Beno Udrih Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ford’s Latest: Knicks, Rockets, W’s, Pelicans

February 19th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com takes an Insider-only look at the trade market for a handful of teams with little more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s 2:00pm Central trade deadline. We’ll round up the highlights here:

The Knicks are shopping Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih as they seek to upgrade their point guard spot. Ford mentions Jeremy Lin as a long shot possibility for New York, but Houston is adamant it doesn’t want to give him up. Trading for Lin or Kyle Lowry would require the Knicks to relinquish Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Warriors have been listening to offers for Harrison Barnes, and they’ve gone as far as to counter a few of them, Ford hears. Greg Monroe, Thaddeus Young, Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried, John Henson and Amir Johnson all intrigue the W’s as possible targets in exchange for Barnes, Ford writes. Golden State is also enamored with Kevin Love, as most teams around the league are.
Ford describes David Lee as available, too, but he notes there isn’t much of a market for him, which makes sense, given his bloated contract.
Part of the Pelicans‘ motivation for exploring trades for Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans is the feeling that they could fall back into position to snag a top-five pick in this year’s draft if both guys are off the roster, according to Ford. Their first-rounder goes to the Sixers if it’s No. 6 or worse. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote earlier this morning that New Orleans was looking to move either Gordon or Evans, but not both.

Knicks Pursue Jeff Teague, Still Eyeing Lowry

February 18th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:02pm: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also downplays New York’s pursuit of Teague, though he says it’s because of the Knicks’ lack of assets (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:24am: Marc Berman of the New York Post throws cold water on the story, writing that the Knicks are expected to pass on Teague out of concerns about his long-term deal. He also hears that the Raptors, Hawks and Knicks didn’t have talks about the three-way deal involving Lowry, whom Toronto probably won’t trade, according to Berman. Still, the Knicks would love to flip Shumpert for a point guard, and that desire has grown stronger than the team’s pursuit of a backup center, Berman writes.

MONDAY, 3:27pm: The Knicks view Andre Miller as a fallback option, though their preference is for someone younger like Teague or Lowry, Stein writes in his full story.

2:02pm: New York is continuing to try to pry Lowry away from the Raptors, offering packages that include Felton, Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih, Begley reports. The Knicks have been reluctant to offer Tim Hardaway Jr. or a first-round draft pick, but the Raptors are believed to be demanding at least one of the two, Begley writes. The Knicks, Raptors and Hawks have had preliminary discussions about a three-team deal that would provide the Raptors with the first-rounder they’re apparently seeking, according to Begley. Such a deal would send Teague to the Raptors, Shumpert to the Hawks and Lowry to the Knicks, sources tell Begley, who notes that it’s also still a possibility that Teague winds up with the Knicks.

1:03pm: The Knicks are focusing on upgrading their point guard position at the deadline, and Jeff Teague is a new target, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com seconds the report, via Twitter. Hawks GM Danny Ferry apparently isn’t enamored with the four-year, $32MM offer sheet that Teague signed with the Bucks this past summer, goading the Hawks into matching it. Because the Hawks matched the offer sheet, Teague can veto any trade this season, as Stein points out (on Twitter).

New York renewed efforts to extract Kyle Lowry from the Raptors last week, but the Knicks have become convinced the Raptors won’t deal him, Stein tweets. Incumbent Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is averaging a career-low 10.4 points as New York sits two and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Teague, by contrast, is putting up a career-best 15.6 points per game, and he’s also matching his high of 7.2 assists per contest. The Hawks are fifth in the East, but are below .500 at 25-26.

Western Rumors: Udrih, Clippers, Gordon, Jazz

February 13th, 2014 at 9:41pm CST by Charlie Adams

Beno Udrih played three seasons for the Spurs, and Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks the veteran journeyman might end up back in San Antonio before the deadline passes. The Knicks have been trying to find suitors for Udrih, and former New York GM Scott Layden, now in the front office of San Antonio, was at attendance for Wednesday’s Knicks game. It might be too early to make assumptions, but it’s certainly possible Udrih might be on the move some time soon. Here’s more out of the Western Conference..

