Donatas Motiejunas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Crawford, Green, Lakers, Rockets

March 18th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nearing age 36, the Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford isn’t giving any thought to retirement, at least not until 2021, writes Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. The veteran shooting guard will mark another birthday Sunday, but he believes he still has five years left in the NBA. Crawford has remained among the league’s most productive bench players this season, averaging 13.7 points and 26.5 minutes per game. “I’m a product of clean living,” proclaimed Crawford, who credits abstinence from smoking and drinking with helping him prolong his career. How much longer he’ll spend with the Clippers is uncertain, though. Crawford is in the final season of a four-year contract and was mentioned in trade rumors earlier this year.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Jeff Green isn’t expecting much of a reaction Saturday in his first game back in Memphis since last month’s trade, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. The Clippers acquired Green from the Grizzlies in a deal at the deadline in exchange for Lance Stephenson and a 2019 first-rounder. “It’s not, like, emotional,” Green said. “I wasn’t here long enough. I could see if it was Boston, a team that I spent four years with, you know, went through a lot of personal stuff there, too. That was an emotional return.”
The Lakers and Suns have been out of the playoff race for a long time, but their game tonight is still important, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. L.A. is four and a half games ahead of Phoenix for second place in the latest reverse standings. Draft position is especially important for the Lakers, who need their pick to fall in the top three to avoid having it sent to the Sixers. Even so, coach Byron Scott gives no thought to losing. “We’re not in a weird position,” he said. “We play Phoenix and we’re trying to win the game.”
The Rockets held another players-only meeting after Wednesday’s lopsided loss to the Clippers, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “This is fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, I don’t know which meeting it is,” said power forward Donatas Motiejunas. “I think talking shouldn’t be the one thing that we do. We shouldn’t talk anymore; we should look at ourselves and try to change some things.” Houston tried to shake things up last month by trading Motiejunas to Detroit, but the Pistons canceled the deal due to concerns about his back.

Central Notes: Blake, Motiejunas, McRae

March 11th, 2016 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy downplayed the idea of a Brandon Jennings trade in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but Steve Blake nonetheless readied himself for more playing time in case a Jennings trade happened or a deal that sent Blake himself to another team took place, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Of course, the Pistons traded Jennings to the Magic and kept soon-to-be free agent Blake, who’s glad he’s stuck around.

“I easily could have ended up somewhere else,” Blake said, according to Mayo. “I was praying it wouldn’t happen but I knew it could happen. I knew it was a possibility.”

Reggie Jackson is a fan of his backup, acknowledging that he seeks advice from Blake, a 13th-year veteran, as Mayo also relays. See more on the Pistons amid news from the Central Division.

The Pistons aren’t worried about the implications of a grievance that the union is reportedly giving strong consideration to filing in the wake of the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade, Van Gundy said, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons want to cultivate a reputation as a player-friendly organization, but they don’t think the flap over the failed deal, which prompted some harsh words from Motiejunas, will hurt the team.
Jordan McRae‘s potential to develop was one of the reasons the Cavaliers signed the 58th overall pick from 2014 to a two-year deal this week, GM David Griffin told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. The sides decided against a second 10-day contract to strike a long-term deal after only a single 10-day stint. “He has fit in well, understands his role and embraces the opportunity he has to improve,” Griffin said. “Jordan has a unique combination of length and scoring ability, and we are intrigued by his versatility and upside.”
The Bulls have fallen flat this season, but injuries have played a major role in that, and the team would be unwise to execute a major overhaul in the summer, argues Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Jimmy Butler is a legitimate centerpiece and Derrick Rose is probably better than anyone they could trade him for, so the Bulls should concentrate on marginal changes instead, using their rookie contracts and Taj Gibson as trade bait, Berger contends.

Union Mulls Filing Grievance Over Motiejunas Deal

March 6th, 2016 at 10:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The National Basketball Players Association is thinking about filing a grievance with the league over the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The Pistons elected to cancel the trade on February 22nd after several medical tests failed to convince them that Motiejunas’ back was sufficiently healed from surgery last spring.

Voiding the deal sent the Lithuanian power forward back to Houston, where he received medical clearance from Rockets team doctors. He has appeared in five games since returning. Spears cites sources close to Motiejunas who fear that the Pistons’ decision could lessen his value when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. Motiejunas underwent back surgery last April and before the trade hadn’t played for the Rockets since December 31st.

