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Grizzlies Notes: Carter, Conley, Joerger

April 24th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Vince Carter isn’t ready to walk away from the NBA, he told reporters in a video tweeted by NBA TV. Carter, 39, could be headed toward free agency after his Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by the Spurs this afternoon. He is under contract with Memphis for next season and is slated to make $4,264,057, but only $2MM of that is guaranteed. Carter averaged 6.6 points per night this year in 60 games with the Grizzlies, all but three of them as a reserve. “When I don’t feel like training or lose the passion and love for the game, then it’s time to walk away,” Carter said in a postgame press conference. “I still have it. It still bothers me to lose games and not play well.”

There’s more on a season-ending day in Memphis:

Mike Conley‘s aching Achilles is improving and he is looking forward to his first experience as an unrestricted free agent, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Conley, who hasn’t played since March 6th, will be the top point guard on the open market this offseason, and he can expect several teams to come calling. That should produce a substantial raise from the nearly $9.6MM he made this season. “This summer will be a fun one for me,” Conley said. “Free agency is new for me. We’ll see how it goes.”
Memphis coach Dave Joerger should be remembered for making history by leading a roster that included 28 different players at one point or another into the playoffs, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies were ravaged by season-ending injuries that robbed Joerger of Conley, Marc Gasol and Mario Chalmers. Two other key contributors, Jeff Green and Courtney Lee, were traded for draft picks at the deadline. “It’s frustrating from the level as a coach, where you see, especially San Antonio, they’re at the doctoral level of things that they run,” Joerger said. “And we had to go backward. … It’s just difficult when you have new guys, new faces. Defense is built on trust.”
With today’s loss, the Grizzlies are now eligible to make trades, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. They join the 14 nonplayoff teams that have been in that position since the regular season ended. Only players under contract for next season who don’t have player options can be dealt.

Western Notes: Williams, Kings, Green, Barea

April 10th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Combo guard Elliot Williams, who played five games for the Grizzlies in January, has an offer to continue playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, as Lefteris Moutis of Eurohoops.net details. The Greek team, which signed him in February to a three-month contract, is offering a two-year contract at $2MM per season, but the deal is being held up over negotiations on an out clause for the NBA, Moutis writes. The Greek team wants a commitment from Williams that he will stay there for both years of the contract, as Moutis explains. Williams averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 assists per game while with Memphis on a 10-day deal.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

The Kings‘ offseason shakeup turned them into playoff contenders early on, but it let them down as the season progressed, writes James Ham of CSNBayArea. The Kings will still finish with their best record since the 2007/08 season, but at 32-48 they were tied for seventh in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings entering Sunday. “I think you can go in there and get a bunch of players,” said small forward Rudy Gay. “But I think at the end of the day you have to mesh personalities, you have to mesh talent, you have to do all of that. It’s not just getting a bunch of people on a team — it’s not that easy.”
Clippers combo forward Jeff Green earned a $100K bonus today when L.A. defeated Dallas for its 52nd win of the season, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. He will receive another bonus of $250K if the team wins its final two games. Both bonuses were stipulated in the contract Green originally signed with the Celtics and will count against the luxury tax for the Clippers.
Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea credited coach Rick Carlisle with making him a better player in Dallas than he was in Minnesota during an interview with ESPN Radio 103.3 KESN-FM (hat tip to The Dallas Morning News). Barea, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, signed a four-year, $16MM deal with the Mavs last summer. “There’s nobody who uses me better than [Carlisle],” Barea said. “He knows when to put me in and when to not put me in. I have a great relationship with Dirk [Nowitzki] out there so that always helps me.”

Western Notes: Bogut, Duncan, Green, Burks

March 21st, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors and Andrew Bogut have a lot of money riding on whether the center earns a spot on the All-Defensive team, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Bogut’s contract states that he must play at least 65 games and become a member of either the first or second All-Defensive team to collect a $1.8MM bonus. If he earns the bonus, Golden State would be on the hook for nearly $4MM in additional tax penalties, bringing the team’s total tax bill to an estimated $18.8MM. Bogut’s cap hit for next season would fall from $12.6MM to $11MM if he doesn’t get the bonus, giving the Warriors an extra $1.6MM to spend over the summer. Bogut needs to play in five more games to satisfy that part of the bonus requirement. Golden State tweeted that he will miss tonight’s contest with a left foot issue, but coach Steve Kerr said Bogut underwent an MRI and isn’t expected to be out long, tweets Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