Chris Paul wasn’t necessarily a fan of the Hornets franchise, but his love for the city of New Orleans made for a difficult move to the Clippers. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports recaps the blockbuster deal that paired Paul with Blake Griffin in Los Angeles.
A well placed source tells Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders that the Bucks aren’t interested in Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (Twitter link). Ingram hears Milwuakee doesn’t have any interest in dealing for oft-discussed guard.
The Jazz would be wise to find a suitor for Gordon Hayward, suggests Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders in his weekly chat. Kennedy thinks Hayward might command max dollars from a rival team as a restricted free agent, but there’s still some doubt whether he’s worth that kind of money.
Kennedy also believes the Lakers would be better off trading Pau Gasol for some assets that could help the team down the road. At this stage in his career, Kennedy thinks Gasol would like to play for a winner, so he might be likely to leave LA in free agency.

Atlantic Notes: Woodson, Knicks, Humphries

February 12th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Cray Allred

Losing to the Kings at home was not a great way for the Knicks to quiet speculation about coach Mike Woodson‘s future heading into the All-Star break. Their turmoil continues, and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News doesn’t expect an end to the “nonsense” until owner Jim Dolan gives full autonomy to a head coach (via Twitter). Let’s take a look at more from the messy division:

Dolan would rather keep Woodson for the rest of the season and does not want to make a change now, per Marc Stein of ESPN (via Twitter). Stein isn’t sure that he won’t be swayed by recent losses to the lowly Bucks and Kings, though.
The Knicks are still targeting Rajon Rondo as their preferred upgrade at point guard according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, although it’s unclear if Iannazzone is passing along new information or working from previous reports of the Knicks’ interest in Rondo. The Celtics have sent consistent signals that they wouldn’t give up Rondo for the kind of value the Knicks could offer.
In the same piece, Iannazzone speculates that every Knicks player outside of Carmelo Anthony could be available, and thinks any one of Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih could be in their final days with New York.
Celtics power forward Kris Humphries wished team employees good luck heading into the All-Star break, “in case I don’t see you again,” as quoted by Scott Souza of MetroWest Daily News (via Twitter). The nine-year veteran is on an expiring $12MM contract, and is one of many Celtics players rumored to be available as Boston seeks to be active at the trade deadline.

Knicks Target Glen Rice Jr.

February 12th, 2014 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks would “love” to acquire Glen Rice Jr. or a second-round pick in return for Beno Udrih, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Wizards reportedly have interest in Udrih, while the Knicks considered drafting Rice in the first round this past June had Tim Hardaway Jr. been unavailable, according to Berman.

The Post scribe identifies Udrih and Metta World Peace as prime trade candidates, and says the Raptors had interest in World Peace when they discussed Kyle Lowry with the Knicks in December. The former Ron Artest reportedly would have been in line for a buy out if the Raptors took him on then, so I’m not sure that Toronto is all that interested in the 34-year-old. The Raptors appear to be shying away from engaging in Lowry talks with the Knicks again or with any other team.

World Peace is cognizant that there’s a strong chance he’ll be traded, and he’s open to the possibility, even if he isn’t asking the Knicks to move him, Berman hears. World Peace is in the first season of a two-year deal for more than $3.5MM that includes a player option for 2014/15, while Udrih and Rice are on minimum-salary contracts.

Eastern Notes: Magic, Cavs, Knicks

February 11th, 2014 at 6:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Magic GM Rob Hennigan tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that he’s not actively looking to pursue deals right now: “We’re exploring all options that may improve our team…But in terms of aggressively, actively trying to do something? I would say no [we’re not].”

In that same piece however, Robbins adds that Orlando could make at least one move before the deadline, and much of the trade speculation has revolved around Arron Afflalo, Jameer Nelson, and Glen Davis. Afflalo – whose 19.6 PPG and 5.0 FTA this season represent career bests – is likely drawing the most interest at this point.

