Josh Smith

And-Ones: Selby, Cavs, Knicks, Rockets

December 25th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Josh Selby, a 2011 second round draft pick of the Grizzlies, nearly quit the game as he bounced between playing overseas and the NBA D-League, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. Selby is currently trying to catch the eyes of NBA scouts while playing over in Israel, though Selby said that no NBA teams have been in contact with him this season, Pick notes. “I want to help my team reach the playoffs and take them as far as possible,” Selby said. “As long as I take care of business and win here, the NBA will come find me.”

Here’s more from around the league and abroad:

Joe Alexander has officially inked a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Alexander had a $45K buyout amount on his D-League contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link).
The Cavs are performing their due diligence on available options, but are in no rush to replace the injured Anderson Varejao, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Cleveland is intrigued by the possibilities of playing “small ball,” Spears adds.
Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter yesterday to promise fans that 2015 would hold better things for New York than 2014 has. But the Knicks’ star player, Carmelo Anthony, noted that Jackson doesn’t have much time to make the necessary changes before the year ends to ensure that statement comes true, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Anthony is also growing increasingly frustrated with the team’s lack of consistency and progress, Begley adds. “We have spurts throughout the course of the game where we are showing something, showing that we’re getting it and we’re focused and we have the energy to go out and do it,” Anthony said. “But there are times where we show that we’re not even out there on the basketball court. We gotta start trying to put a whole game together.”
The Rockets hope to open up a roster spot for Josh Smith by completing a trade by Friday rather than waiving a player, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Houston is currently pursuing various deals to try to make this happen, Stein notes. The Rockets are reportedly willing to trade Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.

Atlantic Notes: Smith, Knicks, Caboclo, Nets

December 25th, 2014 at 10:47am CST by Charlie Adams

The Knicks are the sole representatives of the Atlantic Division on today’s slate of games, and they’ll look to take down a Wizards team that comes into Madison Square Garden having lost two straight contests. We’ll round up the latest from New York and the Atlantic below..

Despite a beat-down frontcourt, the 5-25 Knicks were not among the teams that were interested in bringing aboard the recently waived Josh Smith, as head coach Derek Fisher indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “It doesn’t impact us much so I didn’t really read into it too much at all,” Fisher told Berman, admitting he wasn’t aware that the Rockets had agreed to a deal with Smith.
The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the D-League, the team announced. The 19-year-old rookie will join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for the first time this season after appearing in three contests for Toronto.
Andy Vasquez of The Record thinks the Nets would be ill-advised to begin dismantling their roster so early into the new season, especially one in which the Eastern Conference lacks any sort of consistency. Brooklyn is currently holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot, but rumors have suggested that the team is open to moving Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez.

Rockets Notes: Jones, Smith, Capela

December 24th, 2014 at 7:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets apparently added one power forward to their lineup Wednesday after Josh Smith cleared waivers, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports that another one may be on the way. “Terrence Jones has been able to do some stuff that honestly he hasn’t been able to do since that thing happened,” said coach Kevin McHale, referring to the nerve problem in Jones’ knee that has kept him out of the lineup since November 3rd. “I was excited just to see Terrence with a smile on his face. He ran on the treadmill. He ran on the floor. He’s been jumping a little bit. I don’t know when – it’s not imminent – that’s just like making a trade for a really quality player and not giving anything up.”

There’s more from an eventful day in H-Town:

Smith, who committed to joining the Rockets Wednesday afternoon, told Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com that he plans to help his new team in several ways. “I think I can add to their toughness,” Smith said. “I think I can add to their versatility at the four position, being able to pass the basketball and score the ball down low. Just add another basketball IQ, which will help when we make it to the postseason.” Smith is also looking forward to playing alongside James Harden, whom he called “the best two-guard in the game right now.”
Smith is a perfect fit in Houston, opines Avery Stone of USA Today. Stone likes the match because of Smith’s elite defensive skills, his ability to finish in transition and the Rockets’ lack of a proven NBA power forward.
Rookie center Clint Capela was recalled Wednesday from the team’s Rio Grande Valley affiliate in the D-League, according to a tweet by Feigen. Capela was sent there December 17th after getting little playing time in his latest two-week stint with the Rockets despite injuries to Jones, Dwight Howard and Kostas Papanikolaou.
The Rockets were among the teams that pursued James Johnson last summer before he landed in Toronto, according to Shams Charania of Real GM. The Grizzlies and Jazz also requested meetings with the free agent forward, who signed a two-year deal with the Raptors worth $2.5MM per season. Houston also had interest last season before he left the D-League and signed with Memphis.

