Gerald Wallace Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Drew, Allen, Hollins

May 30th, 2013 at 7:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Although Phil Jackson recently criticized Mike D'Antoni and seemed skeptical about the thought of Dwight Howard wanting to re-sign with the Lakers, the eleven-time NBA champion coach appeared to backtrack on those comments during an appearance on the Willard and Thompson Show on 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles (Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News). Also, Jackson reiterated that he has no plans of coaching again and explained how he's still somewhat connected with his former team: "I’m playing a role regardless whether I’m hired and on the staff and part of the payroll, I’m here to be a sounding board and personal companion to my fiance, who’s the chief operating officer I guess you would say of the Lakers. As they ferry their way through these contract problems they have and the whole mess they have right now in the organization, I’m listening. There’s not a whole lot I’m doing. But my role right now is to be attentive and supportive.”

Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous news and notes:

The Pistons and former Hawks coach Larry Drew appear to have some mutual interest in an interview for Drew, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Drew is believed to be one of two finalists for the Bucks' coaching opening, along with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida tweets that Heat guard Ray Allen hasn't thought about whether or not he'll pick up his $3.23MM player option this summer.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo tweets that the Nets, Clippers, and Bucks have not contacted the Grizzlies for permission to talk to Lionel Hollins as of yet. Coincidentally, we relayed a report yesterday which indicated that the 59-year-old coach doesn't expect to be granted permission to speak with other teams before his contract expires on June 30.
In light of the rumblings that the Nuggets might not match the Raptors' five-year, $15MM offer to Masai Ujiri, SBNation’s Tom Ziller makes the argument that coaches and general managers should be paid more.
Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com reviews Gerald Wallace’s season in Brooklyn. Just over a month ago, Wallace had alarmingly admitted that he didn’t “have a clue” as to what his role on the team was, but as of today the veteran forward seemed to be encouraged about what his future holds with the Nets: "All in all I think this was kind of a down year for me, but I feel comfortable and excited about the way I finished the season," Wallace says."I'm going into the summer knowing the things I can do to get better."
Marcus Thompson of Mercury News reported that Warriors big man David Lee had surgery to repair a torn right hip flexor today and is expected to begin rehab within the next two weeks.
According to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari had a slight setback in rehab and won't have surgery on his ACL for another two weeks. Consequently, an expected return date of January 1 has now changed to late January or February.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Jackson, Nets, Wallace

April 27th, 2013 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest out of the Atlantic as the Nets look to even up their series with the Bulls tonight in Chicago..

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star hears from a lot of people that Phil Jackson to the Raptors isn’t far-fetched at all. However, he also spoke to someone who suggested that Jackson wouldn’t leave his kids, grandkids, and fiancé on the West Coast. Because of that, the source suggested that Seattle – if the Kings wind up there– might be a more logical landing place for him.
As the Nets find themselves down 2-1 to the Bulls, forward Gerald Wallace says that he doesn’t “have a clue” as to what his role is supposed to be, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Wallace signed a new four-year, $40MM deal with Brooklyn over the summer.
Jackson looks primed for a return to the NBA, opines Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. If anyone could make that return happen north of the border, Brigham writes, it’s new Raptors hire Tim Leiweke.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Sullinger

January 19th, 2013 at 10:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

During this upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Knicks and Nets play their final game of the season against each other in a matinee at Madison Square Garden. Monday's matchup stands to be the most significant of the cross-town rivals' meetings this season, as a full game will be on the line with just two games separating the team in the Eastern Conference standings. The surging Nets under the guidance of P.J. Carlesimo have gone 9-2 in their last 11 games, while the Knicks, despite being without point guard Raymond Felton, will bring Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert into the mix for their first games against Brooklyn this season. With that aside, here are a few miscellaneous rumblings out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Knicks star Carmelo Anthony says he feels re-energized after returning to a regular diet after fasting for two weeks, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola mentions that during Anthony's fast, his on-court performances had been mixed.
With only one game this past week, the extra time off should only be of benefit to the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also notes that Felton, who wants to play against Boston on Thursday, thinks that next weekend is a more realistic return date from injury.
Although prone to injury because of his energetic and all-out style of play, Gerald Wallace says he's not changing his game (Roderick Boone of Newsday reports). Later, Boone discusses Keith Bogans success as one of the Nets' more productive role players.
Greg Payne of ESPN Boston thinks that Jared Sullinger deserves to be selected for the NBA's Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend and notes that head coach Doc Rivers and many of the Celtics players strongly agree.

Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Stoudemire, Wallace, Brooks

November 24th, 2012 at 6:40pm CST by Michael Pina

The main motivation the Celtics had for signing veteran guard Leandro Barbosa was his ability to score. According to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, they may be getting more than they bargained for.

As Damian Lillard makes his first trip to Brooklyn, the Nets are left to wonder what could have been had they not traded for Gerald Wallace, writes the New York Times' Benjamin Hoffman.
Again from the New York Times, Beckley Mason talks about the Knicks fortune without Amare Stoudemire.
Nets second year guard MarShon Brooks is getting inconsistent playing time so far this season, and the New York Post's Tim Bontemps tries to figure out why.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Wright, Knicks, Wallace

November 22nd, 2012 at 8:30am CST by Sean Highkin

A glance around the Eastern Conference on Thanksgiving Day:

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman writes that the Heat do not see a need for free agent forward Kenyon Martin. Winderman says if Miami makes any move, it will be to sign or trade for a defensive-minded point guard.
Dorell Wright, acquired by the 76ers this summer, is not fazed by his decreased playing time, writes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
Nate Taylor of the New York Times attributes the Knicks' early-season success to their defensive focus.
Jack Appleman of the New York Times examines the impact Gerald Wallace has on the Nets on the defensive end.

Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Celtics, Bynum, Sixers

November 11th, 2012 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers coaching search is dominating headlines, but the second most talked about story in the NBA right now might be the fast start of the Knicks, especially given New York's media clout. Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News goes over the many reasons the Knicks are enjoying success, and Marc Berman of the New York Post points to the team's defense, allowing a league-low 87.5 points per game. There's plenty more on the Knicks and their Atlantic Division this morning, as we round up here.

The 4-0 Knicks are blessed with depth, but coach Mike Woodson won't tolerate anyone complaining about a lack of playing time, Berman observes. "I’m not going to deal with guys with bad egos," Woodson said. "If there’s a problem, they got to go. It’s been great so far and will continue to be great because the guys we have are true pros."
Paul Flannery of SB Nation dissects the shortcomings of the 3-3 Celtics, concluding the defense of the team's undersized power forwards is the most significant problem.
Sixers GM Tony DiLeo says Andrew Bynum's injury "could be a blessing in disguise" that prompts the rest of the team to up their games while the big man is out, as Flannery also writes.
Jrue Holiday's extension was the first deal the Sixers made with the input of basketball analytics director Aaron Barzilai, notes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who discusses Barzilai's role with DiLeo.
After initially joining the team on a 10-day contract last season, Alan Anderson has settled into the Raptors rotation after spending six years in Europe, Israel and the D-League waiting for another chance in the NBA, recounts Melissa Couto of the Toronto Sun. Playing alongside idol Vince Carter in Toronto would complete Anderson's dream scenario, Couto writes. Carter left the door open to an eventual return in an interview this week.
Though Nets GM Billy King is touting Gerald Wallace's ability to match up with LeBron James, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears the primary reasons the team acquired him from the Blazers last season were to compensate for the failure to land Dwight Howard and persuade Deron Williams to stay.

Agent, Scout, GM Discuss Jeff Green Contract

September 27th, 2012 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Over at SI.com, Sam Amick dedicated his Thursday column to addressing what he believes has been the most-discussed contract of the offseason — Jeff Green's four-year, $36MM deal with the Celtics. While I'd argue that Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets inspired more conversation that Green's deal, it's hard not to agree that Green's contract is one of the summer's most perplexing.

Amick spoke to agent David Falk, an Eastern Conference scout, and an unnamed rival general manager about Green's deal, gaining insight into how a player who missed 2011/12 with a heart condition earned one of the offseason's biggest guarantees. The piece also includes a few details on Green's contract. Here are some of the highlights:

According to the rival GM, Green's contract includes a handful of likely and unlikely incentives that could bring the deal to about $40MM over four years. Says the GM: "If they win a championship, it's $1.5MM. If they get to the Finals, it's $750K. If they get to the conference finals, it's a half million. They'll have success, and his deal will probably wind up being worth $10MM a year."
Unlike Brandon Roy's deal with the T-Wolves, which provides Minnesota some insurance of Roy's knee issues resurface, Green's contract doesn't include any injury insurance for the Celtics related to the 26-year-old's heart.
According to Falk, the Celtics' doctors "assured the team that the risk of Jeff's suffering a recurrence of his injury is probably significantly lower than the risk of a player who never had it before suffering the same kind of problem…. He's 100% cured."
The GM on the health questions: "I don't think he's that badly overpaid at 100% health. I think it's a good contract. But throwing in the heart condition and not having an exclusion on a pre-existing condition to protect you? No matter what the doctors tell you, it's scary."
While I'm a little skeptical about this, Falk says that if Green had simply asked him to go out and get as much money as possible, he could have ended up with an annual salary of $11-12MM, exceeding what he's earning from Boston.
The scout pointed out that the Celtics were in a tough spot because passing on Green wouldn't have helped them — the team still wouldn't have had any cap space, and wouldn't have freed up any cap exceptions by letting Green walk.
According to the GM, that's exactly why he dislikes trading for players in situations like Green's or Gerald Wallace's. The GM points out that Nets GM Billy King had to re-sign Wallace, having given up a high lottery pick for him, giving Wallace and his agent all the leverage. Green and the Celtics were in a similar situation.

Nets Sign Gerald Wallace To Four-Year Deal

July 11th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 11TH, 12:08pm: The Nets have officially re-signed Wallace, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JULY 1ST, 10:34am: A source tells Howard Beck of the New York Times that all four years of Wallace's contract will be guaranteed (Twitter link).

9:30am: The Nets will sign Wallace for four years and $40MM, tweets Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms that the two sides have reached an agreement (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Wallace, Bass, Sixers, Celtics

June 14th, 2012 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Two decisions on relatively major player options have been reported in the last two days, and both of them come from the Atlantic Division. Yesterday, we heard that Gerald Wallace will decline his $9.5MM option with the Nets, and today we heard Brandon Bass will turn down his $4.25MM option with the Celtics. Let's round up the latest on Wallace, Bass, and a few other items out of the Atlantic….

Gerald Wallace To Decline Player Option

June 13th, 2012 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Gerald Wallace has informed Nets officials that he'll turn down his $9.5MM player option for 2012/13 and become a free agent, according to MySportsLegion.com (via Twitter). Rob Pelinka, Wallace's agent, says the decision doesn't mean Wallace will leave Brooklyn, and that he and his client will explore all their options (Twitter link).