Jordan Farmar

Latest On Clippers, Celtics Austin Rivers Talks

January 13th, 2015 at 8:30am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:30am: Clippers officials have begun conversations with other teams about sending them Jordan Farmar, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), as the Clips hunt for an expiring deal to send to Boston. A third team may not be required to pull off the Rivers trade, and the Clippers may pull off a separate transaction to acquire the assets the Celtics are looking for, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (on Twitter), who hears the chances are “really good” that Rivers ends up with the Clips. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge acknowledged some uncertainty surrounding Rivers and said the Celtics are engaged in a dialogue with him, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays.

MONDAY, 1:59pm: The Clippers are “very confident” they’ll reach an agreement to acquire Austin Rivers this week, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rivers didn’t travel with the Pelicans, who officially traded him to the Celtics today, on their flight to Boston, where the Pels and Celtics will play tonight, notes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. It’s expected the Celtics will eventually convey Rivers to the Clippers, where his father Doc Rivers is both coach and president of basketball operations, with a second-round pick likely to head to Boston, Murphy writes. The Clippers have been working to find a third team that would send an expiring contract to Boston, too, since the Celtics don’t want to take back salary that runs past this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote this past weekend.

The Clips are less than $2MM shy of a hard cap they triggered when they used the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Spencer Hawes and the biannual exception on Jordan Farmar this summer, so they can’t take on Austin’s salary, worth nearly $2.44MM, without giving up salary in return. DeAndre Jordan, Glen Davis, Ekpe Udoh, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Douglas-Roberts are the Clips without any guaranteed salary beyond this season, though it would be a shock to see the Clippers part with Jordan. Should the Clippers acquire Austin, whose deal expires at season’s end, they couldn’t re-sign him for a salary greater than the nearly $3.111MM rookie scale team option the Pelicans declined for 2015/16.

Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson are encouraging Doc to overcome fears about the perceptions that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, as Wojnarowski also reported Sunday. Doc said to reporters on Saturday that he’s more open to the idea of coaching Austin than he had been in the past, Wojnarowski noted.

Western Rumors: Turiaf, Clippers, Gasol, Lopez

December 16th, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders told reporters today that it’s likely he’ll try to find a way to use Ronny Turiaf‘s roster spot to help the team in the short term, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Turiaf had surgery today on his right hip, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return. His contract, which calls for him to make a guaranteed $1.5MM this year, is up at season’s end, as Zgoda notes. Minnesota is already carrying 16 players through a hardship exception granted in part because of Turiaf’s injury, so his extended absence wouldn’t give the team any more ammunition to apply for a 17th roster spot, which it would be unlikely to receive, anyway. There’s more injury-related news amid the latest rumblings from around the Western Conference:

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers acknowledged a report that the team is interested in Jermaine O’Neal, telling gathered media, including Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, that he’s casting a wide net (Twitter link). “Hey, count me in for everybody,” Rivers said. “… We’re looking at everything.”
Jordan Farmar isn’t enamored with his limited role under Rivers, who’s giving him just 15.0 minutes per night, observes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Farmar’s deal with the Clippers includes a player option worth more than $2.17MM for next season.
Marc Gasol isn’t tiring of hearing his name in rumors as he nears free agency in the summer ahead, but he once more made it clear that he’s quite pleased to be in Memphis, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The Raptors are the latest team reportedly gearing up for a run at the Grizzlies big man.
Robin Lopez is expected to miss the next four weeks after suffering a broken right hand in Monday’s win for the Blazers against the Spurs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Blazers have 15 fully guaranteed contracts, so they have little flexibility to find a replacement.

Trade Retrospective: Shaq To The Heat

August 22nd, 2014 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the impending blockbuster deal that will send Kevin Love to the Cavaliers less than a day away, I’ve been taking a look back at past trades involving superstar players. It’s always interesting to see how these deals have worked out over the years for all of the franchises that were involved.

So far I’ve examined the trades that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers; Deron Williams to the Nets; Kevin Garnett to the Celtics; and Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. Next up on the agenda is a look back at the July 14, 2004 trade that saw Shaquille O’Neal head from the Lakers to the Heat.

Let’s first recap the players and assets involved:

The Heat received O’Neal.
The Lakers received Caron Butler; Lamar Odom; Brian Grant; and a 2006 first-rounder (Jordan Farmar).

