Kenyon Martin Sr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Rasheed, Bynum

October 24th, 2012 at 8:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

We rounded up a host of Celtics news earlier, but there's more out of the Atlantic Division this evening, as the Nets and Knicks face off in the final preseason game for both teams.

Reports have been optimstic about camp invitee Chris Copeland's chances of making the Knicks regular season roster, and SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria and Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com give further indication the power forward will remain with the team for the start of the regular season.
Rasheed Wallace is likely to get the team's other open roster spot, Zwerling reports in the same piece, adding that the Knicks aren't in pursuit of free agents Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen or Josh Howard to fill in for the injured Amare Stoudemire.
The Sixers have no timetable for the return of Andrew Bynum, who continues to be held out of practice. John Finger of CSNPhilly.com and Zach Lowe of Grantland.com examine what the team will do as long as its marquee offseason acquisition can't play.

Southwest Rumors: Martin, Spurs, Aminu, Miller

October 24th, 2012 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Hornets and Rockets, who square off in New Orleans. There's plenty of news out of the division tonight, so let's get right to it.

The Spurs have had interest in Kenyon Martin in the past, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, who wonders whether the team may have interest in signing him later this season. Martin continues to hold out for more than the veteran's minimum.
Of the two players the Spurs waived Tuesday, McDonald thinks Derrick Brown was a more surprising cut than Eddy Curry (Twitter link).
The Hornets have a week left to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on Al-Farouq Aminu's rookie deal, but the eighth pick in the 2010 draft appears unlikely to begin the season as the team's starting small forward, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Lance Thomas, with the team on a non-guaranteed deal, is starting over Aminu for the second straight game.
Darius Miller, unlike other second-round draft selections, has a guaranteed deal for this season, and Hornets coach Monty Williams cites his maturity from four seasons of college ball as reason why he's pleased with this year's 46th overall pick, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweets.
Elton Brand feels he has a lot to prove after he was amnestied by the Sixers last season, and wants to do so by fitting into the team concept with the Mavericks, as The Associated Press reports (via the Dallas Morning News). "I don't think there's too many teams with more cap space than right here," Brand said of the Mavs. "So if you want to audition, play right and play the right way."

Poll: Which FA Will Make An Impact In 2012/13?

October 24th, 2012 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics recently snatched Leandro Barbosa off the free agent market, ensuring that perhaps the most prominent name among the remaining unsigned players has a job this season. However, there are still a number of players who not only are free agents, but haven't even participated in training camp with a team.

Along with the players who have yet to sign a contract this offseason, plenty of recent camp cuts have become unrestricted free agents again, further saturating the market. While many of the names on our list of free agents likely won't play for NBA teams this year, odds are that at least a couple will sign with contenders and potentially have an impact later in the season.

So today's poll question is this: Which of the remaining free agents do you expect will make the most significant impact this season? Make your pick below and feel free to explain your choice in the comments section.

Ingram On Beasley, Carter, Martin

October 19th, 2012 at 5:40pm CST by Sean Highkin

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld has a new column which covers several issues around the Western Conference. Here are the highlights:

Michael Beasley is looking to silence doubters this season, Ingram writes. Beasley praises fellow new Suns acquisition Goran Dragic, saying the team has a good foundation for the future.
Anthony Carter reveals that George Karl offered him a job as an assistant coach, which Carter turned down, saying he wants to play one more year. However, he is leaving the door open to join the Nuggets' front office in some capacity after the season.
Following the news that Dirk Nowitzki will miss six weeks after having knee surgery, Ingram wonders if the Mavericks will pursue free-agent power forward Kenyon Martin.

Kennedy On Veterans, Cousins

October 9th, 2012 at 7:07pm CST by Sean Highkin

Earlier Tuesday, Tracy McGrady signed a deal to play in China. With that in mind, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy takes a look at several veteran players remaining on the market in his latest column:

Josh Howard, Michael Redd, and Leandro Barbosa are two wing players Kennedy points to as among the best available on the market.
Several veteran players, including Mickael Pietrus and Kenyon Martin, are unwilling to sign contracts at the veteran's minimum and are holding out for more money, Kennedy says.
Derek Fisher has been working out with the Lakers recently, but Kennedy points out that he cannot re-sign there until March, after one year has passed since he was traded to the Rockets and waived.
Kennedy suggests that Gilbert Arenas, who appeared in 17 games for the Grizzlies last season, may consider playing in China like McGrady if he cannot find a deal in the NBA.
Also in his column, Kennedy looks at the leadership role third-year center DeMarcus Cousins has been taking on with the Kings in training camp.

