Josh Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Smith, Ginobili

January 25th, 2016 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s still a chance shooting guard Eric Gordon will be dealt by the Pelicans despite his latest injury, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Pelicans were exploring trade offers for Gordon before he underwent surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger, which will require a four-to-six week recovery period, Reid continues. Gordon, who is making $15.5MM, becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. He started 40 of the team’s first 41 games, averaging 15.0 points per game, but he missed over 100 games due to injury in his first three seasons with the Pelicans, Reid adds. The Kings reportedly refused an offer from the Pelicans earlier this month to deal Rudy Gay for Gordon and Alonzo Gee.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Veteran combo forward Josh Smith has already transformed the Rockets’ rotation since they re-acquired him last week from the Clippers, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Smith’s passing out of the post and ability to guard multiple positions allows interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff to stick with a small lineup, Watkins observes. Bickerstaff also likes the way Smith doesn’t shy away from taking big shots, Watkins adds. “He’s a guy, again, because of his ability to pass the ball, he’s a guy that brings everybody together,” Bickerstaff told Watkins. “He can do that because he can make all the passes, he can make all the plays. Then his courage to shoot the ball late when he’s missed a few, most guys would turn those down and since we’ve seen him and he’s been with us, he’s thrived in those situations.”
The free agent signings of power forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and David West during the offseason gave 38-year-old Manu Ginobili the final push to keep playing, Nick Moyle of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I wanted to take this challenge,” Ginobili told Moyle. “Sometimes you need a little change, a little shake. But when you see that LaMarcus Aldridge is part of the team, it’s not a little shake any more. So it is very exciting and we have high expectations.” The Spurs’ shooting guard has justified his decision by averaging 10.3 points, nearly the same as last season’s 10.5, despite playing a career-low 20.2 minutes per game, Moyle adds.

Western Notes: Smith, Booker, Jazz

January 24th, 2016 at 9:12pm CST by Will Joseph

Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff expects Josh Smith to be the same key player he was off the bench last season and added Smith thrives with the team because there is a level of trust and comfort, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. Smith scored 16 points Sunday in the Rockets’ win against the Mavs.

“I feel comfortable. It might have been a little different story if this were my first time here, but being able to get the opportunity to play for the same team, around the same group of guys is awesome,” Smith said, per Feigen. “It’s definitely a comfortable feeling being able to get back. Seeing the appreciation from the fans and my teammates definitely instills confidence that this is where I belong.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

In a largely disappointing season for the Suns, Devin Booker has been the lone bright spot, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated writes. Booker became one of Phoenix’s regular starters after Eric Bledsoe suffered a torn meniscus on Christmas. Booker scored 15.4 points in 30.4 minutes per contest in his first 11 games as a starter, drawing comparisons to Klay Thompson, Fischer adds.
Trey Burke has developed into the most reliable player off the bench for the Jazz bench, especially considering Alec Burks has been out with an injury, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes.
The Warriors recalled Kevon Looney from the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the team announced.

Texas Notes: Smith, Lawson, Mejri, Ayres

January 23rd, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Smith made an immediate impact for the Rockets after Friday’s trade, and Dwight Howard tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that he’s happy to have his childhood friend back on the team. Smith flew to Houston immediately after the deal was announced, then had six assists, five rebounds and three blocks in a win over the Bucks. “I thought that me and him together in the playoffs was key,” Howard said. “I thought we really had great chemistry on both ends of the floor. All of us have a crazy type of relationship, especially me and Josh. He’s happy. We’re happy he’s back. We’ll see how it works. I think it’s going to be great.”

There’s more NBA news out of Texas:

Ty Lawson has been playing better, but Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff isn’t ready to make him a starter, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Patrick Beverley has been out of action with a sprained ankle, and Bickerstaff said he will remain in the starting lineup when he returns. “People will earn their minutes,” Bickerstaff said. “So both of them want to play obviously, there’s minutes there for both of them. Whoever is playing the best is going to get those minutes and I think that’s the right thing for the team.” It’s a decision that could affect the long-term future for Lawson, whose $13.2MM salary is non-guaranteed for next season.
Salah Mejri may be earning more court time with the Mavericks, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Tunisian center went through a 31-game stretch without playing earlier this season, but he’s impressed the team lately with his defensive presence. “I don’t hesitate to call anybody’s number on our roster,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “Everybody’s played when it counts. He’s one guy that’s been kind of an odd man out because of our depth at center. … He’s making a case that he deserves some minutes.”
Jeff Ayres, who signed a 10-day deal with the Clippers today, said he understood the Spurs‘ decision not to keep him, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. Ayres said San Antonio explained that there was no room for him after signing free agent David West. “There’s no animosity or anything like that,” Ayres said of coach/president Gregg Popovich. “I understand the business and appreciate how honest he was.” (Twitter link)

