Boban Marjanovic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Marjanovic, Cuban, Davis

June 8th, 2016 at 8:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the salary cap set to increase to approximately $92MM for next season this offseason is likely to be a wild one for free agents. But Mavs owner Mark Cuban casts some doubt on predictions that even marginal players will land outrageous deals this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “Every player thinks it’s just going to be a money train this summer. There’s a lot of money; there’s not THAT much money,” Cuban said. “And I think there’s going to be teams that save their money for next year, because it’s a better free agent class. People just presume now that everybody’s going to get paid a lot of money, and it’ll be interesting to see if that happens.”

Here’s more from out West:

The Grizzlies officially announced the additions of J.B. Bickerstaff as associate head coach and Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach on David Fizdale‘s staff, the team relayed via press release.
Big man Boban Marjanovic, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer if San Antonio submits a qualifying offer worth $1.5MM, said that he wants to return to the Spurs next season, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter).
The Mavs don’t intend to deal away any of their future draft picks this offseason unless they are absolutely blown away by the offer, MacMahon tweets. “We won’t trade a future pick unless there is a deal good enough that they would fire the other general manager for making,” Cuban told reporters.
The Rockets are considering veteran NBA assistant Johnny Davis for a spot on new head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s staff, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Davis last coached in the NBA with the Raptors from 2011-2013.

Western Notes: Mitchell, Parsons, D-League

March 22nd, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor sees a number of similarities with his current roster and the team he inherited upon purchasing the franchise in 1995, Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune relays. “I just think when we first bought it, we had a franchise that was pretty down and hadn’t done very well,” Taylor said. “We put a plan to get some young guys in here. That’s when we went out and took a gamble on KG [Kevin Garnett] and Stephon Marbury and our goal was to build for the long run and get a better team. We did that. It took us a while to get a championship team. In one sense we’re sort of like that again. We have a lot of young guys and we have to be patient, and I’m hopeful we’ll have a chance for the championship again, just like we did during those earlier years. So I’d say we’re similar.”

The owner was non-committal when asked if he would retain interim coach Sam Mitchell and his staff, though he did express his appreciation for the job Mitchell and GM Milt Newton have done, Hartman notes. “I like my coach, I like my general manager, they’re really nice people,” Taylor said. “We’re working together. What I told them is in this business of basketball, we’re going to do the whole season first and then at the end of the season we’ll do the evaluation.”

Here’s more from out west:

Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons is reportedly set to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, a procedure that would end his season. The 27-year-old is still expected to opt out and hit free agency this summer, but his history of knee woes may give a number of potential suitors pause. A league executive was asked recently if he would consider inking Parsons this offseason, to which he responded “nope” and pointed at his knee to indicate his reasoning, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets.
Kevin Martin has seen limited action for the Spurs thus far, but coach Gregg Popovich is pleased with how the veteran is fitting in with the team, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio-Express News writes. “He’s been around long enough where he’s fit in pretty well,” Popovich said of Martin. “That was good to see, because he hadn’t played for a while and we didn’t know what was going to happen.” The 33-year-old shooting guard has appeared in six games for San Antonio and is averaging 4.2 points in 9.7 minutes per outing.
The Spurs have recalled center Boban Marjanovic and small forward Jonathon Simmons from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Marjanovic is averaging 23.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 26.4 minutes over three games with the Austin this season, while Simmons has logged 16.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds over four D-League appearances.
The Thunder recalled small forward Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release.

Western Notes: Chandler, Mavs, Noah

March 20th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tyson Chandler doesn’t want any part of a rebuilding team, James Herbert of CBSSports writes. “For me, especially where I am in my career, I want to win,” Chandler said (video link via The Arizona Republic). “I want to win now. I’m not in any kind of rebuilding stage. So if that’s the case, it ain’t where I’m supposed to be.” The Suns signed the 33-year-old to a four-year, $52MM deal last offseason and the team expected to be in the hunt for the playoffs. Phoenix currently owns a record of 19-50, as our Reverse Standings show.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

If Chandler Parsons stays with the Mavericks past this season, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News believes the team should demand an improvement from him on the defensive end. Sefko acknowledges that Parsons is capable of being a top scorer, but the scribe mentions the 27-year-old’s positioning on the defensive end as an area of concern.
Joakim Noah could be an option for the Mavericks in free agency, but the team should only add him at the right price, Sefko opines in the same piece. Sefko worries about all the minutes Noah played under former coach Tom Thibodeau and would like to see the team attempt to bring aboard Al Horford instead.
The Spurs have assigned Boban Marjanovic and Jonathon Simmons to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website.