Southeast Rumors: Martin, Heat, Magic, Webster

October 9th, 2012 at 1:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat are in China, where Dwyane Wade is hopeful he can return to game action for the first time since the left knee surgery that kept him out of this summer's Olympics, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Wade has extra, endorsement-based incentive to hit the court in China, where his new Li-Ning sneakers will be formally introduced this week. We've got more Tuesday notes from the Southeast Division right here:

The signing of Rashard Lewis precluded any interest the Heat might have had in Kenyon Martin, Winderman says. Martin, who remains unsigned, is still seeking a deal worth more than the minimum, though he's said he'd make an exception for the right team. His name was mentioned in connection with the Lakers earlier today. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports Jordan Hill is expected to be healthy in time for opening night, so the team may not have as much motivation to add another big man as they would have if Hill were expected to miss time.
Point guard Armon Johnson, on a non-guaranteed contract with the Magic, is making a case to stick around, tweets John Denton of Magic.com. Johnson faces an uphill battle to make the regular season roster, since the team has 17 players with at least a partial guarantee on their deals.
Craig Stouffer of The Washington Examiner checks in with Martell Webster, who, along with Trevor Ariza, helps shore up a small forward position that had been a weakness for the Wizards.

Malcolm Thomas Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

October 3rd, 2012 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 8:12am: Thomas has officially signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv on a one-year deal, according to Euroleague.net (hat tip to Sportando). The Israeli club also has an option on Thomas for 2013/14.

FRIDAY, 8:35am: After failing to secure a satisfactory NBA offer, Malcolm Thomas has agreed to join Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv on a multiyear contract, according to David Pick of Sportando. Pick had reported yesterday that the two sides were in "advanced talks."

Thomas played just three games for the Spurs last season, and also signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets, though he didn't appear in any games for Houston. The 6'9" forward saw his stock increase, however, after a standout performance with the Bulls' summer league squad in July.

Although Chicago badly wanted to bring him to camp on a non-guaranteed deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter), it seemed Thomas was seeking a larger financial commitment. The 23-year-old worked out for the Knicks as well, and was reportedly looking for a guaranteed contract from the team.

Maccabi Tel Aviv was also said to be interested in Kenyon Martin to bolster its frontcourt. However, Martin turned down the club's offer of $900K, according to Pick (Twitter link).

Knicks Rumors: Martin, Wallace, Howard

September 28th, 2012 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

As the Knicks look to fill out their roster with training camp around the corner, let's round up the latest rumblings out of New York….

Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets that the Knicks aren't currently on Kenyon Martin's radar, due to the situation being too "mercurial."
On the other hand, it appears more and more likely that Rasheed Wallace will be joining the Knicks. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Wallace took a physical on Thursday, and all the Knicks players expect a signing to become official.
Even as the Knicks wait on Rasheed's decision, the club continues to keep in touch with Josh Howard's representatives, says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Begley adds that it's possible that the Knicks decide to bring in both players, since they have the space to do so, but it's more likely to be one or the other (Twitter link).

Martin Conditionally Open To Veteran’s Minimum

September 27th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Yahoo's Marc J. Spears says that according to agent Andy Miller, Kenyon Martin would be open to signing a veteran's minimum deal in a "comfortable team role" although nothing is currently imminent with any NBA team (Twitter link). We recently noted that the 6'9 forward had been among the remaining free agents who have been seeking a contract higher than the minimum.

The former number one overall pick appeared in forty-two games with the Clippers last season, averaging 5.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1 BPG, and 1 SPG in 22.4 minutes per game. Miller made it clear that Martin wants to play in the NBA during the 2012-13 season and has just turned down an offer to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, Spears tweets.

Kenyon Martin Sr.

Overseas Rumors: Thomas, Martin, Jordan

September 27th, 2012 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

As NBA training camp rosters fill up, players who remain unsigned could turn to non-NBA clubs for their best shot at a payday. Here's the latest on a few players still on the market who may be considering teams overseas:

Malcolm Thomas, who was recently said to be seeking a guaranteed NBA contract, is in advanced talks with Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv, reports David Pick of Sportando. According to Pick, Thomas' agent Aaron Mintz and Maccabi coach David Blatt recently had "very positive" discussions.
Maccabi Tel Aviv also hasn't ruled out the possibility of signing unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin, according to a Walla Sport report (translation via HoopsHype). It's not clear whether Martin would have interest in playing in Israel — since he's seeking more than the veteran's minimum from NBA teams, I'd think it would require a significant financial commitment from Maccabi to draw Martin overseas.
China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles are interested in signing Jerome Jordan, according to a QQ.com report passed along by Sportando. Jordan, who made his NBA debut last season with the Knicks, appears headed to Grizzlies camp, but it's not clear if he's officially signed anything with Memphis yet.