Clippers Rumors: Ayres, Smith, Aldrich, Prigioni

January 23rd, 2016 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeff Ayres‘ trip back to the NBA took him to China and then Idaho in the D-League before he signed a 10-day deal with the Clippers, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. After being let go by the Spurs in the offseason, the center/forward signed with a Chinese team, but said it “ended up not working out.” He was taken with the first overall pick in the D-League draft and became a star with the Idaho Stampede, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. “It’s not what people think, that everybody here isn’t very good,” Ayres said. “A lot of D-League guys are very good. D-League is full of talent. Everything you hear as a rookie in the NBA about, ‘You were the man when you were in college but not no more here.’ It’s the same thing here.”

There’s more Clippers new from Los Angeles:

Ayres is ready to accept whatever role the team has for him, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. Ayres said his agent woke him up with the news of the signing (Twitter link). “I was halfway asleep,” Ayres said. “It was awesome. It was great news to wake up to.”
Coach Doc Rivers had nothing bad to say about Josh Smith, who was dealt to the Rockets Friday after a frustrating half-season with the Clippers, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Rivers said that after Blake Griffin‘s injury, the Clippers started winning when they made Cole Aldrich and Pablo Prigioni regular members of the bench rotation. That left little playing time for Smith, who has struggled to get minutes since mid-December. “He was very good, a good teammate and all that, but it just didn’t work,” Rivers said of Smith. “So we wanted to go in another direction.”
Several former Knicks have helped make the Clippers contenders in the West, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Aldrich, Prigioni and Jamal Crawford have all become important parts of L.A.’s rotation after spending time in New York, and former Knicks coach Mike Woodson serves as an assistant to Rivers.

Clippers Sign Jeff Ayres To 10-Day Contract

January 23rd, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 4:55pm: The Clippers have officially announced the signing.

FRIDAY, 11:18am: The Clippers will sign Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract, filling the roster spot they’re poised to open with the Josh Smith deal, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Ayres spent the past two seasons with the Spurs and has been playing this year with the D-League affiliate of the Jazz, who made him the No. 1 pick of the D-League draft in the fall.

Ayres, formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, has averaged 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game with the D-League Idaho Stampede this season. He’s otherwise carved out a modest five-year NBA career, averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per contest over 220 total appearances with the Spurs, Pacers and Trail Blazers. He’ll give the Clippers depth on the front line with Smith headed back to Houston via trade.

The signing temporarily mitigates the tax savings the Clippers are achieving in the Smith swap. Ayres will cost the Clippers $55,722 in payroll, the same amount Smith would over the 10-day period, plus tax penalties if they’re still above the $84.74MM threshold at season’s end. However, the Clippers, who’ll be at about $95.5MM in team salary following the trade and prior to the Ayres signing, aren’t obligated to re-sign Ayres after the 10 days are up, a luxury that Smith’s contract didn’t afford them.

Western Notes: Smith, Lauvergne, Booker

January 23rd, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The rash of frontcourt injuries suffered by the Rockets led to the team’s acquisition of Josh Smith from the Clippers on Friday, notes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The team hopes it will get back the services of Donatas Motiejunas in the near future, but with the big man being at least a week away from resuming basketball activities, GM Daryl Morey decided to add Smith as insurance, Feigen adds. “Long term, we expect D-Mo to be back and be able to help us,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Where we are now, we felt we needed to do something to light a fire and keep us afloat. There are so many guys injured, we felt we could use the help at that position and it was an easy one for us because we’ve seen what he can do.”

Here’s more from out West:

Nuggets center Joffrey Lauvergne has seen his playing time drop with the return of Jusuf Nurkic from injury, but the 24-year-old remains a part of Denver’s future, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “With Joffrey, what I told him was whether you play … or you don’t play, I just want to reinforce to you how much we value you,” coach Michael Malone said. “Not just me but also [GM] Tim [Connelly]. He’s a big part of what we’re doing, but long term he’s a big part of what we want to do. We believe in Joffrey Lauvergne. It’s tough for him to hear that and not get the minutes that he’s not getting at the moment, but you feel bad for guys like that because Joffrey is one of our hardest workers.“
Despite being the NBA’s youngest player, Suns shooting guard Devin Booker has shown constant improvement this season and is one of the top performing rookies, something the player credits to coach Jeff Hornacek‘s faith in him, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.
With the Timberwolves squarely out of the playoff picture the team should focus on seeing which lineups work the best for their young players, including finding additional playing time for Shabazz Muhammad, who has been underutilized this season, according to Danny Leroux of RealGM. It should be a priority for Minnesota to find out which players and lineup combinations work best heading into the summer, plus, it would also allow the front office to better gauge interim coach Sam Mitchell‘s ability to develop players, Leroux adds.