And-Ones: Nets’ GM Search, International Players

February 13th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The team could hire their next GM in the coming days, but no specific deadline is in place, according to Alex Raskin of The Wall Street Journal.

The general consensus around the league is that the job is Bryan Colangelo’s to lose. Other candidates include Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, former Cavs and Hawks GM Danny Ferry and Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks. Raskin notes that all the candidates have a background in international basketball, something that will be important for the Nets. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own draft pick until 2019, so acquiring talent through atypical means will be key to putting together a successful roster, Raskin opines.

Here’s more from around the league:

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov expects to be personally involved with the interviewing process while in Brooklyn on Wednesday when the Nets officially open their new training center, Raskin reports in the same piece.
The Spurs were able to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks last offseason in part because they had targeted Boban Marjanovic as his replacement, Raskin adds in the same piece. Marjanovic, who went undrafted in 2010, signed a one-year, $1.2MM deal with San Antonio in July.
The Nuggets‘ second round gamble on Nikola Jokic during the 2014 draft is paying tremendous dividends, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post contends in a piece that examines the Serbian’s journey to the NBA.

Southwest Notes: Cole, Anderson, Pachulia, Jenkins

December 11th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

John Reid of The Times Picayune suggests that it’s doubtful that either Ryan Anderson or Norris Cole will re-sign with the Pelicans as unrestricted free agent this coming summer. The qualifying offer that Cole received from the Pelicans in restricted free agency this past offseason was the best he had, according to Reid, who points out that it still took him until the middle of September to agree to come back to New Orleans. The team is making Anderson available to other teams for a trade, Reid confirms, advancing a report from Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports that said the Pelicans would consider dealing Anderson to the Suns for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson signaled he wouldn’t re-sign. The team is looking for a quick fix after starting 5-16, Reid adds. See more from the Southwest Division:

DeAndre Jordan‘s flip-flop on his decision to sign with the Mavericks led Dallas to trade for Zaza Pachulia, and while Pachulia is no Jordan, he’s had success this season and has won over a key teammate, as Ian Thomsen of NBA.com details. “After we didn’t get DeAndre we moved on pretty quick, and getting Zaza was a really good move,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “He is one of the smartest centers I ever played with. He can pass, he can shoot a little bit, he can put it on the floor. He may be undersized some nights, but he’s got a big heart, he fights and he is very, very smart. He will compete for us and I love him to death.”
Mavs offseason signee John Jenkins hasn’t put up the same flashy numbers in the regular season that he did during the preseason, but the opportunity Dallas gave him to excel during exhibitions was a key boost, he tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was huge,” Jenkins said. “I knew I had that in me. I was just showing everybody else. For me to do that was a lot of fun. They gave me the ball and said ‘Do what you do.’ Which is different. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Boban Marjanovic credits his recent D-League stint with helping his game, and his Spurs teammates are urging the free agent acquisition to use his 7’3″ size to his advantage on the court, observes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

D-League Moves: Hardaway Jr., Spurs, Ennis

December 6th, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Will Joseph

The Hawks recalled Tim Hardaway Jr., Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson from the D-League, as Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported they would. The moves were announced in an emailed press release. The Hawks do not have their own affiliate. Pursuant to the flexible assignment rule, Hardaway Jr. and Tavares played games with the Canton Charge (the Cavs‘ affiliate) Friday and Saturday and Patterson played with the Austin Spurs Saturday. It will be particularly interesting to see how Hardaway, who was acquired in an offseason deal with the Knicks, fares in a return to the Hawks. He has appeared in only four games for Atlanta, averaging 2.5 points. In two games with the Charge, as Vivlamore writes, Hardaway averaged 17 points in 32.7 minutes.