At least two other Western teams are also waiting to see if players collect significant bonuses, Marks writes in the same piece. Tim Duncan is due to get an additional $750K once the Spurs reach 62 wins, which will raise his salary for this season to $6MM and push San Antonio’s tax bill from about $3.8MM to $4.9MM. The Clippers can save $1.1MM in luxury taxes relating to a Jeff Green bonus if they fail to reach 56 wins. He will receive $450K if L.A. gets to that victory total.
The Jazz are debating whether to let Alec Burks return to action before the end of the season, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Burks has been out since breaking his left fibula in December. He has been traveling and working out with the team, but it’s not clear if he’ll be ready before the season is over. “We don’t want to box him in or box ourselves in as far as what makes sense [for Burks’ return],” said coach Quin Snyder. “There’s so many other variables that could be included in that, but it’s certainly possible [he won’t return]. Hopefully, he could be back soon.”

Pacific Notes: Watson, Sacre, Green

March 17th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the Suns‘ struggles this season, center Tyson Chandler believes the franchise is heading in the right direction and credits the leadership of interim coach Earl Watson for changing the locker room culture, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I’m excited with the direction we’re going,” Chandler said. “Of late, it’s showing in the win column but I just like what we’re doing. I like the mentality. I like the culture. I think things are really changing around here. It puts a little pep in your step. It’s amazing what the mind can do to you. When you’re carrying so much weight, you don’t have the pep in your step and the excitement that you normally play with. Once you’re able to release some of that stuff and the team starts playing the right way, it’s amazing how much better you feel.”

For his part, Watson credits the team’s veterans for the improvement, noting that change wouldn’t have been possible without their buying in, Coro adds. “The thing about vets is you can’t fool them,” Watson told Coro. “If it wasn’t the right message or the correct teachings, they wouldn’t buy in. We understand it’s a give-take relationship. We want to make sure we enhance everyone. They believe. The young guys believe. That’s the most powerful movement in our program.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers center Robert Sacre says he is trying to remain positive despite having only appeared in 20 games this season while the team plummets in the standings, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News relays. “It’s been really tough,” said Sacre. “That’s the whole point about this. We get paid the big bucks for that reason just to be ready and stay ready. You just have to be ready when your name is called.” The 26-year-old is averaging just 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest and will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Jeff Green has provided the Clippers with solid production since being acquired at the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen if he and Blake Griffin can co-exist once the power forward returns from injury and his suspension for striking a member of the team’s training staff, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders writes. The scribe notes that Green, despite being well-suited for a role as a stretch-four, will likely benefit from playing alongside Griffin at small forward, whose consistency and athleticism are sorely missed by his squad. In 13 games for the Clippers, Green is averaging 10.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27.1 minutes per night. The combo froward is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Western Notes: Dragic, Lawson, Green

March 3rd, 2016 at 10:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat point guard Goran Dragic still isn’t over his breakup with the Suns and says he will always try to emphasize that fact whenever the two teams meet, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “Oh yeah, I’m motivated – always,” Dragic said. “I wish we didn’t break on bad terms like it was, but you always want to show them they made a mistake how they treated you and that you’re a good player. There will be a lot of emotions in that game, and I’m looking forward to it.” Dragic also noted that it was not a good situation for him with the Suns organization, Lieser adds. “I was glad as soon as I got out of there,” Dragic said regarding Phoenix. “I didn’t feel comfortable with them and you never knew what to expect. I want to be in a good situation with a good organization. I know about that situation, but I’m not following it anymore.”

Here’s more from out West:

Ty Lawson surrendered just $225K of his $12,404,495 salary for 2015/16 to secure his buyout from the Rockets, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). This means that Houston’s cap hit for the point guard is $12,179,495.
Jeff Green has impressed the Clippers coaching staff with his play since arriving via trade from Memphis, Robert Morales of The Long Beach Press-Telegram writes.“That was nice, yeah, that was very nice,” coach/executive Doc Rivers said of Green after his 22-point outburst against the Kings. “It was needed. You know, he’s still a ways away from being as good as he can be for us. But I like how quickly he’s kind of integrated himself into the team. And I think our guys have already figured out that he can do a lot of things. It’s unusual to watch him, you know, Blake Griffin did it, but now Jeff’s rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor himself. He’s starting plays for us, so he’s doing a lot of things that we like.”
John Jenkins is enjoying his newfound playing time since the Suns claimed him off waivers from Dallas, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “That was definitely meaningful for me, just because I haven’t played a lot of basketball the last two and a half years,” Jenkins said after Tuesday’s contest against Charlotte, one in which he logged 14 minutes. “Anytime I can get minutes, I don’t care if it’s the end of the the game. Hopefully, it’s when we’re winning. I feel like I haven’t played in years, at least consistent minutes. This has been a tough road for me, a lot of bad luck. I feel like a rookie sometimes. The more minutes I get, the more comfortable I get.”