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference this evening:

Looking at what he calls a “mess” in Cleveland, Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report revisits some of the Cavaliers’ roster decisions since Kyrie Irving‘s arrival in order to describe how they got to this point, including their decision to bypass Jonas Valanciunas in the 2011 draft, hiring Mike Brown, and failing to provide a veteran mentor for Irving. In spite of this, he believes there’s still time to right the ship, especially if the front office- led by interim GM David Griffin – can piece together a roster that compliments rather than saddles Irving.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News doesn’t buy speculation about Knicks owner James Dolan considering a Carmelo Anthony trade to the Bulls, and thinks that the seven-time All-Star will ultimately stay in New York beyond this summer. Even if Anthony were to bolt, Isola doesn’t believe it’d be the end of the world; with Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler coming off the books in 2015, New York could target a star like Kevin Durant with their ample cap space (All Twitter links).
ESPN New York’s Ian Begley weighs in on the rumblings surrounding Iman Shumpert and Kenneth Faried from the Knicks’ persepctive, saying that acquiring Faried – though he’d be a plus – doesn’t address their backcourt needs and cuts into their 2015 cap flexibility.
As for the Wizards’ reported interest in Beno Udrih, Begley notes that a one-for-one swap for either Glen Rice Jr. or Al Harrington is feasible, but only from a salary-matching standpoint. Regardless, I think Begley would agree that Washington probably wouldn’t be open to giving up a 23-year-old prospect like Rice Jr. in order to solely acquire a 31-year-old backup point guard.

Beno Udrih Backs Off Trade Request

January 23rd, 2014 at 4:12pm CST by Cray Allred

4:11pm: The Knicks feel the presence of Udrih may take playing time away from Toure’ Murry, and they wouldn’t mind receiving a second-round pick if they were to make a trade, Berman writes.

1:47pm: Udrih says he “wants to be here” and that his “first option” is to remain with the Knicks, Berman tweets, so it appears the point guard’s issues with Woodson and concerns about playing time aren’t too severe.

THURSDAY, 9:25am: Udrih isn’t applying undue pressure on the Knicks, and it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be dealt, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Udrih’s agent, Marc Cornstein, was to set to speak with Knicks GM Steve Mills prior to last night’s game.

MONDAY, 7:58pm: Beno Udrih has asked for a trade from the Knicks, according to ESPN New York’s Ian Begley. The Knicks will attempt to honor the request, according to league sources. While the impetus for the request hasn’t been revealed, the backup point guard has had publicized issues with coach Mike Woodson in his first year with the team. The veteran has been disappointed in a lack of minutes alongside starting point guard Raymond Felton, a rotation he says was pitched to him as a free agent.

The twelfth-year veteran is averaging 19.9 MPG, his lowest total since the 2011/12 season, and his current PER of 12.7 is below his career average of 14.0. The cap hit for Udrih’s one-year contract is $884,293. It is unclear if there are any teams that would be in the market for a backup rotational guard like Udrih, and his small price tag would limit what kind of salary the Knicks could take back in return since they are already over the cap.

The Knicks have already generated a lot of buzz regarding their pursuit of another point guard in the wake of the team’s struggles and early injuries to Felton and Pablo Prigioni. Those pursuits have stalled–most notably the deal for Kyle Lowry that owner James Dolan reportedly nixed–but adding another guard would likely be a necessity if they are able to honor Udrih’s request to move on.

Atlantic Rumors: Zarren, Udrih, Woodson

December 26th, 2013 at 11:10am CST by Chuck Myron

The Atlantic Division is dreadful this year, and while that may be a matter of happenstance, it could lead to an unbalanced playoff bracket, as SB Nation’s Tom Ziller examines. The Atlantic-leading Raptors have a record that’s worse than the Pistons, but Toronto would draw the Bobcats in the first round while Detroit would have to face the Heat if the postseason began today. Of course, there’s plenty of season left, so while we wait to see if such disorder comes to fruition, here’s the latest from the NBA’s worst division:

