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Western Notes: Walton, Pelicans, Gallinari, Paul

March 29th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors assistant Luke Walton is reportedly poised to become a top candidate for the Knicks coaching vacancy, and the Lakers, Suns, Rockets and Kings are expected to target him, too, but former colleague Alvin Gentry thinks Walton still doesn’t gets the credit he deserves, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gentry, now head coach of the Pelicans, was on Golden State’s staff last year with Walton, who inherited Gentry’s role as lead assistant and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record while head coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgeries. “Luke did an unbelievable job of managing egos, of rotations he played,” Gentry said. “Everything that happened there, he pushed the right buttons, so I was disappointed when people said anybody can coach that team. That’s not true at all. He has an unbelievable understanding of the game. I think [Knicks president] Phil [Jackson] knows that. [Luke] stayed in the league for a long time because of the basketball IQ he has. He gets along great with players. He’s going to be a terrific coach in the league – I really do think that.”

See more from the Western Conference:

Jrue Holiday and Alonzo Gee are out for the rest of the season, which ends two weeks from Wednesday, the Pelicans announced. That means seven New Orleans players are finished for 2015/16. Holiday, who fractured his orbital bone, and Gee, who ruptured a right quadriceps muscle, join Anthony Davis, Quincy Pondexter, Eric Gordon, Bryce Dejean-Jones and Tyreke Evans on the shelf for the year. Ryan Anderson and Norris Cole are also dealing with less severe injuries, the team said.
Danilo Gallinari doesn’t expect to play again this season for the Nuggets, as he said in an interview with Sky Sport of Italy (video link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Coach Michael Malone told reporters early this month that the team was thinking about shutting him down even if he recovered before season’s end from the two torn ligaments he suffered in his right ankle February 26th. Denver has since signed Axel Toupane for the balance of the season and beyond.
Chris Paul won’t play for Team USA in the Olympics this year, telling Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins that he’s withdrawing his name from consideration for the squad. “I feel my body telling me that I could use the time,” the 30-year-old said. Paul can opt out of his contract with the Clippers after next season.

Southwest Notes: Matthews, Gordon, Stephenson

March 12th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Mavericks are not worried about the long-term value of Wesley Matthews‘ four-year, $70MM deal and owner Mark Cuban revealed that the shooting guard received interest on the trade market prior to the deadline, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com passes along (ESPN Now link). Cuban added that the team was not looking to trade Matthews.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

It’s unlikely that the Pelicans will go to great lengths to re-sign Eric Gordon in free agency this summer, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid examines Gordon’s five years with New Orleans and believes it would be best for both parties if the shooting guard signed elsewhere.
New additions Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston are giving the Grizzlies a new dimension as the team embraces the stretch run toward the playoffs, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. Stephenson has averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game since arriving in Memphis. Hairston is scoring 7.4 points and 0.5 steals in 22.9 minutes per game since coming to town.

Eric Gordon To Miss Remainder Of Season

March 8th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Eric Gordon will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season as a result of successful surgery today to repair damage to his fractured right ring finger, the Pelicans announced via press release. This was the same finger Gordon broke in January, an injury that forced him to miss approximately five weeks. Scott Agness of VigilantSports first reported Gordon was to undergo surgery.

New Orleans has been slammed with injuries this season, with Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones having also suffered season–ending maladies. The NBA granted a hardship exception allowing the Pelicans to add a 16th player to their roster, and New Orleans is poised to take advantage, having reached agreement with Orlando Johnson on a 10-day pact.

Gordon, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 15.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds through 45 games. His career numbers are 16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists to accompany a shooting line of .435/.383/.814.

Western Notes: Augustin, Gordon, Barton, Varejao

March 8th, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets deadline trade acquisition D.J. Augustin has quickly taken to his new surroundings and says he’d love to re-sign with Denver when he hits free agency this summer, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. Coach Michael Malone is a fan of the point guard, particularly his offense, as Dempsey relays.

“I would love to be here,” Augustin said. “It’s a great city, great fans. I love the coaching staff and organization. Everything is great. So, I would love to find a home here.”