Central Notes: Cavaliers, Smith, Pistons

December 24th, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jermaine O’Neal confirms he has heard from the Cavaliers, but tells Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group that he will need two to three weeks to get ready. O’Neal will decide soon if he wants to retire or return to the NBA for a 19th season. He said he has spoken to a few teams personally, but Cleveland isn’t among them. The Cavaliers are in the market for a big man after a season-ending injury to Anderson Varejao.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons gave Josh Smith a gift beyond the chance to play for a contender when they waived him Monday, according to Jonathan Nehring of Taxaball.com. Smith can also realize a tax savings estimated at $1.3MM. Athletes are required to pay state and local income tax for each game they play. Smith won’t play any more games for the Pistons, so his salary from them — the remainder of $13.5MM for the rest of this season and $27MM stretched over the next five years — is free from that tax. If, as rumored, he signs with the Rockets for their $2.077MM biannual exception, state and local taxes for the games he plays will be applied to that salary.
Stan Van Gundy deserves criticism for not resolving the Smith situation sooner, opines Michael Lee of The Washington Post. He notes that the Kings were interested in trading for Smith last summer, and offered various packages that included Jason Thompson and either Derrick Williams or Carl Landry. Van Gundy, Detroit’s coach and president of basketball operations, reportedly didn’t like the deals and elected to keep Smith. That led to Monday’s release, which an unidentified general manager termed as “reckless.”
Getting rid of Smith was the first of many problems that have to be addressed in Detroit, writes Vince Ellis of USA Today. He notes that the Pistons rank 24th in defensive efficiency and are struggling to score. Van Gundy was alarmed with Smith’s usage rate, which ranked 30th in the NBA. “We ran a lot of stuff through him and, clearly, if you want other people to have more offensive opportunities, you would have to take some away from him,” the coach said. “I didn’t think that would be good for him; I didn’t think he would be happy with that, so I think it’s easier moving forward this way.”

Anderson Varejao Suffers Torn Achilles

December 24th, 2014 at 11:17am CST by Chuck Myron

Tests revealed that Anderson Varejao has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The injury to his left leg is indeed expected to knock him out for the rest of the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. All signs were pointing to the injury having been a torn Achilles, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio heard shortly before the news broke (Twitter link). An MRI this morning revealed the tear, as Wojnarowski notes in a full story. The 32-year-old couldn’t put any weight on the leg when he exited Tuesday’s game after the injury occured.

It’s a tough blow for the Cavs, who guaranteed his nearly $9.705MM salary for this season when they signed him to a three-year extension in the fall. Cleveland can apply to the NBA for a disabled player exception worth 50% of his salary, or more than $4.582MM. The Cavs had inquired about the possibility of signing Josh Smith before Varejao went down, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group (Twitter link), but that was chiefly a matter of the team doing its due diligence, Haynes cautions. The Knicks are making Samuel Dalembert available, according to Wojnarowski, but his acquisition would be a “last resort” for the Cavs, Wojnarowski tweets.

Cleveland has been in talks with the Celtics in recent days about Boston’s willingness to participate in a trade as a third team, as Windhorst and ESPN colleague Marc Stein wrote overnight. The Cavs have long been looking for a rim-protector, and they appear poised to intensify that search now that they’ll be without their only starting-caliber center.

And-Ones: Mavs, Nuggets, Mekel

December 23rd, 2014 at 9:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson expressed confidence that Dallas would soon bolster its bench with the addition of either Jermaine O’Neal or Josh Smith, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports. “I feel pretty good that we’ll be able to come to terms with one,” Nelson said. “Certainly to come up with both would be just hitting a grand slam home run. Look, there’s a long line for suitors on both fronts. I think the fact that Jermaine has chosen Dallas to be his home in the long term certainly has its place and resonates with time with family and such. And here’s a guy who has a long history not only with our coach but with our point guard/quarterback. That certainly has a place.”

