James Johnson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Grizzlies, Bynum

January 13th, 2014 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Two reports on Friday indicated New Orleans was shopping Eric Gordon, but the Pelicans were quick to tell the shooting guard and Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune that they aren’t pursuing any such deals. Gordon doesn’t appear concerned with the chatter, and even though his field goal attempts and scoring average are down for the third straight season, he’s been uncharacteristically healthy this year, having played in all but three games. Backcourt mate Jrue Holiday is sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right leg, so I’d be surprised if a Gordon trade happens anytime soon. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

James Johnson‘s improved conditioning and maturity has turned him into an asset for the Grizzlies just a month after he signed a minimum-salary deal with the team, as Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines. One Western Conference scout tells Herrington that he laments that his team passed on the former 16th overall pick while he languished in free agency.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com weighs the chances that Andrew Bynum could be a fit for the Mavericks, pointing to owner Mark Cuban’s comments about Samuel Dalembert and the state of the team’s centers. “Depends on which Sam we have,” Cuban said. “If we have the Sam of [Friday] night, we’re good. If we have the Sam that isn’t as on key as he was [Friday] night, it’s different. Again, we’re always being opportunistic. Wherever we can improve our team, we will.”
USA Today’s Sam Amick looks at the way NBA teams are connecting with the coaches of their D-League affiliates, noting that Nevada Smith, who beat out 34 other candidates for the head job at Rockets affiliate Rio Grande Valley, has become the “darling” of the D-League coaching circle.

Central Notes: Augustin, Bulls, Cavs, Thompson

December 30th, 2013 at 4:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s look at the Central Division as the Pistons get set to take on the Wizards and the Bulls travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies..

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com confirms (via Twitter) that D.J. Augustin’s contract with the Bulls is fully non-guaranteed and is just a one-year deal. James Johnson’s contract with the Grizzlies is also a one-year, non-guaranteed pact worth the minimum salary.
The Cavs nearly traded for Klay Thompson on draft night in 2011, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal. Cleveland GM Chris Grant was trying frantically to add a third top ten pick in that 2011 draft to make it happen. Former coach Byron Scott told Lloyd months later it was the night he really came to believe Grant knew what he was doing and was the right man for the job.
More from Lloyd, who adds that the Cavs talked to the Kings about a deal involving J.J. Hickson for the No. 7 pick, but the Kings ultimately dealt the pick in a different deal and the Cavs sent Hickson to the Kings after the draft for Omri Casspi and a future pick. Then the Cavs had a deal in place with the Jazz for the No. 12 pick, but the Warriors snatched Thompson at No. 11. The Jazz ultimately backed out of the deal with the Cavs and nabbed shooting guard Alec Burks.

Grizzlies Sign James Johnson

December 16th, 2013 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

11:49am: The Grizzlies confirmed the signing via press release.

10:03am: The Grizzlies are on the verge of signing small forward James Johnson from the D-League, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Johnson has spent the 2013/14 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, affiliate to the Rockets, where they are experimenting with an exceptionally high three point shot rate.

The Vipers tapped Johnson with the second-overall pick in this year’s D-League draft. The four-year NBA veteran averaged 6.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG across four seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings. Johnson, 26, was in camp with the Hawks over the offseason before being waived in October.

In ten games for the Vipers this season, Johnson is averaging 18.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 29.9 minutes per contest.

Grant Jerrett Tops Field Of D-League Draftees

November 1st, 2013 at 8:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder’s D-League affiliate used the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s D-League draft on Grant Jerrett, allowing the Thunder to closely monitor a player whose NBA rights also belong to them. Oklahoma City traded for Jerrett shortly after the Blazers took him 40th overall in June’s NBA draft. A report in September indicated Jerrett had signed with the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers, but as I pointed out at the time, he’d have to enter the D-League draft rather than sign with Tulsa outright. The 66ers pulled off a trade yesterday to acquire the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft, positioning themselves to secure Jerrett’s D-League rights.

The Pelicans didn’t do the same with the second-rounder they picked up in the Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade. Pierre Jackson, the 42nd overall pick in the NBA draft, went fourth overall in the D-League draft to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Blazers.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the one-to-one affiliate of the Rockets, took four-year NBA vet James Johnson second overall tonight, while Quincy Douby, who has three years of NBA experience, went at No. 3 to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the affiliate of the Heat. The Texas Legends, who are affiliated with the Mavs, rounded out the top five with their selection of C.J. Aiken, who was in an NBA camp with the Kings last month after leaving St. Joseph’s in the spring.

Ricky Davis was perhaps the most well-known figure selected, as the Erie BayHawks, the affiliate of the Knicks, drafted him in the sixth round, signaling that the Knicks liked what they saw when the 34-year-old worked out for them in September. Other notable picks include former Magic and Thunder swingman DeAndre Liggins, who went to the Skyforce at seventh overall. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, went at No. 9 to the Delaware 87ers. Check out the entire list of draftees right here.

Some D-League clubs were involved in draft day trades. The Santa Cruz Warriors came into the draft already stocked with Stephen Curry‘s brother Seth Curry, whose D-League rights Golden State had protected after cutting him at the end of camp. Santa Cruz swapped a second-round pick for Mychel Thompson, brother of Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes, giving the Warriors’ affiliate their own version of the big club’s “Splash Brothers” duo.

Players with prior D-League experience who were cut from NBA camps can re-enter the D-League and go back to their old teams without entering the draft. That’s what James Nunnally, fresh off a camp appearance with the Suns, has decided to do, as he’ll return to the Bakersfield Jam, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are one of five NBA teams affiliated with the Jam, as our list of NBA/D-League affiliations shows.