Shaq’s last few seasons in purple-and-gold were tumultuous to say the least. His relationship with the franchise became contentious over his perception that the front office was catering to the whims of Kobe Bryant; his displeasure at being called out publicly over his lack of conditioning by the front office and coaching staff; and his contract squabbles, which Bryant slammed O’Neal over, implying that Shaq was putting himself before the good of the team.

2004 was an offseason of big changes for the Lakers franchise as a whole. Phil Jackson had stepped down as coach of the team, Bryant was a free agent, and was courted heavily by the Clippers, and the roster was in a state of flux. This was after the franchise had gone 56-26, and lost to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.

O’Neal wanted a contract extension, despite having a year left on his current deal, being scheduled to make $29.5MM in 2004/05, a raise from his 2003/04 salary of $26.57MM. O’Neal was the highest paid player in the league at the time, and for comparison, the second highest paid player was Dikembe Mutombo, who earned $19.68MM in 2004/05.

The day after the season ended, O’Neal demanded a trade. “The team wasn’t going in the right direction, and it wasn’t something I wanted to be a part of, so I asked to be traded,” O’Neal said at the time. After the trade, Shaq would end up signing a five-year, $100MM extension with the Heat in 2005. O’Neal was still the highest paid player that year, with Chris Webber coming in a close second, earning $19.12MM in 2005/06. Shaq would later be overtaken for the top spot in 2006/07 by Kevin Garnett, who was paid $21MM that season, compared to Shaq’s $20MM.

The Heat had a record of 42-40 the season prior to O’Neal’s arrival, and reached the second round of the playoffs where they lost to the Pacers in six games. They improved to 59-23 in Shaq’s first season, losing to the Pistons in the Conference Finals. In his second season, they went 52-30, capturing the franchise’s first NBA title by defeating Dallas in six games.

Lets look at O’Neal’s numbers during his time with the Heat:

2004/05: 22.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 2.3 BPG. His slash line was .601/.000/.461.
2005/06: 20.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His slash line was .600/.000/.469.
2006/07: 17.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.4 BPG. His slash line was .591/.000/.422.
2007/08: 14.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. His slash line was .581/.000/.494.

From Miami’s perspective the trade paid off handsomely the first two seasons, as O’Neal performed rather well, despite not being the same dominant player that he was during his time in Los Angeles. But injuries and conditioning problems eventually took their toll. In 2006/07, O’Neal missed 35 games with a knee injury, and wasn’t quite the same when he returned, and the team only won 44 games, losing to the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.

The next season saw career lows from O’Neal in virtually every statistical category, and he missed time with various injuries. His coach at the time, Pat Riley, even went as far as to accuse O’Neal of faking some of the injuries to take time off. This was one factor that contributed to his relationship with Riley fracturing, and was the main reason the team decided to trade O’Neal midway through the 2007/08 season.

In February of 2008, O’Neal was dealt to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Shaq would see an upswing in his performance during his first full season in Phoenix, averaging 17.8 PPG and 8.4 RPG, while appearing in 75 contests, his most since the 1999/00 campaign. This was Shaq’s last productive season in the league, and his one-year stints in Cleveland and Boston after that were unremarkable.

During Shaq’s eight seasons in Los Angeles, the franchise averaged 54 wins and captured three championships. O’Neal averaged 24.3 PPG and 11.8 RPG during this stretch. The Lakers took an immediate hit after Shaq’s departure, going 34-48 and missing the playoffs during the 2004/05 season.

Caron Butler only spent one season in purple-and-gold, averaging 15.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.9 APG. He would then be dealt along with Chucky Atkins to the Wizards for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit.

Brown spent three seasons with the Lakers, and his numbers were:

2005/06: 7.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His slash line was .526/.000/.545.
2006/07: 8.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.8 APG. His slash line was .591/.000/.440.
2007/08: 5.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 0.8 APG. His slash line was .515/.000/.406.

The Lakers would trade Brown, along with Javaris Crittenton; Aaron McKie; the rights to Marc Gasol, and the Lakers’ 2008 (Donte Greene) and 2010 (Greivis Vasquez) first-rounders, for Pau Gasol and the Grizzlies’ 2010 second round pick (Devin Ebanks).