As for Smith’s potential role with the team, Nelson said, “If he did fit and if he joined us, it would be a sixth man situation, but we’d see him as a starting-caliber type guy. He’s got a very rare combination of strength and versatility. He’d be a great addition for whatever team is lucky enough to get his services, but he understands and is fully aware that we have a power forward that we’re very comfortable with and Tyson [Chandler] has got the center position locked down, so he would be a heck of a piece at any one of our three frontline positions.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has repeatedly told his players that they must improve their play soon or the team is at risk for changes, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links). “You see teams are making moves and making changes. I’m sure we’d be one of those teams, too,” Shaw said.
The Rockets sent the Wolves $1MM as part of the Corey Brewer trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
Gal Mekel‘s agent, Maurizio Balducci, is exploring a return overseas to Maccabi Tel Aviv for his client, who was recently waived by the Pelicans, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter links). Maccabi is offering Mekel a long-term agreement with multiple NBA outs, Pick adds. New Orleans coach Monty Williams had also previously indicated that the Pelicans were considering offering a new deal to Mekel.

Poll: Best Fit For Josh Smith?

December 23rd, 2014 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy pulled quite a stunner on Monday when he waived Josh Smith. Smith won’t come off waivers until Wednesday, but it’s likely that he won’t be without a team for long. Numerous franchises have reportedly expressed interest in signing Smith, including the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Heat, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Kings. While Houston is currently rumored to be the favorite to obtain Smith’s services, the veteran forward is apparently in high demand despite only averaging 13.1 points on 39.1% shooting this season, with both numbers being below his career averages of 15.4 PPG and 45.6%.

The competition to ink Smith is most certainly due to the price tag he can be had for, which will be more than likely for the league-minimum salary, or not much more than that, which is all that most of the teams linked to Smith have to offer the big man. Detroit had garnered little to no interest in its efforts to deal Smith prior to its decision to release him, when his price tag would have been $13.5MM for this season, and whose contract ran for two more seasons at the same rate.

While Smith was clearly not performing up to his contract this year, which according to Hoops Rumors’ 2014/15 Salary Rankings, was good for the ninth highest cap hit amongst small forwards in the league, he’ll be a bargain at around the league-minimum for whichever franchise signs him. But which team would be the best fit for Smith?

One of the biggest issues with Smith’s production in Detroit was its insistence on trying to make him a small forward in an oversize frontcourt, a spot that Smith clearly was not suited to play. On his next team, if his coaches are wise, he’ll more than likely go back to his natural power forward position, though he can also provide some minutes at the three as well in a pinch.

Smith has been a starter for 758 of the 781 career games that he has appeared in, though this trend isn’t necessarily going to continue with his next team. Here’s a quick rundown of the starting power forwards on the teams reported to be in the hunt for Smith:

Clippers: Blake Griffin [23.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG]
Lakers: Carlos Boozer [12.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG]
Heat: Chris Andersen [3.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG] or Udonis Haslem [4.1 PPG, 4.0 PPG]
Grizzlies: Zach Randolph [16.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG]
Rockets: Donatas Motiejunas [10.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG]
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki [18.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG]
Kings: Jason Thompson [5.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG]

The quandaries for Smith when making the decision on which team to sign with is how to best market himself for next season and which circumstance would allow him to best rebuild his value. Does he try and chase a ring with a contending team? Or does he try to maximize his playing time, as well as have the best opportunity to put up numbers? Out of the teams listed, Smith would only be a clear upgrade as a starter for the Kings, Heat, and Lakers. Miami is the only one of those three that has a realistic shot at the playoffs, mainly because the Heat reside in the much weaker Eastern Conference, which should give Pat Riley‘s squad the edge amongst that group if Smith chooses the playing time route.

If Smith wants to join a contending team, as has been mentioned as being one of his criteria, then relocating to Texas may be his wisest decision. Smith is close friends with Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, who have each campaigned for their respective teams to ink the veteran, and joining the Rockets or the Mavs would certainly be appealing for him as a result of those relationships. Both of those franchises have realistic shots to go deep into the playoffs, but Houston would also offer Smith a much better opportunity to log significant minutes with Motiejunas currently penciled in as the starter.

So where do you think the best fit for Smith to land would be? Cast your votes and sound off below in the comments section to expand on why you believe this would be the best situation for Smith.