Augustin hoped for a chance to join a team that would give him more playing time as he faded from the Oklahoma City rotation this season, and while he expressed his appreciation to the Thunder for facilitating such a deal, he said he didn’t ask for a trade, Dempsey notes. See more on the Nuggets amid news from the Western Conference:

Eric Gordon is having surgery today on his broken right ring finger, a source told Scott Agness of VigilantSports (Twitter link). No timetable exists for the soon-to-be free agent who suffered the injury Saturday, though the Pelicans reportedly fear it’s a season-ender. It’s the same finger Gordon broke in January, an injury that forced him to miss about five weeks. The final day of the regular season is five weeks from Wednesday.
Malone knew little about Will Barton when the coach took over the Nuggets in the offseason, but the 25-year-old shooting guard is team’s second leading scorer this year, the first on a new three-year, $10.6MM deal, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee examines. “I’d be lying to you if I said I expected him to play as well as he has this year,” Malone said. “He’s a hard worker. He committed himself to getting better, coming back as an improved player and, like all players, I feel he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity given him. We play him 25, 30 minutes a night, put the ball in his hands and allow him to make plays and he’s done a great job of doing that, especially in the open court.”
Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk acknowledged that recent signee Anderson Varejao isn’t what he used to be, but Schlenk said in a radio appearance with Matt Steinmetz on 95.7 The Game’s “NBA This Week” show that Varejao and Joakim Noah were the best centers in the NBA three years ago. The 33-year-old Varejao only twice averaged double-figures in either points or rebounds, peaking in 2012/13 at 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game, though he played only 25 games that season because of injury.

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Holiday, Wallace, Rockets

March 6th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans fear that shooting guard Eric Gordon‘s season may be finished, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune. Gordon had to leave Saturday’s game when he fractured his right ring finger on a steal attempt. He missed 16 games after having surgery on the same finger in January. ”I don’t know for sure what happened, but it looked like he might have done the same thing again,” said Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who speculated Gordon could be out six to eight weeks. ”That would be really unfortunate because he worked so hard to get back and I really thought he was playing really good basketball.” Gordon, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is averaging 15.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds through 45 games.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Gordon’s injury will likely mean more playing time for Jrue Holiday, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Holiday started the second half Saturday after Gordon was hurt, and Gentry indicated that he wants to see more of the former All-Star point guard who’s mostly come off the bench this season. “I’m happy to be playing, if you want me to be honest,” he said. “I appreciate it. I don’t take it for granted. Obviously with previous two years and what’s happening now — and I think Eric just went out with his finger — I’m happy to be on the court.”
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace gives the team an A-plus for how it has responded to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending injury, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Memphis has gone 7-2 since Gasol went down with a broken right foot last month. “The fans are enjoying this recent incarnation of the Grizzlies,” Wallace said. “It’s come together rather well and rather quickly. You have to give the players and coaching staff credit. They’ve embraced the challenge.”
No team has fallen harder this season than the Rockets, writes Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. After winning the Southwest Division and reaching the Western Conference finals last year, Houston enters tonight’s game 30-32 and in danger of missing the playoffs. “Success in this league is fragile,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “You should work every day to be better, work every day on every possession, because it is fragile and fleeting.”

And-Ones: Johnson, Celtics, Pelicans, Lee

February 18th, 2016 at 12:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers think would-be post-buyout target Joe Johnson wants to stay in Brooklyn and that he’ll seek to sign an extension with the Nets, a source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. People around Johnson say he won’t take a buyout, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

There’s more from around the basketball world as the trade deadline approaches:

The Celtics are willing to trade the unprotected 2016 first-round pick they have coming their way from the Nets if it would shake Blake Griffin loose from the Clippers, sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. However, Boston wouldn’t deal the pick for either Kevin Love or Al Horford, Bulpett hears.
The Pelicans shopped Eric Gordon and Omer Asik, but they haven’t found much interest, sources tell John Reid of The Times Picayune. New Orleans reportedly offered Gordon and Alonzo Gee to the Kings for Rudy Gay earlier this season, and the Pelicans apparently had talks with the Cavs that involved Asik after making him available in December.
The Grizzlies shipped $542,714 cash to the Hornets as part of the Courtney Lee trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals.
Jameer Nelson is running out of alternatives to season-ending surgery on a severely sprained left wrist, but he’ll continue to try to play for the time being after receiving an injection meant to ease the pain he’s feeling, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post details. He missed the Nuggets‘ last six games before the All-Star break.
The Bulls were interested in Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer earlier this season, but the Rockets rebuffed their entreaties, reports Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link).
The Pistons would love to make one more move before the trade deadline, GM Jeff Bower said today in an appearance on WDFN-AM radio, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The team is reportedly scanning the market for veteran guards, but Bower said the Pistons are looking at the options available at every position and added that coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has confidence in Steve Blake as the team’s backup point guard, Beard also relays (on Twitter).
The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from the team’s D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced today. Ennis has appeared in 15 games with the Energy, averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per night. He has played in 10 games for Memphis, averaging 1.3 points in 3.6 minutes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Tyreke Evans Out For Season

February 11th, 2016 at 8:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 8:16pm: Evans underwent surgery today and will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season, the Pelicans announced via press release.