D-League Notes: Draft, Douby, Liggins, C’s

October 31st, 2013 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA D-League has released the official list of players eligible to be selected in tomorrow’s draft, which is set to take place at 7:00 pm ET in New York. There are plenty of intriguing names among the 180+ players hoping to be drafted, including a couple 2013 NBA draftees whose NBA rights are still held by their respective teams — Pierre Jackson (Pelicans) and Grant Jerrett (Thunder). Here’s more on the 2013 D-League draft class:

Potential top-10 picks include James Johnson, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Johnson and Liggins were recently released by the Hawks and Thunder, respectively, while Douby averaged 31.6 PPG in China last season, including one 75-point game.
There are a handful of international players eligible to be drafted, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s brother Athanasios Antetokounmpo, tweets Givony. Givony adds in another tweet that there are prospects from Croatia and Japan in the draft pool as well.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes that former NBA veterans Ricky Davis and Salim Stoudamire are among the draft hopefuls.
The Maine Red Claws, the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, announced 11 players on their camp roster today, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). That list features Chris Babb, Damen Bell-Holter, and Kammron Taylor, who were in camp with Boston this month.

Amico’s Latest: 76ers, DeRozan, Hawks, Hamilton

October 21st, 2013 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

This week’s Amico Report from Sam Amico has been published at FOX Sports Ohio, and it features a few rumors and rumblings from around the NBA. Let’s check in on Amico’s latest updates….

Jimmer Fredette and Omer Asik are among the potential trade candidates “generating whispers” around the league, says Amico. He adds that practically every Sixer, besides the team’s two 2013 lottery picks (Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams), could also be available.
One GM tells Amico that there’s “strong league-wide interest” in DeMar DeRozan, though the Raptors don’t seem too interested in anything that’s been offered.
When James Johnson was waived today by the Hawks, I speculated that he could explore overseas options, but Amico suggests there are a few NBA teams with Johnson on their radars.
With the Hawks expected to keep either Royal Ivey or Shelvin Mack as their third point guard, the player that gets cut will likely be grabbed by another NBA club, according to Amico.
While no teams have stepped up with a commitment to him yet, free agent guard Richard Hamilton is “drawing loads of interest,” writes Amico.

Hawks Release James Johnson

October 21st, 2013 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have waived James Johnson, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The move reduces the Hawks’ preseason roster to 17 players, so the team will still have to make at least two more cuts before next week.

Johnson reportedly chose a non-guaranteed camp invite from Atlanta over multiple overseas offers, so perhaps now he’ll reconsider one of those offers, assuming they’re still on the table. The 26-year-old has spent four NBA seasons with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings since being selected 16th overall in the 2009 draft.

Of the 17 players on the Hawks’ roster, 12 have fully guaranteed contracts, making them solid bets to make the regular season roster. Mike Scott also has a small guarantee, while Shelvin Mack, Eric Dawson, Cartier Martin, and Royal Ivey have fully non-guaranteed deals, putting them in danger of being waived by opening night.

Hawks Rumors: Brand, Johnson, Carroll

October 4th, 2013 at 11:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks had a roster makeover this offseason that included the acquisition of former Jazz big man Paul Millsap. The forward views this as a brand new chapter in his career and isn’t interested in being compared to Josh Smith. “I don’t really try to compare myself to anybody else,” Millsap told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld this week. “We’re two different players and two different people. I’ll be myself and I know the things I’m capable of doing. When we get out there, I can shoot the basketball, be very energetic and rebound. There are some of the same similarities, but [we’re] different.” More out of Hotlanta..

Forward Elton Brand says that he has no plans to retire at the end of the season, writes HoopsWorld’s Lang Greene. Brand signed a one-year, $4MM deal with Atlanta this summer after seeing the lowest minutes per game average of his career last season. Brand will be playing behind fellow newcomer Millsap and Al Horford.
James Johnson chose a non-guaranteed two-year deal with Atlanta over several offers from overseas, Greene writes. Johnson has career averages of 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in stints with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings.
Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll is happy to have an opportunity to start this season, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The small forward is in his fifth season with his fifth NBA team.

Odds & Ends: Nets, Johnson, Nedovic

September 21st, 2013 at 6:30pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

Serbian rookie Nemanja Nedovic, the 30th overall pick by the Warriors in last summer's draft, is excited for his first NBA training camp, and says he's committed to entering Golden State's rotation right away, according to EuroHoops.net's Niki Bakouli.
According to the New York Post's Tim Bontemps, Nets point guard Deron Williams says the addition of Andrei Kirilenko was just as important as the trade that brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
James Johnson's contract with the Hawks is a non-guaranteed training camp invite, and not a guaranteed deal, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Chris Vivlamore.

Hawks Sign James Johnson

September 19th, 2013 at 5:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to a congratulatory tweet from sports agency firm Priority Sports, James Johnson has signed a contract with the Hawks. Though the terms of the deal were not mentioned, the pact could likely be a training camp invitation or a partially guaranteed deal. In 54 games and 11 starts for the Kings last season, the 6'9 power forward averaged 5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and shot 41.3% from the field in 16.3 MPG. With the addition of Johnson, Atlanta currently has a total of 19 players heading into training camp.

Drafted 16th overall by the Bulls in 2009, Johnson hasn't lasted more than two seasons with an NBA team since then, splitting his first four years in the league between Chicago and Toronto before landing with Sacramento in 2012/13. To date, the Wake Forest product's best season was arguably with the Raptors in 2011/12, where he played a total of 62 games with 40 starts, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 25.2 MPG.