Josh Smith Rumors: Tuesday

December 23rd, 2014 at 2:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

The sudden popularity of Josh Smith around the league in the wake of the shocking decision the Pistons made Monday to waive their highest-paid player is indicative of just how much a player’s contract defines his value. His next team will almost certainly have him at a fraction of the cost the Pistons will continue to shell out through 2019/20. Certainly, there are better fits for him than the crowded frontcourt in Detroit, too. Smith won’t come off waivers until Wednesday, but there should be no shortage of updates today about where he’ll be playing soon. We’ll track the latest in this thread, much like we did on Monday, with any additional news added to the top:

Howard went on record with reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, about his recruiting pitch to Smith (Twitter links). “Have I been in his ear? Yeah, I’ve been in his ear,” the Rockets center said. “The only thing I told him was that if you want to win this would be a great place for you. We’ve won together in AAU. Let’s try to get us one in the big leagues.”

11:37pm update:

The Clippers have reached out to Smith’s representatives, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Clippers officials are still “gauging interest,” Woike writes, though it’s unclear if they’re trying to assess Smith’s level of interest or still debating their own willingness to sign him. There were multiple reports going back and forth Monday about whether the Clippers truly wanted Smith.

10:55am update:

Just about every playoff-bound team has reached out to Smith’s representatives, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who cautions that in some cases it’s largely a matter of the team performing its due diligence (Twitter link). One exception, according to Broussard, is the Hawks, Smith’s original NBA team.

8:57am updates:

The Rockets have strengthened their position as the favorites to land Smith, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Dwight Howard wants Smith, his close friend, on the team and is serving as Houston’s lead recruiter, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com details.
Rajon Rondo, another friend of Smith’s, said they talk almost every day, and the new Mavs point guard publicly made his pitch for the ex-Pistons forward, as Stein relays in the same piece. “I think we can use an athletic big,” Rondo said late Monday. “They traded me for Brandan Wright. Besides Tyson [Chandler], our other bigs are perimeter shooters. Josh brings a lot to the game — his intangibles, he can make plays, rebound, defend. He’d be a good fit anywhere, but especially here I think he’d be a good fit.”
Mavs owner Mark Cuban confirmed the team is going after Smith, as Stein also notes. “Josh is super talented and he fits the profile of the guy we love to bring in here,” Cuban said. “He’s one of those guys that gets a bad rap … and we have a great track record of bringing the truth out about guys like that: Monta [Ellis], Stack [Jerry Stackhouse], Jet [Jason Terry].”
Smith, a client of Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather, is set to meet with his representatives this afternoon, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Pistons Notes: Smith, Drummond, Van Gundy

December 23rd, 2014 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy spoke earlier this month of a four-day break in the team’s schedule as the point at which he’d examine where the team was and make changes, if necessary. Monday was the first of those four days, and Van Gundy wasted no time, waiving Josh Smith and using the stretch provision to somewhat ease the pain of the remainder of his four-year, $54MM contract. Here’s more on the upheaval in the Motor City:

The Kings offered weaker proposals to the Pistons for Smith in recent weeks than they had over the summer, as Sacramento began to insist on receiving a first-rounder in the near future instead of one that wouldn’t come until a few years from now, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons countered with second-round picks that would end up with Sacramento in the near term, but the Kings weren’t receptive to that, Ellis adds.
Jeff Schwartz, who recently became the agent for center Andre Drummond, will be keeping a close eye on how the Pistons’ situation develops to ensure his newest client has a bright future in Detroit, notes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links). Drummond will be up for a rookie scale extension this coming summer.
Former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars approached owner Tom Gores a few years ago about using the stretch provision to rid the team of Ben Gordon instead of trading him, but Gores wasn’t willing to go along, Free Press scribe Drew Sharp writes. This time, Gores didn’t make the same mistake, as Sharp argues.
Releasing Smith is an expensive proposition and a painful admission of a mistake, but it’s the right decision for the Pistons, MLive’s David Mayo believes.
The passion and temerity that makes Van Gundy a successful coach didn’t serve him well in the way he handled Smith as an executive, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller believes.

Alex Lee contributed to this post.