11:38am: Coach Alvin Gentry cautioned that it’s not certain Evans is out for the year, pointing to further tests he’ll undergo this week, notes Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). He’s meeting with specialists to gather a second opinion, Gentry said, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY, 7:58am: Tyreke Evans will likely miss the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He plans to have surgery this week on his right knee, the same knee on which he had surgery that knocked him out for the first month of the season, Charania notes, adding that he’ll finalize those plans after meeting with specialists this week. It’s also the same knee in which he’s been suffering from tendinitis that’s kept him out for the past seven games. New Orleans had reportedly been gauging the trade market for him, and the 26-year-old swingman is apparently among the players the Cavs have been eyeing. The Pelicans had been showing a greater willingness to move either Evans, Eric Gordon or both than they had with Ryan Anderson, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

Gordon is due back soon from the broken right ring finger he suffered last month, but in the meantime, he’s one of three Pelicans with significant injuries at present, joining Evans and Quincy Pondexter, who’s also out for the season. New Orleans would need a fourth injury that’s expected to keep a player out for the next two weeks in order to qualify for a hardship provision of a 16th roster spot.

It’s too late in the season for the Pelicans to receive a disabled player exception for Evans that would allow them additional financial means to acquire someone to replace him. New Orleans is six and a half games behind the Rockets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and with Evans injured, the team’s postseason hopes appear faint.

Evans, making nearly $10.734MM, is the third leading scorer for New Orleans at 15.2 points per game. His 6.6 assists are tops on the Pelicans and match his career high from last season. He’ll make about $10.204MM next year in the final season of his contract.

Trade Candidate: Eric Gordon

February 8th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Will the Pelicans be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? Do they still view themselves as playoff contenders? And which of their available assets is most likely to be dealt away?

Derick E. Hingle / USA Today Sports Images

All these questions will take a back seat to Mardi Gras on Tuesday in New Orleans, but they will become important soon afterward. With the trade deadline looming on February 18th, the Pelicans have reportedly had talks about trading at least four prominent players.

Of the Pelicans’ potential trade assets, shooting guard Eric Gordon is the riskiest. The risk comes from a broken ring finger that he suffered in a January 19th game and from his looming free agency. With his recovery timetable set at four to six weeks, a team that acquires Gordon may not have him on the court until early March. And when free agency hits in July, Gordon will no doubt seek a hefty raise from the more than $15.5MM he is making now. So any team that deals for him will have to be confident he will sign for the long term.

The eighth-year shooting guard out of Indiana had a chance to enter free agency last summer but chose to exercise his option and spend another year in New Orleans. At the time, he cited the Pelicans’ talent level and an offseason coaching change that saw Monty Williams let go in favor of Alvin Gentry, who carried the promise of a faster-paced offense.

Gordon has been a productive but frequently injured player during his five seasons in New Orleans. The broken finger is the latest in a series of mishaps that have limited his availability since the Pelicans acquired him from the Clippers in the December 2011 trade that sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles. Gordon missed 136 games during his first four seasons in New Orleans, and that number continues to rise with his current injury.

The 27-year-old has been an effective scorer since he arrived in New Orleans, averaging 17.0 points and 3.7 assists per game. He is fourth on the team this season at 15.0 points a night and was eighth in the league with 98 3-pointers when he fractured his finger. Still, it’s not clear how vital he is to the Pelicans’ success. The team recently won seven of nine games with him on the sidelines to sneak back into playoff contention, and his overall numbers suggest his value isn’t as high as it seems. ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus ratings currently put Gordon 40th among the league’s shooting guards, up slightly from 43rd a year ago when he had the benefit of being part of a playoff team. Gordon fares a little better in ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating, but he still comes in just 24th among shooting guards.

Those numbers, along with Gordon’s contract situation, make it easy to understand why New Orleans seems more inclined to move him rather than stretch forward Ryan Anderson or point guard Tyreke Evans, whom the team also reportedly explored trading. Like Gordon, Anderson is on an expiring contract, while Evans has one year left on his deal at $11.7MM. In addition, the Pelicans would probably love to find a trade partner to take center Omer Asik off their hands, but the five-year, nearly $53MM deal he signed last offseason makes that problematic.

New Orleans reportedly tried to deal Gordon in January, offering him and Alonzo Gee to the Kings in exchange for Rudy Gay. It’s not known if negotiations between those teams are continuing, but John Reid of The New Orleans Times-Picayune recently wrote that the Pelicans are still seeking a trade that would involve Gordon. No other interested teams have emerged publicly, as Gordon’s salary will necessitate a significant return. Only the Trail Blazers have enough cap room available to take on Gordon without worrying about the salary-matching rules, and Portland is already set at shooting guard with C.J. McCollum enjoying a breakout season.

