Damion James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Damion James, Felix, Cavs

July 20th, 2013 at 9:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

RealGM's Shams Charania notes that while Damion James has yet to speak about a training camp invite or regular season roster spot with the Heat, the 6'7 swingman may have boosted his stock after his solid play in Las Vegas over the last few weeks. James – who underwent foot surgery twice over the span of his first two season in the league – told RealGM: "Everybody knows I belong in the league…I’m completely, 100 percent healthy. It’s been a great experience for me. I really look up to the Miami Heat and I really appreciate them for letting me come and be a part of their organization. I just want to show them that I can play, show them that I can belong here.

Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Carrick Felix made a strong enough impression on Mike Brown that the Cavaliers coach thinks he has a good chance to make the regular season roster, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. As for other players who could have possibly earned invites to training camp, Brown mentioned Matthew Dellavedova, Cory Higgins, Jermaine Taylor, and Justin Harper.
Wizards rookie Otto Porter did a brief interview with Hoopsworld about his experiences in summer league and what he needs to work on in preparation for training camp (video link).
DeMar DeRozan gave his thoughts and impressions on some of his young Raptors teammates, having a full training camp to work alongside Rudy Gay, Masai Ujiri, and team's playoff chances (video link).
Cody Zeller expounded on what he learned about the NBA game against summer competition and building chemistry with some of his teammates (video link).
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that Vitor Faverani's three-year deal with the Celtics is worth $6MM, which was the projected deal a few days ago.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News questions the leadership of Knicks owner James Dolan and is skeptical about how the team will fare next season.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer discusses how the NBA's new CBA has benefitted the Bobcats.

Odds & Ends: Ellis, Clippers, Celtics, Bucks

June 17th, 2013 at 9:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Bucks guard Monta Ellis informed the Bucks that he'll be exercising his early termination option this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The guard, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, has the Lakers on his wish list, but that seems pretty far fetched given their cap situation. Well, we can add another fiscal longshot to the bunch as Ellis likes the Grizzlies too, according to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (on Twitter). Ellis probably isn't a fit for the stats-driven Memphis front office either, as his 16.3 PER was good for 27th last season amongst point guards. Here's more from around the Association..

Mohammadou Jaiteh received first round guarantees before withdrawing from the draft earlier today, agent Herman Manakyan told Shams Charania of RealGM.
Time is on the Clippers' side in their trade talks with the Celtics, a source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter). "[The] Clippers can be patient and [the] C's will be in position to get something rather than nothing," the source says.
The Bucks announced that they will host a mini-camp for free agents this week. Damion James, Dominique Jones, and Salim Stoudamire will be among those with NBA experience in attendance.
J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter) isn't convinced that the Wizards have to target size after seeing the Heat and Spurs do well with small lineups.
The Suns withdrew from contract talks to make Roy Rogers an assistant coach on Jeff Hornacek’s new staff, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Odds & Ends: Redick, Crawford, James, Crowder

January 23rd, 2013 at 12:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Just as we crossed into the final month before the trade deadline, the first deal of the new year went down today, and the action will no doubt pick up going forward. Here are a few more notes from a busy evening.

J.J. Redick, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, wants a raise on his $6.19MM salary, but the Magic want him to take a hometown discount, reports USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. If the team doesn't believe it can re-sign him when the trade deadline rolls around, Zillgitt won't be surprised to see the Magic trade Redick, since they don't want to lose him without any return.
The Wizards are looking to make moves, and Jordan Crawford is drawing the most interest of any of the players they'd make available, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reveals, noting rookie Bradley Beal isn't among the players they're dangling, Kyler adds.
Damion James is heading back to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam, as the Nets have opted not to renew his 10-day contract, which expires tonight, tweets NetsDaily.com.
Jae Crowder's contract with the Mavs is fully guaranteed through next season, but he doesn't want that to be the end of his tenure in Dallas, where he wants to play his entire career, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reveals.
Elliot Williams, who tore his left Achilles tendon in September, isn't ruling out the possibility he could return at some point this season, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The league, believing he was done for the year, has already granted the Blazers a disabled player exception, but the team will get to keep it even if he makes it back.
Ben Baroff of SheridanHoops.com believes there will be more deals similar to today's Cavs-Grizzlies trade in the years to come, as luxury tax penalties become more severe.
Amid another round of Dwight Howard rumors, Nets brass has assured Brook Lopez he won't be traded, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Nets Sign Damion James To 10-Day Contract

January 13th, 2013 at 8:37am CST by Sean Highkin

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Damion James to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. James had previously been playing for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League.

James, drafted 24th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2010 and acquired by the Nets in a draft-day trade, has played parts of two seasons with the team, averaging 4.5 PPG and 7.7 RPG.

Odds & Ends: Gasol, D-League, Knicks, Nash

December 15th, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Michael Pina

There has been much talk that the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol. Ben Bolch from the Los Angeles Times gives five possible trade scenarios that could end up pleasing both parties. .

Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser writes that former first round draft pick Damion James is currently down in the D-League fighting his way back to the NBA. And he's not the only one. Ryan Ripley tells the same story with Morris Almond.
ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling writes that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson prefers to push the ball and increase the tempo.
The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding writes that Lakers fans should be exicted as they await Steve Nash's return.
Former Bulls backup point guard C.J. Watson says he was "mistreated" in the offseason and had no plans on re-signing with Chicago, writes The Chicago Sun-Times' Neil Hayes. Watson is currently backing up Deron Williams with the Nets.

Hawks Waive James Anderson, Damion James

October 27th, 2012 at 2:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks waived their last pair of players on non-guaranteed deals, cutting ties with James Anderson and Damion James, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports via Twitter. The team's roster is down to 14 players, 13 of whom have fully guaranteed deals. Kyle Korver has a partial guarantee of $500K on his $5MM deal, but he seems unlikely to be let go.

Southeast Links: Sessions, Hawks, Vaughn, Magic

October 12th, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Lee

There are seven preseason games around the NBA tonight, and not one of them involves a team from the Southeast Division. But that doesn't mean their aren't links coming surrounding the division that houses the current NBA champs. Let's keep track of them here:

Ramon Sessions talked with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo!, explaining why he decided to opt out of his contract with the Lakers to sign a 2-year deal with the Bobcats. Sessions, who has bounced between teams throughout his career, was concerned that the Lakers may move him and was looking for some destination certainty, which he found in Charlotte.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that should the Hawks stick to the 15 player roster limit, the last two spots will come down to James Anderson, Damion James and Anthony Tolliver. Point guard Carldell Johnson is still with the club, but will almost definitely miss the cut. Vivlamore adds that it is no guarantee the Hawks keep a roster of 15, but they need to get down to at least that by October 29.
New Magic coach Jacque Vaughn says that, despite the loss of Dwight Howard, he intends to instill his own defensive philosophy this year which revolves around protecting the paint, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins is skeptical is they have the personnel to do it, but Vaughn says, “The way we’re playing defensively is definitely geared toward the personnel that we have right now, for sure. It is a team defense based around five guys being in the right position at the right time."
Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel writes that the Magic have essentially had a superstar in 19 of 20 years of the franchise's existence if you don't count the first three. Without Howard, Schmitz opines that the team's history tells us that it is only a matter of time before they find the next one. The question is, how long can they keep him once he arrives, whoever he is.

Hawks Sign Keith Benson, Carldell Johnson

September 28th, 2012 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have officially announced their training camp roster, and as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes, there are some new names on the list. In additions to signings we'd heard about before, such as James Anderson, Anthony Tolliver, and Damion James, the team has also added Keith Benson and Carldell Johnson to its camp roster.

Benson, 24, was the 48th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but didn't earn a spot on the Hawks' roster. The 6'11" big man ended up playing 20 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG, and also signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors late in the season. He appeared in just three games for Golden State, playing limited minutes.

Johnson, 29, has played over 200 D-League games for the Austin Toros since going undrafted in 2006. The 5'10" point guard known as Squeaky finally made his NBA debut last season for the Hornets, appearing in 15 contests for New Orleans.

Benson and Johnson both figure to be on non-guaranteed deals, and it's unlikely either player will end up on Atlanta's regular season roster. While the team does have at least one open roster spot, with 14 players on fully or partially guaranteed contracts, I'd expect Anderson and James to have a leg up on Benson and Johnson for that final spot.

Hawks, Damion James Agree To Terms

September 11th, 2012 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

4:28pm: James' deal will be non-guaranteed, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

1:43pm: The Hawks have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Damion James, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). We had heard in late August that James was close to making a decision on where to sign, and it appears he has chosen Atlanta.

The 24th overall pick in 2010, James only appeared in 32 games for the Nets in his first two seasons due to foot injuries. Based on his performance and health history to date, it seems likely he'd command no more than a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal.

When James and the Hawks finalize their agreement, the 6'7" wing will become the 15th player under contract for the club. If Atlanta eventually agrees to terms with restricted free agent Ivan Johnson, James could find himself battling for the team's final roster spot with training camp invitee James Anderson.

Damion James Close To Decision On Signing

August 29th, 2012 at 7:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

Small forward Damion James has one more team visit lined up, and will make a decision on where to sign by the end of the weekend, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). James has spent all of his brief two-year NBA career with the Nets after they acquired him from the Hawks the night Atlanta drafted him 24th overall from the University of Texas.

Fred Kerber of the New York Post speculated that James is among the small forwards the Nets could consider now that their signing of Donte Greene is on hold, and fellow New York Post scribe Tim Bontemps reported back in July that the Nets were eyeing James. If the Nets bring back James, it would be on a minimum salary deal, since the team renounced his free agent rights after declining the third-year option on his rookie scale contract.

There's been little talk about James this summer, so it seems likely he'd command no more than the minimum wherever he signs. James had his rookie season cut short after 25 games because of a broken foot, and after starting the first seven games of the season last year, he aggravated the injury and was out for the rest of 2011/12. The 6'7" James has averaged 4.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 17.9 minutes in 32 career games, 16 of them starts.