“The team doctor simply says whether you pass or don’t, although they may not do any checks,” Motiejunas said in an interview posted on the Lithuanian website Basketnews.Lt. “Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not. The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. I just got screwed. The injury was a pretense to call off the trade. They changed their minds.”

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy denied that accusation and said the team had legitimate concerns about Motiejunas’ long-term health. “We went through a very thorough process and we made the decision we made for the reasons that we thought it was too much risk,” Van Gundy said.

Representatives for Motiejunas didn’t think Van Gundy should have made negative public statements statements about their client’s condition, Spears writes. NBPA president Michele Roberts and a union spokesperson refused to comment to Spears about the issue.

The three-team deal, which was completed at the trade deadline, sent Motiejunas from Houston to Detroit along with Marcus Thornton. The Rockets received the Pistons’ top eight-protected first round pick and a draft-and-stash player, while Joel Anthony and a Nuggets’ second-rounder went to the Sixers. To make room for Anthony, Philadelphia released JaKarr Sampson, whom the Nuggets signed after he cleared waivers.

Pistons Notes: Roster, Motiejunas, Harris

March 6th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It appears that the Pistons will not make another major roster move, such as adding a player on the buyout market, and they may elect to keep the 15 current players under contract as they look to make a playoff push, David Mayo of Mlive.com writes. Mayo adds that no decision has been made yet on Justin Harper, who is playing on a 10-day contract, his second with the team this season. If the Pistons want to retain Harper, they will need to sign him through the remainder of the season.

Here’s more from Detroit:

If Donatas Motiejunas were in the middle of his rookie deal rather than the end of it, the Pistons would have likely gone through with their trade with Houston, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press speculates. Ellis believes that the team is still in need of a versatile big man and the acquisition of Motiejunas would have pushed the team toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
Detroit was worried about the Tobias Harris–Marcus Morris pairing on the court due to the similarities in their style of play, but the duo has fit well together since the team acquired Harris, Mayo writes in a separate piece. “I think they’ve really helped each other,” executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “They sort of look for each other. They’re both unselfish guys. I think it’s been good.”
Van Gundy believes Harris’ unselfishness allowed him to fit in with the team right away, Mayo adds in that same piece. “[Harris] doesn’t pound the ball, he doesn’t take a lot of dribbles. He makes his move, he shoots it, or he moves the ball and we can play. So I think it’s been pretty easy for our guys to adapt to playing with him,” Van Gundy said.

Central Notes: Motiejunas, Dunleavy, Hoiberg, Love

March 2nd, 2016 at 11:08am CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy denies the team simply changed its mind about trading for Donatas Motiejunas, as the power forward asserted, MLive’s Brendan Savage notes. The trade was voided when the Pistons said Motiejunas didn’t pass his physical, but Motiejunas, who returned to action this weekend for the Rockets after back trouble kept him out for nearly two months, insists he’s fine.

“We went through a very thorough process and we made the decision we made for the reasons that we thought it was too much risk,” Van Gundy said. “Look, I feel bad for him, too, because I understand his points in terms of his value and everything else. But we felt we had to make the decision we made.”

Motiejunas is set to enter restricted free agency this summer, so the next six weeks figure to be key for his market value. See more from the Central Division:

The return of Mike Dunleavy is giving the Bulls a boost even though it isn’t reflected in the standings, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. The team was reportedly seeking an upgrade on the wing, as Goodwill notes, but Chicago didn’t make a significant move for one and has instead benefited from Dunleavy’s presence since his return from back surgery that knocked him out the first half of the season. The Bulls re-signed him to a three-year, $14.4MM deal this past summer.
New coach Fred Hoiberg‘s message simply isn’t connecting with the Bulls, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. The Bulls are beset with injuries even in the wake of Dunleavy’s return, but Tuesday’s loss to the Heat dropped Chicago, which aimed for at least the conference finals, to ninth place.
Kevin Love‘s revival following Cleveland’s coaching change was short-lived, and the max-salary signee has returned to the underwhelming performances that have marked much of his tenure with the Cavs, notes Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.

Pistons Notes: Harris, Motiejunas, Morris

February 29th, 2016 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons had reportedly been targeting power forwards for free agency this summer, but with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy would feel comfortable if Harris and Marcus Morris were the team’s starters at the two forward positions beyond this season, notes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I think they’re both starting-caliber guys. It all depends on where your roster goes and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “You’d love to get to the point where you have starting-caliber guys coming off your bench. But certainly if we have to go into next season and beyond with those two guys as our starting forwards, we’re pretty happy with that.”