Western Notes: Garnett, Monroe, Clippers, Kings

March 2nd, 2016 at 9:17am CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell won’t rule out the possibility that Kevin Garnett will miss the rest of the season with continued soreness in his right knee, as Mitchell detailed on the “NBA Today” show on SiriusXM NBA Radio (audio link). “It’s kind of a day-to-day, week-to-week thing,” Mitchell said. It’ll be Garnett’s call about whether to return to action this season, notes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Garnett is under contract at $8MM next season, but it’s not set in stone that he’ll continue to play, so it’s conceivable that the 21st-year veteran has made his last NBA appearance. See more from the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers made preliminary inquiries about trading for Greg Monroe before last month’s deadline, but such talks didn’t go anywhere, league sources told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The Blazers were one of four finalists who made maximum-salary offers to Monroe when he was a free agent this past summer.
Jeff Green sees an extra $250K if his team wins at least 54 games this season, a possibility that appeared remote when he was with the Grizzlies but is solidly in play following his trade to the Clippers, Lowe notes in the same piece. That bonus increases to $450K if the Clips hit 56 wins and $700K if they make 58, according to Lowe. L.A. is projected to pay an additional $2.50 in taxes for every extra dollar Green receives.
The lack of a ready-built arena hampered Virginia Beach’s pursuit of the Kings in 2013, as did a fragmented television market, as attorney Tom Frantz, who’s part of a push to consolidate marketing efforts among municipalties in eastern Virginia, explained to Paula C. Squires of VirginiaBusiness.com. “The [Kings] looked at Richmond to the oceanfront as one market. … They said it would have been critically important for them to come here to have one sports station covering the Richmond and Hampton Roads [Metropolitan Statistical Areas] to help promote the team,” Frantz said. Plans for a privately owned arena in the area have been approved, Squires notes.

Pacific Notes: Rivers, McDonough, Ranadive

February 29th, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers insisted the team didn’t listen when it fielded trade calls about Blake Griffin from other clubs, as Rivers told Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, reiterating his faith in the power forward he contends was having an MVP-caliber season before his two-month absence. Rivers also defended the job he’s done as team’s player personnel chief.

“I don’t know. I don’t evaluate. I have too many people evaluating for me,” Rivers said. “I let them do it and I keep doing my job. I don’t care about the evaluations. I care about the team. We’re a team that doesn’t have a lot of leverage. We don’t have a lot of assets. But to me, we keep ending up with the Jeff Greens of the world, Cole Aldrich is terrific, Wes Johnson. … We’re getting these guys at minimum contracts. Even Josh [Smith] was a good gamble. It didn’t work out for us. But when you are in that minimum contract deal, you’re going to have some hits and misses and we’re fine with it and you keep doing.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

Suns owner Robert Sarver issued a vote of confidence to GM Ryan McDonough in an open letter to fans posted on the team’s website, acknowledging that some of the risks the team has taken lately haven’t panned out but pointing to the Warriors as reason to continue making bold moves. “Not every decision will be the right one, but [McDonough] will continue to build our team around the young, talented players acquired through the draft and opportunistically in free agency,” Sarver wrote in part. “The best team in the NBA right now is a perfect example of that model.”
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may have encountered trouble running the team so far, but his success in other venues shows he’s no fool, writes Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. Ranadive told Furillo he’d buy out the stake of any minority-share owner who wants out, responding to reports that many of his partners are upset with him. “If somebody’s unhappy, I’ll write them a check today,” Ranadive said.
The Kings could use some more defense in the backcourt and coach George Karl has praised Seth Curry‘s performance on that end, but Curry has remained largely tied to the pine, much to his frustration, as The Bee’s Jason Jones examines. Curry has a minimum-salary player option for next season.

Pacific Notes: Green, Varejao, Dawson

February 22nd, 2016 at 3:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reportedly plans to try to re-sign Jeff Green this summer, and he’s glad to be reunited with his former Celtics player for several reasons. Rivers was effusive in his praise of Green to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, calling him one of the best NBA people ever (Twitter link), and he’s also a fan of what the combo forward can do on the court, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details.