Reaction To Josh Smith Trade

January 22nd, 2016 at 2:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Josh Smith is the NBA’s version of an acquired taste, observes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com in a piece that explains why the 12th-year veteran didn’t mesh with the Clippers, even under a reputed player’s coach like Doc Rivers, nearly as well as he did in his first stint with the Rockets. Smith was frank in his interaction with James Harden, pushing the shooting guard to become a better player and locker room leader, and Harden accepted that guidance, Watkins writes. Smith also mentored Terrence Jones and Clint Capela, and Corey Brewer and Jason Terry were enamored with him, according to Watkins. That sort of chemistry simply didn’t exist in L.A., as we examine amid more reaction to today’s trade that sent Smith from the Clippers to the Rockets.

Smith, who today cited a desire to play a leadership role on the Rockets, also wanted to do the same with the Clippers when he signed with them, but the Clippers already had their leadership structure in place, making him a poor fit in the L.A. locker room, writes Dan Woike of the Orange County Register.
Smith’s shot selection was one reason he fell out of favor with Rivers, writes Barry Stavro of the Los Angeles Times, and his defense was another, according to fellow Times scribe Ben Bolch.
Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff gushed about what Smith can bring to the Rockets, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston relays (on Twitter). “It’s huge,” Bickerstaff said. “It gives us a leg up. We don’t have to start all the way over with him. We don’t have to teach him everything that we do. He knows what we do. He’s familiar with how his teammates like the ball. He’s familiar with how to play pick-and-roll with Dwight [Howard]. He knows how to play pick-and-roll with James. So that gives us a huge advantage.”
Bickerstaff isn’t the only Rocket who’s glad to have Smith back, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. “It’s great news,” Terry said. “It’s more than his skill, which is what he brought to the table last year, but it’s the intangible of his personality. It’s infectious. The chemistry he and Dwight had together was something you can’t make up. It’s natural. He was a huge part of our success last year.”

Rockets Acquire Josh Smith From Clippers

January 22nd, 2016 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kelvin Kuo / USA TODAY Sports Images

12:18pm: The deal is official, the Rockets and Clippers announced. It’s Smith, the rights to Lishouk and cash to Houston in exchange for the rights to Leunen.

10:24am: The teams still haven’t made any formal announcements, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey gave confirmation of the deal via Twitter.

“Welcome back Josh Smith! #bandbacktogether,” Morey tweeted.

9:31am: Josh Smith is headed back to the Rockets via trade from the Clippers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Wojnarowski indicates the deal has already taken place, though the teams have yet to make an announcement. The Clippers are sending Smith along with enough cash to cover Houston’s salary obligation to the veteran big man, who’s on a one-year deal for the minimum, and the Rockets are sending draft-and-stash prospects to the Clippers, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links). One of those is Maarty Leunen, the 54th overall pick from 2008 who plays for Sidigas Avellino of Italy. Draft-and-stash prospect Sergei Lishouk, the 49th overall pick from 2004 who’s with Murcia of Spain, is going from the Clippers to Houston, the Yahoo scribe also reports (Twitter links).

The Clippers had thought about waiving Smith, Wojnarowski writes in a full story, and he’s wanted off the team for a while, having feuded with coach/executive Doc Rivers about his role, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (Twitter link). His personality was also a poor fit with his Clippers teammate, Watkins adds, though he was well-respected in the Houston locker room after playing for the Rockets last season (Twitter links). James Harden and Dwight Howard are particular fans, according to Watkins, and several Rockets players wanted him to return, league sources told Wojnarowski. Smith thought he would have to take a reduced role this season if he re-signed with the Rockets this past summer, leading him to sign with the Clippers instead, Watkins tweets, but he has regretted that decision, Wojnarowski writes.

