Jarvis Varnado Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Camp Rumors: Curry, Brown, Varnado, Blazers

October 20th, 2012 at 4:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

The first regular season action is just 10 days away, so it's crunch time for players gunning for the last spots on the end of an NBA bench. There's news about several training camp hopefuls this afternoon, and we've rounded it up here.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave strong indication before today's preseason game that the competition for the last roster spot in San Antonio is down to Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Josh Powell and Wesley Witherspoon are also trying to make the team, while it appears DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal, the other Spurs without full guarantees, are safe.
McDonald also notes, via Twitter, that Popovich said Curry has lost 20 pounds, and that's on top of the 100 pounds he lost while with the Heat last year, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Curry said he didn't entertain the idea of returning to the Heat this summer, as Winderman reports in the same piece. "It was frustrating. It was bittersweet," Curry said of his season in Miami, during which he saw little playing time. "Got a ring out of it, but it definitely wasn't the year I was looking forward to and wasn't what I worked for."
Winderman also writes that a hamstring injury has likely torpedoed any chance Jarvis Varnado had of making the Heat's regular season roster.
The Trail Blazers are one of three teams left at the 20-player preseason roster limit, and GM Neil Olshey said he's going to wait as long as possible before making cuts, tweets Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge. "Some of it is strategic," according to Olshey, and Golliver interprets that remark to mean the team is trying to funnel some of its camp invitees to its D-League affiliate.

Spoelstra On Juwan, Injuries, Cole

September 27th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Erik Spoelstra has had a busy summer, consulting with former NBA coach Paul Westhead about his perspective on fast break offenses in addition to meeting with Florida Gators head coach Billy Donavan to talk about the pressures associated with aiming to repeat as national champions (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes). Now on the cusp of training camp, Spoelstra opened up on a few notable topics regarding the Heat:

Juwan Howard will not be a member of the team's training camp, but could eventually join the team down the line.
Dwyane Wade has been recovering from an arthroscopic surgery procedure in July, but is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 30. Spoelstra added Wade is "not 100 percent" and that he will be brought along slowly as training camp begins. Ray Allen has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery in July, and while Spoelstra says that the sharpshooter isn't 100 percent healthy either, it's not noticeable. Mike Miller is well enough to take part in all the training camp drills, but will be limited at times as a precaution. Lastly, Jarvis Varnardo is dealing with a strained hamstring that will sideline him heading into camp.
Norris Cole appears to be doing well after experiencing some issues with his groin recently, and has had a strong summer considering the team's goal of improving his playmaking and shooting.
Dexter Pittman has had a productive offseason and will be in the best condition he's been in going into a training camp.

Heat Rumors: Harrellson, Gladness, Howard

September 26th, 2012 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Coming off a championship season and a summer in which they didn't lose any significant pieces, the Heat appear to have less uncertainty heading into the 2012/13 season than any other team in the NBA. Still, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is able to identify 10 questions facing the Heat as they get set to open training camp. Here are the rest of the morning's notes from out of Miami:

In his latest mailbag, Winderman says he wouldn't mind seeing the Heat add a little more depth at point guard, perhaps a defensive-minded player.
The Heat are expected to keep two of Dexter Pittman, Josh Harrellson, Mickell Gladness, and Jarvis Varnado, says Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Of those four, Pittman has a leg up since his contract is guaranteed.
One Eastern Conference scout on a couple of Miami's options: "Harrellson can be exposed defensively, but he’s a better player than Gladness and more skilled. Gladness is athletic and long but has no offensive game. Harrellson can shoot it and plays his butt off."
Juwan Howard is still working out with the Heat and hopes to earn a one-year deal from the team, according to Jackson.
Terrel Harris and Garrett Temple will likely compete for the final perimeter spot, says Jackson.
Shane Battier tells Jackson that he thinks he could get away with playing primarily at power forward this season, if the team needs him there: "The regular season is not as physical as the playoffs. Guys aren’t hitting as hard."

Heat Sign Mickell Gladness, Jarvis Varnado

September 7th, 2012 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed a pair of bigs to make-good contracts, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Mickell Gladness and Jarvis Varnado have received invitations to the team's training camp, with a chance to earn a spot on the regular-season roster.

Gladness, 26, made his NBA debut in 2011/12, spending time with both the Heat and Warriors in his rookie season. The Alabama A&M product saw very limited minutes in his eight games for the Heat, but is viewed as a low-cost project, and didn't require a guaranteed contract.

Varnado, meanwhile, was the Heat's 41st overall pick in 2010, and has played overseas for the last two seasons. We heard a month ago from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that Varnado would be leaving his team in Italy to join Miami's training camp, but the Heat didn't make it official until now.

The Heat now have 15 players under contract, but can continue to add players on non-guaranteed deals, up to a total of 20. Miami may not bring that many players to camp, but according to Winderman, the club is expected to offer non-guaranteed contracts to Terrel Harris and Robert Dozier, a 2009 second-rounder. The Heat have also worked out Josh Harrellson and Jerome Dyson this week.

Training Camp Rumors: Varnado, Green, Young

August 8th, 2012 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Many of the players signed between now and the start of training camps will receive non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts, allowing them to attend camp with the opportunity to earn a regular-season roster spot. A handful of rumors about those candidates for training camp invites are swirling this morning, so let's round them up right here:

Jarvis Varnado has received a training camp invitation from the Heat, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. We heard last week that the 24-year-old forward was hoping to sign with the Heat, who drafted him 41st overall in 2010. According to Carchia, Varnado has already informed his old club, Italy's Virtus Roma, of his decision.
Former Florida point guard Taurean Green is contemplating accepting an invite to an NBA training camp, but also has offers from teams in Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium, according to Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
Jahmar Young, formerly of New Mexico State, has signed in France, but his contract includes an NBA opt-out if a team shows interest in bringing him to training camp, tweets Carchia.
The Celtics have already signed a couple players to partially guaranteed contracts to compete for the team's final roster spot. Chris Forsberg and the ESPNBoston.com crew predict that Dionte Christmas will beat out Jamar Smith as the team's 15th man.

International Moves: McCalebb, White, Roberts

August 2nd, 2012 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

We haven't been keeping up with international free agent signings this summer like we have with NBA transactions, but occasionally there are a few items of interest to pass along. Here are a few notable recent moves from overseas:

Top international player Bo McCalebb will remain overseas rather than making the leap to the NBA anytime soon. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes, Turkey's Fenerbahce Ulker announced today that they've signed the former University of New Orleans standout. The deal will be for three years, with a third-year option.
2010 Pistons second-round pick Terrico White has signed in Serbia with Radnicki Kragujevac, according to Carchia.
According to various reports, Brian Roberts, who had been playing in Germany, has left his team and will receive a training camp invite from the Hornets. This move has yet to be confirmed by any Hornets beat writer or the team itself.
Jarvis Varnado, who was selected 41st overall by the Heat in the 2010 draft, is hoping to sign with Miami this summer, and isn't considering offers overseas at the moment, says Carchia.