The “wheel” proposal for assigning NBA draft picks is the brainchild of Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald points out. GM Danny Ainge supports the idea as well, though Hoops Rumors readers aren’t quite as receptive.
Beno Udrih has been the subject of public criticism from Mike Woodson of late, and while the point guard isn’t calling his coach out by name, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com thinks it’s clear that Udrih is frustrated with Woodson. “I’ve always been pretty good with not turning over the ball and this year it’s totally different. I don’t know what happened [last] summer. I don’t think I forgot [how] to play basketball. So there’s a lot of factors,” Udrih said. “You can point fingers at me as much as you can but if things don’t work it’s not one person’s fault … It’s a team sport.”
Former Nets, Knicks and Celtics guard Stephon Marbury recently signed a long-term deal to remain in China with the Beijing Ducks, and tells Marc Berman of the New York Post that there’s no chance he’ll play in the NBA again. The 36-year-old Marbury, who hasn’t appeared in the Association since the 2008/09 season, made similar comments about his future this past June.
We passed along news on the Knicks‘ interest in Rajon Rondo earlier this morning.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Udrih, Trade Candidates, Wizards

December 25th, 2013 at 9:42pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com, 87.5% of the teams at the top of their division on Christmas Day in the past four years have ended the season still in first place. These odds of making the playoffs shouldn’t come as a surprise to the fans of the Heat, Pacers, Spurs, Thunder, or Clippers but may be odds Trail Blazer or Raptor fans want to hold onto.

A few notes in the Eastern Conference regarding teams that don’t have very good playoff odds.

It was no Christmas surprise that the Knicks are quickly unraveling this season. Following a double digit blowout to the Thunder, Brian Windhorst of ESPN compared the Knicks continuous offseason mistakes to those of the Thunder’s offseason successes. The Knicks address their transactions with a “think big” mentality which has caused them to whiff big by chasing, and missing, expensive free agents. On the contrary, the Thunder have thought small and invested in young talent through the draft. Windhorst claims the Knicks aren’t planning to stop this cycle anytime soon either as they are now looking at expensive names in their near future such as Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Roy Hibbert, Marc Gasol, Tony Parker or re-signing Carmelo Anthony,
Speaking of Knicks unraveling, what sold Beno Udrih on signing as a free agent with the Knicks was the opportunity to play in a two point guard lineup with Raymond Felton. Udrih told The Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring (Twitter link) this selling point has yet to come to fruition with the Knicks even when Felton was healthy.
Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.com looked forward to the six NBA players who are most likely to move teams in 2014. The list includes Omer Asik, Kyle Lowry, Jimmer Fredette, Dion Waiters, Iman Shumpert and an assortment of Sixers players.
Emir Preldzic, whose NBA rights are held by the Wizards, has extended his contract with Turkey’s Fenerbache Ulker through the 2016/17 season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Contract Details: Oden, Pargo, Williams, Udrih

August 14th, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his invaluable database of NBA salaries with details on many of the players who have signed over the last couple weeks. We hadn't yet heard the specifics on a number of those contracts, so let's round up the new info….

Initially reported as a two-year contract with a second-year player option, Greg Oden's deal with the Heat is actually only for one season, according to Deeks.
Jannero Pargo's one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Bobcats is only currently guaranteed for $300K. Pargo will be assured of his full salary (about $1.4MM) if he remains on the roster past December 10th.
The Trail Blazers signed Mo Williams using their full room exception, and included a 15% trade kicker in his deal.
There's also a 15% trade kicker on Beno Udrih's minimum-salary contract with the Knicks.
Another Knicks signee, Jeremy Tyler, has a $100K guarantee on his two-year deal.
Carrick Felix's four-year deal with the Cavaliers was originally reported as being fully guaranteed for three seasons. However, according to Deeks, the third year is non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option.
The first year of Peyton Siva's pact with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K.
Jeff Withey has a fully guaranteed rookie year with the Pelicans, while his second-year salary won't become guaranteed until next July.
Ryan Gomes' contract with the Thunder is currently non-guaranteed. He'll receive three $25K bonuses if he remains on the roster beyond September 1st, October 1st, and October 30th, but his salary won't become fully guaranteed until January.