The deal would be legal with Smith as the only NBA player changing hands, because Houston can absorb him via the minimum-salary exception, though it would bring the team within $1MM of its $88.74MM hard cap. The Rockets have been carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move would be necessary. Conversely, the deal would open a roster spot for the Clippers, who’ve been at the limit of 15 players. Both the Rockets and Clippers are taxpaying teams, though Smith represented a greater tax obligation to L.A. than he will for Houston, since the Clippers are further above the tax threshold and thus subject to additional penalties. Sending out Smith without taking an NBA player in return would allow the Clippers to create a $947,276 trade exception, equivalent to the portion of Smith’s salary paid by the team. Smith’s actual salary is $1,499,187, and the league is paying the difference. Leunen and Lishouk aren’t expected to play in the NBA, according to Wojnarowski, so the essential components of the deal for the Clippers are the tax savings, the open roster spot, and the ability to move on from Smith.

The Clippers have considered either trading or releasing Smith for most of the season, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Rivers in December denied a report from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the Clippers gauged trade interest around the league in Smith and Lance Stephenson during November. Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported last week that the Clippers were making Smith available. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher said earlier this week that the Clippers felt as though they’d be better off in the long run if they could trade Smith and Stephenson, which lines up with his report from December.

Is Smith the right addition for the Rockets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Texas Notes: Lawson, Smith, Aldridge, Mavs

January 22nd, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets expect to hang on to Ty Lawson through the trade deadline, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link). The Bucks have been linked to Lawson of late, as Amick says, echoing a recent report from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who said a trade to Milwaukee was nonetheless unlikely. Houston had reportedly been exploring the market for Lawson as the point guard’s camp sought a way for him to see more playing time elsewhere, but the market proved slow. Houston instead struck a deal to acquire Josh Smith from the Clippers. See more on that amid the latest from Texas:

Smith called the idea of returning to the Rockets “amazing” and said in an interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he hopes to deliver leadership to the Rockets and relieve pressure from James Harden and Dwight Howard (All Twitter links here). “I look at that team as being right there, just missing a couple of pieces and I feel like I’m one of those missing pieces,” Smith said to Berman.
LaMarcus Aldridge confirmed that the Suns were the last team other than the Spurs that he considered in free agency this past summer and said that while he enjoyed being the focal point of the Trail Blazers, he’s undergone a change that allows him to take a back seat on the Spurs. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio News-Express has the details. “I don’t see myself being that guy here,” Aldridge said. “This is more Kawhi [Leonard]’s team, and we all fit in around him and try to make his life a little easier. If I was trying to be that guy still, I should have not come. I’m OK trying to help Kawhi be great every night.”
The Mavericks have recalled Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Salah Mejri from the D-League, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The team had just sent the trio on assignment Thursday.

Pacific Notes: Smith, Stephenson, Hibbert, Crawford

January 19th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers feel as though they’d be better in the long run if they could trade offseason acquisitions Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson, who are dissatisfied with their respective roles on the team, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says in a video dispatch (scroll to three-minute mark) that echoes his report from December. The team apparently gauged their value on the trade market as far back as November, though coach/executive Doc Rivers denied it. In any case, Bucher and Bleacher Report colleague Howard Beck identify the Clippers, Bulls and Lakers as likely sellers, with the Kings and Rockets set to become buyers at the trade deadline. Sacramento has been “active and aggressive,” according to Bucher. See more from the Pacific Division:

Roy Hibbert likes L.A. and has maintained a professional demeanor throughout a losing season, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers are reportedly trying to find a trade that would send Hibbert to a playoff team. The center acknowledges that it hasn’t been easy this year after playing on much more successful teams in Indiana. “It’s rough,” Hibbert said. “The skeletons are there to be a really good team. It’s just not going the way we want it to be. You see glimpses but it’s been rough.”
Jamal Crawford cited familiarity and the desire for a “pit bull” negotiator for his recent decision to rehire agent Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management, having moved on from a brief time with the Wasserman Media Group, the agency he hired in the offseason. TNT’s David Aldridge has the details in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The Clippers sixth man is poised for free agency in the summer.
Draymond Green has far surpassed expectations, and in addition to his own effort, he’s been fortunate to arrive in the NBA just as small-ball truly took off and to land with a Warriors franchise that believes in him, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com examines. “Obviously I’m blessed to be here in a situation with Golden State where what I brought to the team was needed,” Green said. “And appreciated. I know that’s important. Sometimes going to a certain franchise can ruin a career if you’re not with the right team. I was blessed to come to a great situation. A great franchise that appreciated the way that I do. So I’ve been able to become the player I’ve become.”