Brian Grant spent one season with the Lakers, appearing in 69 games, and averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.7 RPG. He was released after the season, then signed as a free agent with the Suns, but he only appeared in 21 games during the 2005/06 campaign, averaging a career low 2.9 PPG. This was Grant’s last year in the NBA.

Jordan Farmar was selected with the No. 26 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, and spent four seasons with the Lakers. His numbers during that stretch were:

2006/07: 4.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.9 APG. His slash line was .422/.328/.711.
2007/08: 9.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 2.7 APG. His slash line was .461/.371/.679.
2008/09: 6.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG. His slash line was .391/.336/.584.
2009/10: 7.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 1.7 APG. His slash line was .435/.376/.671.

Farmar left after the 2009/10 season to sign a three-year, $12MM contract with the Nets. His numbers improved in New Jersey, where he averaged 10.0 PPG in his two seasons there, before being included in the deal with the Hawks that sent Joe Johnson to the Nets in 2012.

Lamar Odom was the most important and productive piece the Lakers received in the trade, and he was a valuable part of their Championship teams in 2009 and 2010. His numbers with the Lakers were:

2004/05: 15.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG. His slash line was .473/.308/.695.
2005/06: 14.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 5.5 APG. His slash line was .481/.372/.690.
2006/07: 15.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG. His slash line was .468/.297/.700.
2007/08: 14.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG. His slash line was .525/.274/.698.
2008/09: 11.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG. His slash line was .492/.320/.623.
2009/10: 10.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 3.3 APG. His slash line was .463/.319/.693.
2010/11: 14.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His slash line was .530/.382/.675.

While Odom didn’t measure up to O’Neal’s production during his prime, he was certainly an effective player for the Lakers, and his versatility was a big part of Los Angeles’ success during his years with the team. It’s sometimes easy to forget just how talented a player he was in light of how far he’s fallen in the past few years, mainly due to his off the court issues and reported drug problems.

Odom’s time with the Lakers came to an end in 2011. He was originally a part of the trade with the Pelicans that would have sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles, but the league vetoed the trade. This was when the New Orleans ownership situation was in a state of flux, and the NBA was in charge of the franchise. Many team owners spoke up against the deal, but the league office said the trade was turned down for purely basketball reasons.

After the details of the proposed trade were made public, Odom stated that he felt disrespected, and demanded a trade to a contending team. One week later his wish was granted, and he was shipped to the Mavericks along with a 2012 second-rounder (Darius Johnson-Odom), which was later sold back to the Lakers, for an $8.9MM trade exception, along with a 2012 (top-20 protected) first-rounder. The first round pick was later sent to the Rockets in the deal that netted the Lakers Jordan Hill. The pick was then sent to the Thunder in the James Harden trade, who in turn used it to select Mitch McGary with the No. 21 selection in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The O’Neal trade was one that worked out in the end for both sides. The Heat reaped the immediate benefits, winning the title in his second season with the team. Most franchises would gladly make a deal that netted them a banner to hang in their arena’s rafters. But Shaq’s tenure didn’t end well in Miami, due to injuries and clashes with the coaching staff, which somewhat lessens the Heat’s end of the trade despite their having obtained the best player in the deal.

The Lakers’ situation was different than the one that the Wolves now find themselves in with Love. Shaq was openly disruptive his last season and a half in Los Angeles, and he publicly demanded a trade. Retaining him could have caused Bryant to sign elsewhere as a free agent, which would have been disastrous, especially if he went to the Clippers.

Love has been a good soldier throughout all of the losing seasons in Minnesota, but the franchise still has no choice but to deal their star, lest they lose him for nothing next summer. It’s not an ideal situation, but the Timberwolves’ return for Love could turn out to be rather decent if Andrew Wiggins develops into the superstar many scouts project him to be.

Los Angeles didn’t net a player of Wiggins’ potential in their trade with Miami, but Odom was a vital piece of the puzzle during his time with the Lakers. It’s doubtful that the Wolves will contend for a championship in the next few seasons, though the Cavs hope to repeat what the Heat did after the Shaq trade and vie for the title in the coming years. It’s never an easy decision to trade away a star player, but some franchises have no other choice. Time will tell who wins the Love-Wiggins swap.