Here are some more D-League moves today:

The Rockets assigned rookie power forward Montrezl Harrell to their D-League affiliate. Harrell was the 32nd overall pick in the draft. He has appeared in 15 games with one start for the Rockets this season.
The Spurs recalled Boban Marjanovic from their D-League affiliate. The center averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game (two games) with the Austin Spurs. On Saturday, the Spurs recalled Ray McCallum, according to the RealGM transactions log.
The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in an emailed press release. It was the second-year player’s first D-League stint.
The Pistons announced they recalled Spencer Dinwiddie and Darrun Hilliard from their D-League affiliate.

Western Notes: Marjanovic, Motiejunas, Curry

December 6th, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are leaving Boban Marjanovic in the D-League for a while so he can see more time on the court, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The rookie center has produced back-to-back productive games in Austin, posting 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks on Friday, then following that up with 34 points and 12 boards on Saturday. “He just needs playing time,” said San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. “He needs to play and get used to the league, and not just sit there and watch us play.” The 7’3″ Marjanovic has appeared in 10 games with the Spurs, averaging 3.8 minutes.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

The Rockets‘ Donatas Motiejunas saw his first playing time of the season in Saturday’s win over the Kings, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Out since April with back issues, Motiejunas had just one practice before seeing game action. He went scoreless in six minutes of playing time. “We’ll have to figure out how we’re going to work him in alongside the other guys who are playing well,” said Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “It’s always good to have too much talent. We’ll figure it out.”
Seth Curry appears headed toward a larger role with the Kings, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Curry is taking advantage of a recent opportunity for more playing time and impressing coach George Karl with his shooting, defense and toughness. The Kings gave Curry a two-year guaranteed contract over the offseason after he caught the eye of GM Vlade Divac during the Las Vegas Summer League. “I knew Seth could shoot,” Divac said, “but it wasn’t until seeing him in the summer league that I realized he could pass and make plays for teammates. I want players like that.”
The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis, Mitch McGary and Cameron Payne from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today.

And-Ones: Gasol, D-League, Terry, Cousins

December 4th, 2015 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls big man Pau Gasol, who possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17, has said that he’s leaning toward opting out, but he did note that he would like to remain in Chicago beyond this season, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Responding to whether or not he’d like to stay with the Bulls, Gasol said, “Yes, of course. But when the time comes we’ll evaluate it. I’ll see how the season went. Where are the team’s interests, where are my interests, what options do I have? But most important is for me and the team to focus on what we have this season to make the best out of it and give ourselves a chance to win the title.”

Gasol was also asked if he missed anything about former head coach Tom Thibodeau and told Friedell, “I appreciated a lot of things that Thibs brought to the table. I think his intensity. Sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming. I think [I miss most] his intensity and his passion and dedication for the game.” The veteran also noted that he appreciates the freedom and versatility of coach Fred Hoiberg‘s system, the ESPN scribe adds.

Here’s more from around the league:

Jason Terry, who re-signed with the Rockets this past offseason, said he planned to join the Mavericks along with DeAndre Jordan, but Terry’s plans changed when Jordan decided to return to the Clippers, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays. “For me it was like a package deal,” Terry said. “If he [Jordan] came, I definitely was coming. Because that automatically made us a contender.” Terry also noted that he was shocked when Jordan reversed course and backed out of his verbal agreement with Dallas, Townsend adds. “When that happened, I kind of pushed the reset button,” Terry said. “Because I didn’t want to start over. I don’t want to be in a rebuilding phase. I don’t know if Dallas, at the time, knew if they were rebuilding or were they retooling. They were trying to see what was out there.“
The Spurs have sent Boban Marjanovic and Ray McCallum to their D-League Affiliate in Austin, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the season for both players.
The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the second D-League trip of the season for McDaniels, as our assignments and recalls tracker illustrates.
Kings coach George Karl believes that despite the rumored difficulties between he and center DeMarcus Cousins, the big man wants to remain in Sacramento, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
James Ennis has been assigned by the Grizzlies to their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced.
The Clippers have assigned Branden Dawson to the D-League, and since the team does not have its own affiliate, Dawson will report to the Pistons’ squad in Grand Rapids, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.