In other news regarding the Pistons:

Donatas Motiejunas believes a change of heart, instead of a medical issue, was the reason his trade from the Rockets was voided, according to an item in BasketNews.lt that Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com relays. According to the translation of Motiejunas’ quotes, he felt he passed the team’s physical examinations, Feldman continues. The power forward and shooting guard Marcus Thornton, since waived by Houston, were traded to Detroit in a three-team deal in which the Rockets would have received Detroit’s first-round pick, with some protections. “Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not,” Motiejunas reportedly said. “The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. … The injury was a pretense to call off the trade. They changed their minds.”
Morris is making a case for one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Morris is a hard-nosed one-on-one defender, though he doesn’t record many steals or blocks, Ellis continues. Raptors coach Dwane Casey told Ellis and other media members on Sunday that Morris has a defensive presence. “Most of all, it’s his defensive toughness,” Casey said. “With the defensive disposition he brings, it’s not like you’re just going to catch the ball down there and go to work on him in the low post.”
Power forward Justin Harper helped his case for another 10-day contract by hitting three 3-pointers against the Raptors, Ellis writes in a separate notebook. Harper, who officially signed on February 24th, has one more game remaining against the Spurs on Wednesday before his 10-day expires. It would not be a surprise if Harper gets another 10-day, David Mayo of MLive.com writes, but the team will also scour the waiver wire for a veteran point guard or power forward.

Western Notes: Wolves, Motiejunas, Gallinari

February 29th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell would like for his team to make a signing, lamenting how “awfully thin” the Wolves are inside, but he doesn’t anticipate a move until well after Tuesday, the last day players can hit waivers and still be eligible to play in the postseason for another team, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Mitchell, who isn’t assured of his job beyond this season, said the Wolves will be patient while free agents head to playoff-bound teams, according to Zgoda.

“After the dust settles, there are going to be some guys out there we’ll want to look at,” Mitchell said. “You don’t want to do it too fast because you don’t want to fill a spot and then someone becomes available. There are only so many playoff teams and only so many roster spots.”

Minnesota has an opening in the wake of its buyout with Andre Miller, and the team has reportedly engaged in advanced discussions with Kevin Martin about a buyout, too. See more from the Western Conference.

Donatas Motiejunas said he doesn’t resent the Rockets for trying to trade him to Detroit, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The deadline-day trade that would have sent the soon-to-be restricted free agent to the Pistons fell apart when he didn’t pass Detroit’s physical. Motiejunas played nine minutes Sunday in his first action for Houston since December 31st. “I feel good,” Motiejunas said. “This team traded me because of the first-round pick, the lottery pick. It’s a big thing. I don’t see any problems with it. They were really waiting for me to get back. I love these guys, love the team, love the fans.”
Danilo Gallinari expects that he’ll miss the next three to four weeks with injury, as he told Davide Chinellato of La Gazzetta dello Sport (Twitter link). The leading scorer for the Nuggets had an MRI on Saturday after suffering a severely sprained right ankle in Friday’s game, notes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The team has an open roster spot.
Steve Kerr and Draymond Green largely dismissed any idea of tension stemming from a tirade that Green delivered to Warriors coaches at halftime of Saturday’s game, notes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The versatile frontcourt player, who’s missed his last 12 3-pointers, was upset because he felt the coaches don’t want him to shoot, according to ESPN’s Lisa Salters.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Motiejunas, Joseph

February 27th, 2016 at 2:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets center Dwight Howard offered little explanation about his motive for firing agent Dan Fegan in comments to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard, who seems virtually certain to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, announced Friday that he was severing ties with Fegan and Relativity Sports. “It was nothing against my agent,” Howard said. “It wasn’t anything bad that he did to me. Sometimes, change is good. I just made a decision based on what I feel I needed to change. I always respect him and love him. We still talk now. But as far as him being my representation, I decided to go other ways.” Howard said he hasn’t thought about choosing a new agent or his possible free agency, but said he has been considering how to improve his “situation” since the All-Star break.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets‘ Donatas Motiejunas, whose trade to the Pistons was voided Monday due to health reasons, has received medical clearance to start playing again, Feigen writes in a separate story. The Lithuanian big man was able to participate in the Rockets’ shootaround this morning. Back troubles have limited Motiejunas to 14 games this season, and he hasn’t played for Houston since December. “All the doctors that I consult are one of the best in the United States for back injuries and none of them saw any change or anything,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I played four games in the D-League. I practiced already with the team. I practiced by myself. I feel great lately.”
Cory Joseph, who signed with the Raptors in free agency last summer, credits the four years he spent with the Spurs with making his a better player, according to Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. “I went to two finals, I went to the Western Conference finals, and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year,” Joseph said. “You play a lot of big games and you get the full experience.” Joseph, who received about $30MM over four years, is averaging 9.1 points per game as a reserve in his first season in Toronto.
The loss of Bryce Dejean-Jones less than a week after signing a three-year contract continues a three-year string of injuries for the Pelicans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Dejean-Jones is expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his right wrist.