It could be a buyer’s market for teams hoping to obtain perimeter scoring before the deadline, so the Pelicans may not get as much as they want in return for Gordon. The Wolves have put Kevin Martin on the market, as Chuck Myron examined last month. Also, the Nets’ Joe Johnson is expensive but presumed available, the Grizzlies are gauging interest in Courtney Lee and the Lakers are willing to listen to offers for virtually all of their veterans, including Lou Williams and Nick Young. Other possibilities from underperforming teams include the Bucks’ O.J. Mayo and the Magic’s Evan Fournier.

Gordon’s future in New Orleans will come down to how strongly the Pelicans want to move him and what they’re willing to accept in return. Any potential trading partner probably views Gordon as a risky investment and is unlikely to give the Pelicans enough to help them make another late-season push for the playoffs. However, if New Orleans has decided to focus on the future, the front office can probably find a contender that would be eager to add an instant-offense player like Gordon at a bargain price.

Do you think the Pelicans will make a deal involving Gordon before the February 18th deadline? Please share your opinion in the comments section.

Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Smith, Ginobili

January 25th, 2016 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s still a chance shooting guard Eric Gordon will be dealt by the Pelicans despite his latest injury, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Pelicans were exploring trade offers for Gordon before he underwent surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger, which will require a four-to-six week recovery period, Reid continues. Gordon, who is making $15.5MM, becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. He started 40 of the team’s first 41 games, averaging 15.0 points per game, but he missed over 100 games due to injury in his first three seasons with the Pelicans, Reid adds. The Kings reportedly refused an offer from the Pelicans earlier this month to deal Rudy Gay for Gordon and Alonzo Gee.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Veteran combo forward Josh Smith has already transformed the Rockets’ rotation since they re-acquired him last week from the Clippers, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Smith’s passing out of the post and ability to guard multiple positions allows interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff to stick with a small lineup, Watkins observes. Bickerstaff also likes the way Smith doesn’t shy away from taking big shots, Watkins adds. “He’s a guy, again, because of his ability to pass the ball, he’s a guy that brings everybody together,” Bickerstaff told Watkins. “He can do that because he can make all the passes, he can make all the plays. Then his courage to shoot the ball late when he’s missed a few, most guys would turn those down and since we’ve seen him and he’s been with us, he’s thrived in those situations.”
The free agent signings of power forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and David West during the offseason gave 38-year-old Manu Ginobili the final push to keep playing, Nick Moyle of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I wanted to take this challenge,” Ginobili told Moyle. “Sometimes you need a little change, a little shake. But when you see that LaMarcus Aldridge is part of the team, it’s not a little shake any more. So it is very exciting and we have high expectations.” The Spurs’ shooting guard has justified his decision by averaging 10.3 points, nearly the same as last season’s 10.5, despite playing a career-low 20.2 minutes per game, Moyle adds.

And-Ones: Pelicans, Conley, Magic

January 21st, 2016 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s widely known that the Pelicans want to shake up their roster, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick, who says in a video report that sources tell him New Orleans has been much more willing to trade Eric Gordon than Ryan Anderson. Of course, the broken right ring finger that’s likely to keep Gordon out for the next four to six weeks complicates that situation. The Kings reportedly turned down an offer from New Orleans of Gordon and Alonzo Gee recently amid talks about Rudy Gay, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported last week. See more from around the NBA:

Mike Conley gave strong indication that he’d be hard-pressed to sign with any team other than the Grizzlies in free agency this summer, pegging the difficulty of leaving teammate Marc Gasol as an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 in response to a question from Matt Moore of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). We recently discussed Conley’s impending free agency in Tuesday’s Community Shootaround.
The Magic have lost eight of their last nine games, and GM Rob Hennigan pins it on inconsistency that stems from having a roster laden with young players, as he told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Hennigan said he accepts blame for building a roster that perhaps has too much youth and suggested that he’s been trying to make moves to add experienced hands. “We’ll continue to be extremely selective with the types of veterans we pursue. But rest assured we’ll aggressively pursue any and all players that we feel fit the character of our team and can help push the team forward,” Hennigan said as part of a larger interview with the Sentinel scribe.
Hennigan also hinted that he played a role in the team’s decision to bench former No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo earlier this season and praised coach Scott Skiles, citing the need for patience with the first-year coach even though it’s not his first NBA head coaching gig, as Robbins relays. The GM indicated a strong desire to retain soon-to-be restricted free agent Evan Fournier, countering the idea that the team isn’t entirely sure about re-signing him. “We really value Evan,” Hennigan said to Robbins. “We’ve said that all along, and I’ll say about Evan what we said about Tobias [Harris], which is it’s our intention that he’ll be here for many years to come. We really, really like him and think he’s a great piece to continue to grow with our team.”