers Rumors: Odom, Landry, Daye

July 26th, 2013 at 8:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers were the toast of the summer last year, but after a profoundly disappointing season and the loss of Dwight Howard, they're taking a more conservative approach this time around. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of rumors flying around the Staples Center as the team attempts to fill out its roster via the minimum-salary exception, the only tool to sign free agents that GM Mitch Kupchak has left. Here's the latest:

Kevin Ding of the Orange County register hears that Lamar Odom might be warming to the idea of playing for the Lakers again. The team isn't high on him, so a reunion is unlikely, Ding tweets.
Before news broke today of the Lakers' agreement with Elias Harris, Ding wrote that the team wanted to sign two more players this summer to partially guaranteed deals for the minimum salary. The Lakers are targeting players from its summer league roster, like Harris, and overlooked veterans (Sulia link).
The Harris deal didn't shock Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, who believes summer league participant Marcus Landry could be the next to sign with the Lakers (Twitter link).
The Lakers have been interested in Austin Daye, who worked out for the team this week, but Pincus gets the sense that the team wasn't enthralled with what it saw (Twitter link).

Los Angeles Notes: Lakers, Daye, Jordan, Clippers

July 25th, 2013 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The voting on the worst $40MM+ signing of the summer is still ongoing, but the Clippers' Chris Paul appears to be more than safe. While a five-year, $107MM+ deal is anything but cheap, it's hard to argue that the league's premier point guard isn't worth it. Here's more out of the Staples Center..

The Lakers have expressed interest in free agent Austin Daye, sources tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The 6'11" forward, who became an unrestricted free agent when the Grizzlies declined to make him a qualifying offer, auditioned for the Lakers earlier today. For his career, Daye has averaged 5.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 15.4 minutes per game.
Sources close to the process tell Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that the Lakers might add one more player before camp, but their plan is to keep some roster room open in hopes of luring some talented guys that fall through the cracks. Daye could wind up being that addition, provided that he has a strong showing in L.A.
DeAndre Jordan is over the fact that he was nearly traded from the Clippers to the Celtics, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. “Boston is cold, man,” Jordan said. “It’s not really something I’m concerned about. If you get traded, you get traded — it just means someone else wants you.”