Central Notes: Kidd, Motiejunas, Hoiberg

February 25th, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bucks coach Jason Kidd appears to be losing his influence with team ownership after a number of personnel decisions have gone awry or have met with disapproval, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays (video link). Kidd, who holds sway over the team’s basketball operations, was the engineer of the trade that shipped out Brandon Knight in exchange for point guard Michael Carter-Williams, which, according to Wojnarowski, has upset team management in the wake of his disappointing play.

The scribe also relays that ownership nixed a potential deadline trade with the Pelicans this year that Kidd was spearheading, though the players involved were not named in the report. The team is also showing increased reluctance to allow Kidd a say in personnel matters, which may become an issue for the coach, considering Kidd reportedly wants to move into a front office position that would allow him even more power, Wojnarowski adds.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons may have dodged a bullet when the three-team trade that would have landed Donatas Motiejunas was nixed over medical concerns regarding the power forward, David Mayo of MLive writes. The Pistons now retain their 2016 first round pick and will still have the opportunity to pursue Motiejunas this summer when he becomes a free agent, though doing so may raise some eyebrows around the league after the team pulled out of the trade, Mayo adds.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg lacks the fiery outward demeanor of his predecessor Tom Thibodeau, but he scoffs at the notion he isn’t tough on his players, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “We’ve had some pretty heated conversations over the course of the year,” Hoiberg said. “If we need a little kick in the butt, you get on them and hopefully they respond. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.” Chicago has been criticized this season for lacking toughness and Hoiberg wonders if that can be altered this late in the season, Johnson adds. “I just look at the different ebbs and flows,” Hoiberg said. “If you look before January 1st, we were winning a lot of these battles. We were fourth in the league in defense and doing a lot of really good things on that end of the floor. It was winning games for us when our offense wasn’t very good. We’ve slipped. Some of it has to do with some of the bodies we don’t have. But guys have to give effort. In this league, if you don’t make first contact, you’re going to get hit.”
Longtime Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao wasn’t taking a shot at his former club when he announced upon arriving in Golden State that he was glad to come to a locker room where the players love each other. He was merely expressing his excitement at joining the Warriors, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer writes. Varejao signed with the Warriors after being waived by the Blazers, who acquired him from the Cavs in a deadline deal. When initially informed of Varejao’s comments, LeBron James responded, “I would hope if you’re 50-5 that everyone loves each other. … What else do you want at that point? … Duh,” Pluto notes.

Western Notes: Gasol, Olshey, Motiejunas

February 23rd, 2016 at 9:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Blazers approached this season’s trade deadline determined not to part with one of their top rotation players unless the team was able to land a major upgrade in return, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays. “We went into the trade deadline trying to be opportunistic,’’ Portland executive Neil Olshey said. “I’m happy for this group. What they have been able to do on the floor put us in position where we weren’t looking to break up the roster and look to change the core group of guys. It’s a testament to the work they have done and the success they have had. We shaded ourselves toward more future assets as opposed to bringing in guys right now who might – quite honestly – disrupt the chemistry we have going. It took a lot of work to put this group together knowing how all the pieces fit and how they would fit into [coach] Terry’s [Stotts] system and how they would fit into our culture and how they would basically fall in line behind Damian Lillard‘s leadership. We are not going to tinker with that.’’

Here’s more from out West:

The Rockets don’t mind being back over the luxury tax threshold as a result of the Donatas Motiejunas trade with Detroit being voided, but the loss of the top-eight protected 2016 first-round pick they would have received from Detroit stings, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter). The power forward not passing Detroit’s physical scuttled a three-way deal made prior to last Thursday’s trade deadline.
According to a physical therapist who is well-versed in the recovery process ahead of Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, the chance that the big man returns to the form he displayed before his injury is less than 10%, Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal relays (on Twitter). Gasol will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Saturday on his broken right foot.
The Rockets have assigned Sam Dekker to their D-League affiliate as he continues to make his way back from surgery, the team announced. This will be the rookie’s third trek of the season to Rio Grande Valley.