“I really wanted more length,” Rivers said of his goals going into the trade deadline, according to Jones. “When you look at the teams we have to beat, we need to get longer, more athletic, and we need to increase our shooting. And I think with Jeff we did all three of those things. … I thought of all the things that were offered, he was the best available for us.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

The Hawks were among a group of interested teams otherwise composed of the Spurs, Thunder and Mavericks that fell short to the Warriors in the competition for Anderson Varejao, his agency says, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter). The Relativity Sports client is reportedly poised to sign with Golden State, which already released Jason Thompson to clear a roster spot.
The Clippers decided to sign power forward Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract when the market didn’t bear a defensive guard, Rivers said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
Branden Dawson, last year’s 56th overall pick, is headed to the D-League affiliate of the Magic on assignment from the Clippers, as the Clippers announced via press release. It’s the fourth time Dawson has gone to the D-League, and the Grand Rapids Drive are the third D-League team to have taken him in. The Clips are without their own affiliate.
Kings affiliate player Vince Hunter left Sacramento’s D-League team to sign with Panathinaikos of Greece, the European club announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Kings affiliate received a $45K buyout as part of the move, according to international journalist David Pick (on Twitter).

L.A. Notes: Buss, Scott, Stephenson

February 22nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss further clarified her interpretation of the timeline for a return to contention that her brother, Lakers executive VP of basketball operations Jim Buss, imposed on himself in 2014. Jim Buss said he would step down if the team wasn’t back in contention within three years, and since then, it’s become clear that this has implications for GM Mitch Kupchak too, writes Sam Amick of USA Today, who spoke with Jeanie Buss in a podcast.

“I think that [Jim] was very sure of himself when he promised that timeline, and I think that he has everything he needs to fulfill that promise of getting the team back competitive,” Jeanie Buss said. “And when I say competitive, it’s competing for the Western Conference Finals, which would mean at least second round [of the playoffs] – if not more. … They have earned the right to take the time that they’ve needed to put together what they want to have out on the court, and if they can’t do that then we have to reexamine how things are going.”

Kupchak makes most of the Lakers player personnel decisions with plenty of latitude from Jim Buss, who has the final say over basketball operations, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). See more on both teams from L.A.:

Jeanie Buss told Amick she thinks she’s spoken with Byron Scott “maybe three times” since the Lakers hired him as coach in 2014 but said that she’s nonetheless supportive of him. Scott’s employment beyond the end of the season appears to be in jeopardy.
The Lakers are fond of Lou Williams, Brandon Bass and their contracts, Pincus tweets. They were reportedly available on the trade market before the deadline.
Lance Stephenson was an awkward fit on the court for the Clippers, but he had a strong desire to fix that and was starting to make progress on that front before the trade that sent him to Memphis, notes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The Clippers would seek to re-sign him this summer if the Grizzlies turn down his team option for next season, one Clippers staffer told Woike.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers didn’t hesitate to give up the lottery-protected 2019 first-rounder that’s going to Memphis as part of the Jeff Green/Stephenson swap, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “That one wasn’t a tough one because the way we looked at it was it’s protected,” Rivers said, “so if we’re bad enough to be a lottery team we get the pick. That wasn’t that awful for us.”

Clippers Notes: Wilcox, Pick, Stephenson

February 21st, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Clippers and Bulls discussed a C.J. Wilcox for Tony Snell swap that would have also cost Los Angeles a second round pick, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports. The Magic also reached out to the team, offering point guard Shabazz Napier in exchange for Wilcox, Woike adds. The Clippers declined both deals and the team believes that the shooting guard can be a contributor down the road.

“I think [Wilcox] can play. He has a lot of guys in front of him,” executive/coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s a great kid, a high-character kid. He works hard at it and I think that’s a kid that you hang on to.”

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Rivers didn’t hesitate to deal away the Clippers‘ 2019 first-round pick because of the protections they had agreed to place on the pick, Woike relays in the same piece. “If we’re bad enough to be a lottery team, we get the pick,” Rivers said. “That wasn’t that awful for us.”
The Clippers had nothing but praise for Lance Stephenson, who was dealt to Memphis in the Jeff Green trade, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “He was different than what I expected from afar,” Jamal Crawford said. “You see the blowing in the ear and stuff from a distance, and you’re like, ‘Oh, man.’ But when you get him, he’s a fun-loving guy. He’s always having fun, high energy. He was great.”
Rivers spoke highly of Stephenson as a person, but admitted he was a poor fit from a basketball standpoint, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times relays via Twitter.