Spurs Notes: Popovich, Aldridge, Marjanovic

October 4th, 2015 at 4:11pm CST by Will Joseph

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told ESPN’s Sage Steele (h/t Cork Gaines of Businessinsider.com) that he will continue coaching after Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire.

Popovich said that he made a commitment to the newly signed LaMarcus Aldridge. Popovich has four years remaining on a five-year deal that he signed in the summer of 2014. Aldridge’s contract expires at the end of the 2018/19 season.

“Signing LaMarcus [Aldridge], I had to make a commitment,” Popovich said. “I couldn’t say, ‘LaMarcus, we would love to sign you, see you later.’ So I committed to those guys and I committed to LaMarcus. So, I’ve got to fulfill my promise.”

Here is more on the Spurs:

Aldridge and Duncan being able to co-exist is the least of the Spurs’ concerns despite the two All-Star forwards having very similar styles, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News details. Both players prefer to occupy similar spaces on offense — the left block and left elbow — and defensively, one of them will have to defend opposing centers, a role neither has been keen to fill in the past, McDonald adds. After speaking with several players on the team, McDonald found that most of the Spurs find it “comical” that the pairing would not work.
Spurs rookie center Boban Marjanovic, who is 7’3″, said he turned down more lucrative offers in Europe to join the Spurs on a one-year deal worth $1.2MM because it was his “childhood dream,” and added that he is fitting in with a new team and totally different culture, McDonald writes in a separate story.

Southwest Notes: Matthews, Jones, West

September 29th, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has already reportedly ruled out Wesley Matthews for the team’s opener, but the swingman has designs on proving his new coach wrong, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. “I’m trying to be ready by opening day,” Matthews said. “Whether I can play in it or not, I can’t really control that. But my goal is to [be] ready and available opening day.”

Matthews doesn’t think it relevant to compare how long it has taken other players who have had similar injuries to his own to recover, MacMahon adds. “I don’t really pay too much attention to that because if I paid attention to people that were in my situation before me, then I wouldn’t be up here standing and talking to you guys,” Matthews said, “because I can’t think of too many undrafted free agents that have done what I’ve done.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Rockets forward Terrence Jones enters the 2015/16 season with a different, more mature outlook, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I felt like I really needed to grow as a person,” Jones said. “I think I am a lot more mature this year.” Jones is eligible to ink a contract extension with Houston prior to the deadline on November 2nd.
David West said that the Spurs‘ signing of LaMarcus Aldridge was the deciding factor for him to join the team as an unrestricted free agent this summer, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express News tweets.
Despite concerns regarding his agility and foot speed, the Spurs‘ signing of center Boban Marjanovic is exactly what the team needed to help offset the free agent losses of Aron Baynes and Tiago Splitter, writes Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News. McCarney notes that Marjanovic’s ample size (7’3″), as well as his inexpensive contract, make the 27-year-old a wise pickup.
Pelicans star big man Anthony Davis is hoping that the additional 15 pounds of muscle he added from working out over the summer will make him an even more dominant player, Brett Martel of The Associated Press relays. “I feel great right now. Even just working out, I feel explosive. I feel quick,” Davis said. “When you start actually going against people and all that, it’s a lot different. So I’m going to see how it is during training camp and preseason and go from there.“
Despite the expectations that arrived in San Antonio along with him, Aldridge is doing his best to fit in and adapt to the way the Spurs organization handles its business, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “It’s never been about one guy here,” said Aldridge. “It’s always been about the team. So it’s not about me.”
After missing the end of the 2014/15 regular season and the playoffs, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley is itching to get back on the court, Creech writes in a separate piece. “Six months, nine days,” Beverley said. “That’s the longest I have ever been out and away from basketball. Injuries aren’t something you can control, but I am ready to get back, ready to play and get this thing started.”