James Anderson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs To Activate Leonard, Release Anderson

December 20th, 2012 at 2:45pm CST by Sean Highkin

The San Antonio Spurs plan to activate forward Kawhi Leonard, who missed the past five weeks of action, Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). In order to clear a roster spot for Leonard, the team has waived forward James Anderson, reports Wojnarowski. Leonard is expected to play for the Spurs on Friday against the Hornets.

Leonard missed five weeks with tightness in his left knee and quadriceps. His return appeared to be getting closer when he was recently sent down to the team's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, for a rehab assignment. He will be called up from the D-League and rejoin the Spurs on Friday.

Spurs Unwilling To Pay Luxury Tax In 2012/13

December 12th, 2012 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

James Anderson has impressed so far with the Spurs, but whether or not the team keeps him and guarantees his contract for the season may depend on how close San Antonio is willing to get to the luxury tax threshold, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. Head coach Gregg Popovich tells Monroe that the Spurs are committed to staying out of tax territory this season, which could have an effect on the team's roster moves going forward.

"It's also a business," Popovich said, after praising Anderson and saying there was a chance he could stick in San Antonio all season. "So you’ve got to look at the money end of it, taxes and how close we are, because we’re not going to pay tax. We’re not going to do that."

According to ShamSports (link currently down), the Spurs' team salary was at $69,157,865 prior to Anderson's signing. Depending on how long Anderson remains on the roster, the team will take a cap hit worth a pro-rated portion of the veteran's minimum ($854,389). Keeping Anderson on the roster until season's end would take team salary close to $70MM, which wouldn't give the club much breathing room under the tax line ($70,307,000).

While it's possible for the Spurs to keep Anderson all year without going into the tax, it would likely prevent them from making subsequent moves later in the season. More signings, including 10-day contracts, would be difficult to maneuver, and the team would have to avoid taking on salary in any trades. As such, it's more likely that the Spurs will release Anderson prior to January 10th, when all contracts become fully guaranteed. That would give the team a little more flexibility beneath the tax line, and free up a roster spot to use later in the season. Additionally, if Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson come back healthy, Anderson doesn't figure to be a part of San Antonio's regular rotation anyway.

The Spurs paid about $2.5MM in taxes for last season's roster, but likely want to avoid being over the threshold for consecutive seasons, given the more punitive penalties on the way for repeat taxpayers.

Southwest Notes: Anderson, Lin, Mayo

November 22nd, 2012 at 11:01am CST by Sean Highkin

The Southwest Division boasts the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Here are the latest rumblings from around the division:

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes (via Twitter) that the newly signed James Anderson will cost the Spurs about half as much to sign for the minimum at as it would have to pick up the option they declined after last year.
McDonald also tweets that, barring a change of plans, the Spurs plan on keeping their roster at 14 players.
Richard Dean of Newsday.com talks to Jeremy Lin, who says he is happy playing for the Rockets after being let go by the Knicks this summer.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that O.J. Mayo is proving to be a major bargain for the Mavericks.

Spurs Sign James Anderson

November 21st, 2012 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have officially signed James Anderson, the club announced today in a press release. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported yesterday that Anderson was expected to rejoin the Spurs, in the wake of injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson.

Although San Antonio is calling Anderson up from the D-League, the 23-year-old had joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as a free agent rather than as a Spurs asignee. As such, Anderson will fill the Spurs' 15th and final roster spot.

Anderson was a member of the Spurs last season, but the club didn't pick up its 2012/13 option on the Oklahoma State product, making him an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He joined the Hawks for training camp and the preseason, but failed to earn a spot on Atlanta's roster.

According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, Anderson's deal is believed to be non-guaranteed. That would give the Spurs the opportunity to cut him without taking much of a cap hit when Leonard and/or Jackson return.

Spurs Rumors: Anderson, Joseph, Pietrus

November 20th, 2012 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of Stephen Jackson's right hand injury, which will keep him out for at least a month, the Spurs are exploring ways of adding depth to a roster that's also without Kawhi Leonard. Here are the latest rumors on how the team intends to move forward:

San Antonio is in the process of calling up former Spur James Anderson from the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Anderson is no longer under contract with the Spurs, so the team would have to ink him to a new deal and use its open roster spot to call him up.
Head coach Gregg Popovich indicated the Spurs will likely recall Cory Joseph from the team's D-League affiliate as well, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. Joseph was assigned to the Austin Toros last week.
The Spurs also have interest in Mickael Pietrus, who would be a natural fit with three Frenchmen already on the roster, according to Stein (Twitter link). However, the former Celtic is still seeking more than a minimum salary. For San Antonio, which is close to the tax threshold and has spent most of its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, the pro-rated veteran's minimum is the only option.

International/D-League Updates: Thursday

November 8th, 2012 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest non-NBA links, from the D-League and overseas:

Italy's Pallacanestro Cantu is still interested in signing Sundiata Gaines, but the point guard, who was waived in October by the Pacers, has also received an offer from a Chinese team, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
We heard yesterday that Spain's Lagun Aro was closing in on a deal with Jermaine Taylor, and today the team made the signing official (as translated by Sportando). Taylor had been in camp with the Timberwolves.
At his introductory press conference with the Melbourne Tigers, Jonny Flynn explained that he wanted to sign where he'd have the "best chance to play," as Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside writes.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers is rooting for JaJuan Johnson, the former Celtic who was the first overall pick in last week's D-League draft. "I know he has the talent, I’ll put it that way," said Rivers, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. "I told him that this summer. He’s going to either have to pull it out of himself, or it’ll be there. But I do believe that he has NBA talent. And I hope he makes it."
Johnson, Andrew Goudelock, and Justin Harper, the top three picks in the D-League draft, spoke to HoopsWorld about making the most of their time in the D-League.
If former Spur James Anderson can improve his long-range jumper with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, don't expect him to be in the D-League for long, says Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.

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.

Odds & Ends: Anderson, Mbenga, Heat, Harden

September 11th, 2012 at 10:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busier day than we've had for a while around the NBA, and with training camps opening as soon as September 29th, expect the faster pace of news to continue. Let's dive right into some of the latest from around the league:

James Anderson's deal with the Hawks is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
D.J. Mbenga, who agreed to terms with the Mavericks earlier today, has already agreed to join the team's D-League affiliate if he doesn't make the NBA club out of training camp, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
An agent tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the Heat are only offering contracts without a guarantee, which makes sense, since they already have agreements with 18 players. Winderman also speculates that Raja Bell could be a fit for the Heat whenever he finalizes the buyout he continues to negotiate with the Jazz (Sulia link).
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com delves deep into Thunder GM Sam Presti's comments about a possible extension for James Harden, and says that while Isiah Thomas is unlikely to return in a formal capacity to the Knicks soon, he looms as a potential candidate to join an NBA team as a coach or executive down the road.
Zach Lowe of SI.com runs down several players for whom 2012/13 will be an especially important season.
After looking at 10 overpaid players earlier today, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News also shares his list of the 10 most underpaid players in the league.