Josh Smith Rumors: Heat, Clippers, Lakers

December 22nd, 2014 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy pulled a stunner today, waiving Josh Smith. Reports quickly identified the Clippers, Mavs and Kings as suitors for Smith in free agency once he clears waivers, as expected, and more clubs are lining up for a chance to obtain him on the cheap. There’s plenty of news rolling in related to Detroit’s bold move and what happens next with the tweener forward, and we’ll pass along the latest in this thread, with any additional updates posted on top:

The Heat have formally applied for a disabled player exception from the league after losing Josh McRoberts for the year, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. While the exception, which would be worth $2.653MM, hasn’t been granted yet, the Heat are hopeful they’ll have it before Smith makes his decision (Twitter links here).

9:46pm update:

The Clippers will have interest in Smith if he clears waivers, ESPN’s Arash Markazi hears from multiple team sources. Markazi adds that the team can only offer Smith the veteran’s minimum and would likely cut Jared Cunningham to make room on its roster. Cunningham’s contract becomes guaranteed on January 10th and he is likely to be released before then either way, per Markazi.

8:51pm update:

Should Smith clear waivers, the Lakers will have a significant financial advantage over most of his other suitors, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. The disabled player exception they received from Steve Nash‘s season-ending injury allows the Lakers spend up to $4.85MM on a single player, per Pincus, which is more than twice what most other teams can offer. Pincus adds that the Lakers should have the cap space next summer to re-sign Smith.

7:14pm updates:

There is a strong belief among Rockets players, even beyond Howard, that they’ll convince Smith to sign in Houston, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that Smith “fits the profile of the type of guys we love to bring in,” reports Bryan Gutierrez of Mavs Outsider. Cuban added that the Mavs would use Smith more down low than on the wing should they add him, per Gutierrez (Twitter links).
While it’s hardly a surprise, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that the Sixers, flush in cap space, have zero interest in claiming Smith off waivers (via Twitter).

4:05pm update:

The Grizzlies have expressed interest in Smith, too, Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears, acknowledging that it’s nonetheless a long shot for him to wind up in Memphis (Twitter link). The Grizzlies couldn’t pay him any more than the minimum.

3:49pm update:

The Lakers would like Smith to play for them, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), but they wouldn’t fall into the category of a playoff-bound team, the only sort that Smith is reportedly considering (below).

1:55pm update:

Teams that aren’t headed for the playoffs are out of the running for Smith, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. That stance would appear to damage the chances of the Kings most of all among the clubs that reports have so far linked to the forward.

1:40pm update:

Smith was “fixated” on finding a way to join the Rockets before he signed with Detroit in 2013, according to Wojnarowski, who writes in a full piece.

1:05pm updates:

The Heat are in the running for Smith, Stein reports (on Twitter). Miami has only the minimum to give.
Houston will allow Smith to choose whether he wants a one-year or two-year deal, Amick hears (Twitter link). The biannual exception limits contracts to no more than two seasons, and the Rockets are without a way to sign him to a longer deal.

12:39pm update:

The Rockets are taking an aggressive stance in their pursuit of Smith, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). They attempted to trade for him but couldn’t find a workable salary match that didn’t involved Howard or James Harden, Wojnarowski adds in a second tweet.

12:28pm updates:

Houston will offer Smith its $2.077MM biannual exception, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Rockets are optimistic about their chances to land Smith, given their status as a contender, the opportunity to offer him a large on-court role, and their financial advantage of having the biannual while others are limited to the minimum salary, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
No one has been a bigger fan of Smith in recent months than Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, according to Stein (Twitter link).

12:17pm updates:

The Clippers would like to research the matter more thoroughly before committing to a pursuit of Smith, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Though Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the Clippers are indeed interested, coach/executive Doc Rivers said he doesn’t know quite yet what his team will do, as he told reporters, including Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
The Rockets do have interest in signing Smith, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link). Stein reported earlier that Houston, which has the $2.077MM biannual exception to spend, was still thinking about whether it wanted to go after Smith, who’s a friend of Dwight Howard‘s. Howard has said in the past that he and Smith have had conversations about playing together again as they did when they were AAU teammates, notes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
The Kings were the only team to express interest in trading for Smith as the Pistons sought to move him in recent weeks, Stein tweets. The Pistons refused to part with draft picks in any deal or take on burdensome contracts in return, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Derrick Williams was alongside Jason Thompson in the Kings‘ earliest trade proposals to the Pistons regarding Smith over the summer, and Carl Landry later replaced Williams in those offers, according to Stein (on Twitter). Van Gundy turned them down because he wanted to coach Smith before cutting ties, Stein adds (Twitter link).

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