Central Notes: George, Blatt, Cavs

August 15th, 2014 at 7:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite suffering a gruesome leg injury playing for Team USA this summer, Paul George still hopes to play for the team in the 2016 Olympics, writes Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. USA Basketball national team director Jerry Colangelo weighed in, saying, “The reality is that people that have played the game, coached the game and been in the game know that it’s part of the game. Injuries can happen at any place at any time. We appreciate the attitude Paul has about it and the comments that (Pacers president) Larry Bird made after the incident were great in terms of support.“

Here’s more from the Central Division:

If any rookie coach is equipped to mold a roster of players together to compete for a championship in his first season, it’s Cavaliers coach David Blatt, writes Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. Blatt’s former player Jordan Farmar, who played several months under Blatt for Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2011 lockout, said, “He’s [Blatt’s] unbelievable. He plays you to your strengths. He’s really open to communication. He’ll be awesome there.“
Also from Bucher’s article, Josh Childress, who played for Blatt in a Greek League All-Star game, said, “Very nice guy and great to play for. He’s extra good at making in-game changes. I only really know him from that All-Star Game, but I’ve heard he’ll do whatever it takes to succeed but is not a my-way-or-the-highway coach.”
Both players did acknowledge that Blatt had some adjustments to make, him having never coached a player of LeBron James‘ caliber. Childress added, “If anyone is a star overseas, it’s the coach. I’d liken it to college. The coaches are more respected, their voices carry a little further. No one is really bigger than the team. Euro coaches, in general, though, have much more authority and control than NBA coaches do. It’s, ‘This is my show. If this American doesn’t work out, I’ll get another one.’ [Blatt] has coached in enough different countries that he’s experienced his fair share of different situations, but he’s never not been totally in control of his team.“

Clippers Sign Jordan Farmar

July 9th, 2014 at 11:28pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 11:28pm: Farmar has signed the deal, per a team release.

SUNDAY, 5:40pm: The Clippers and free agent Jordan Farmar have agreed to a two-year, $4.2MM deal, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Clippers will likely be using their biannual exception in the deal, according to Turner. The biannual only provides for a maximum of $4.154MM over two seasons, so presumably Turner is rounding up.

The former Lakers guard will be changing hallways in the Staples Center to help replace the departed Darren Collison. The Clippers have been cited as the frontrunners for Farmar’s services and long viewed as a viable Plan B in the event that Collison took his services elsewhere.

At the conclusion of the Lakers’ season, Farmer made it known that he wanted to stay in purple and gold, despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the club.

“I want to be a Laker,” Farmar said. “I like playing for Mike. Whether it’s Phil Jackson, Mike D’Antoni or whoever else coaches this team, that won’t deter me from wanting to be a Laker.”

Things didn’t work out with Farmar and the Lakers, but with today’s agreement, he at least knows he won’t have to go house hunting. And, unless the Lakers make major upgrades this summer, he’ll have a better chance at winning a championship.

Western Notes: Williams, Warriors, Blake

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mo Williams met with the Mavericks today, and the meeting had “positive momentum,” writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The team is waiting on ‘Melo’s decision before proceeding with any other signings, and Williams’ desired destination is Dallas, tweets Zwerling.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Clippers, Bazemore

July 3rd, 2014 at 6:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

News of Sacramento’s signing of Darren Collison was no shock to Isaiah Thomas, who fully expected the Kings to sign another point guard, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Collison is under the impression he’ll start, and the Kings like Thomas as a sixth man, Jones says (on Twitter). Jones nonetheless suggests Thomas is unlikely to re-sign (Twitter link).

Free Agent Rumors: ‘Melo, Bulls, Lakers, Ariza

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony will meet with the Knicks in Los Angeles today after he finishes his visit with the Lakers, report Chris Broussard and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Marc Berman of the New York Post had speculated that an L.A.-based meeting between Carmelo and the Knicks could take place, since Anthony, team president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher all have homes in the area. Here’s more on ‘Melo and other news from the third day of NBA free agency:

The Bulls floated a $16MM annual salary figure to Anthony during their meeting on Tuesday, a source tells Berman for the same piece.
The Lakers had planned to largely to hold off and hoard cap flexibility for the summer of 2015, but the team has shifted gears and become more “proactive” this summer, Berman also hears.
Trevor Ariza told agent Rob Pelinka to try to work out a deal with the Wizards before he explored options with other teams, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The Wizards are confident in their ability to re-sign the small forward and don’t plan on any major moves until they strike a deal with Ariza. Still, Broussard counts the Wizards among the teams with interest in fellow small forward Luol Deng (Twitter link), so it seems the team has a contingency plan.
The Pacers reportedly reached out to Rodney Stuckey, but Broussard hears Indiana has no plans to pursue the combo guard (Twitter link).
It’s unlikely that the Heat will wind up with as much as $12MM in money to spend beneath the cap, as they’ve reportedly been telling free agents, observes Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick (on Twitter). They’ll probably remain above the cap, according to Skolnick, leaving the $5.305MM mid-level exception as their most lucrative tool.
The Clippers have strong interest in Toure’ Murry, tweets Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal, and they’ve spoken with Jordan Farmar, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

L.A. Notes: Magic, Rivers, Farmar, D’Antoni

May 1st, 2014 at 2:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Magic Johnson earlier this week denied interest in buying the Clippers, but he’s apparently changed his mind, judging by his remarks Wednesday, as Ben Bergman of 89.3 KPCC reports (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

“I will be owning an NBA team sometime,” Johnson said. “Is the Clippers the right situation? Of course. It’s one of the premiere franchises.”

The teams of Johnson’s past and perhaps his future have been most prominent in news across the league this week, and there’s more this afternoon on both the Lakers and the Clippers:

Doc Rivers hasn’t made it entirely clear whether he intends to return to the Clippers, but he says he has no interest in making the jump across Staples Center to coach the Lakers, observes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Jordan Farmar was a fan of Mike D’Antoni, but the soon-to-be free agent point guard doesn’t find the Lakers any less attractive now that the coach has resigned, as Farmar tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “I want to be a Laker,” Farmar said. “I like playing for Mike. Whether it’s Phil Jackson, Mike D’Antoni or whoever else coaches this team, that won’t deter me from wanting to be a Laker.”
D’Antoni reportedly would like another NBA coaching job, but the general sentiment leaguewide is that his success with the Suns was an aberration, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. A GM who spoke to Deveney called D’Antoni a “one-trick pony.”
There seems to be a decent chance that the Clippers will sell for more than $1 billion, but It will take more than money to buy the team, as James Rainey and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times examine.
Cavs guard Jarrett Jack believes every player in the league should boycott practices and games next season if Donald Sterling still owns the Clippers by then, as Jack said today on 95.7 The Game, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.

Lakers Notes: Young, Gasol, Farmar, Kelly & More

April 17th, 2014 at 7:35pm CST by Alex Lee

Well, it’s exit interview time for the NBA’s bottom half and there are few teams with as much uncertainty and flexibility as the Lakers. Beyond Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, there are no significant contracts on the books for Los Angeles in 2014/15. The Lakers must also determine if they want to keep head coach Mike D’Antoni, a decision ESPN’s Dave McMenamin examines. Let’s round up all the personnel buzz coming out of Lakerland:

Nick Young‘s upbeat attitude and surprising play were two of the few bright spots for the Lakers this season, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Young expects to be a hot commodity this summer, indicating that general manager Mitch Kupchak already expressed interest in retaining his services (via Ding on Twitter). Meanwhile, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets that Young will prioritize both business and his affinity for L.A. when weighing his options.
A free agent for the first time, Pau Gasol insinuated on Thursday that he is not yet sure whether he wants to return to the Lakers, writes Medina. Among the priorities for his destination is going to a contender that plays to a “controlled pace,” Medina adds on Twitter.
Jordan Farmar is fairly confident he’ll return to L.A. next season, writes Medina. Farmar, symbolically sporting two championship rings, told reporters today that general manager Mitch Kupchak indicated the team’s interest in bringing him back will hinge on their options in the draft and free agency. Ding also tweets that Farmar would be content returning in a starting or reserve role.
After averaging 8 points in 22.2 minutes per game as a rookie this season, power forward Ryan Kelly believes the Lakers want him back for his sophomore campaign, tweets Medina. A second round pick last summer, Kelly said, “They drafted me and certainly want me back. I want to be here. But it’s a business.”
Jordan Hill said it is “tough to say” whether he returns to the Lakers, Medina writes. In a separate post, Medina also says that Chris Kaman would like to return to Los Angeles in the “right situation,” and adds on Twitter that Wesley Johnson thinks that there is some mutual interest in his return (Twitter links).

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