Lance Stephenson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Stephenson, Diallo, Grizzlies

November 8th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have gotten some negative feedback from around the league for their decision to waive Lance Stephenson, writes Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Stephenson was let go after suffering a serious groin injury on Saturday that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. With New Orleans already missing Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, the team needed to open a roster spot to sign Archie Goodwin. With only $100K of his contract guaranteed, Stephenson was an obvious candidate.

The Pelicans are obligated to pay Stephenson his full salary while he is injured and have pledged to help with his recovery, but they haven’t escaped criticism for the way they handled the situation. “Remember this is a business,” Kings forward Matt Barnes posted on Instagram. “When you can no longer serve your purpose, these teams cut you, trade you or bury you on the bench. Case in point, Lance gets hurt playing and needs surgery now, so instead of supporting him and helping him get healthy, they cut him.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans plan to send rookie power forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League this week for more playing time, tweets Jennifer Hale of WVUE Fox 8 in New Orleans. Diallo has appeared in just one game so far, getting six minutes of action.
Grizzlies coach David Fizdale is still deciding whether to give more minutes to Andrew Harrison or Wade Baldwin, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Harrison has been getting more playing time lately and has started two games with Tony Allen nursing a knee injury. “Wade had been struggling and I’ve got two young point guards,” Fizdale said. “Neither one has solidified that spot.”
The Mavericks are off to a slow start, but owner Mark Cuban has too much at stake financially to give up on this season, contends Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavericks draw about 20,000 fans for each home game, which Gosselin believes will only keep happening if they stay in the playoff race. Dallas picked up its first win Sunday after starting the season with five straight losses.

Pelicans Sign Archie Goodwin, Cut Lance Stephenson

November 7th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 7:

12:50pm: The Pelicans have announced their deal with Goodwin, signing him using their newly-opened 15th roster spot. Per Scott Kushner of The Advocate (via Twitter), it’ll be a two-year contract that won’t be guaranteed in the second year.

11:49am: The Pelicans have officially waived Stephenson, the team announced today in a press release. A report this morning suggested the team will be open to re-signing him when he gets healthy. Meanwhile, Goodwin’s signing has yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected to happen soon.

NOVEMBER 6:

7:53pm: The Pelicans are finalizing a deal with Goodwin, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical, and the contract will be for two seasons (Twitter link). Stephenson will be waived to create the roster opening (Twitter link).

7:33pm: The Pelicans have interest in adding former Suns guard Archie Goodwin, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein describes Goodwin, who was waived by Phoenix last month, as a “likely potential signee.”

New Orleans lost Lance Stephenson Saturday night to a groin injury that is expected to require surgery. Doctors project his recovery time at several weeks. The Pelicans are already missing Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, who both have knee issues, along with Jrue Holiday, who is on a leave of absence to care for his ailing wife.

New Orleans could apply to the league for a hardship waiver to add a 16th player to its roster. A more likely option, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate, is simply to waive Stephenson, who only has a $100K guarantee on his minimum-salary contract. However, the Pelicans would be required to pay Stephenson’s full salary until he recovers from the injury.

Pelicans Open To Re-Signing Stephenson When Healthy

November 7th, 2016 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

11:12am: Stephenson is expected to miss between six and 10 weeks following his groin surgery tomorrow, sources tell Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link).

10:26am: While it’s not official yet, the Pelicans are expected to formally sign Archie Goodwin today, waiving Lance Stephenson to open up a roster spot. However, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links), New Orleans isn’t expected to sever its relationship with Stephenson upon his release.

As Stein details, the Pelicans intend to “participate fully” in Stephenson’s rehab from his groin injury and have told the veteran swingman that they’re open to the idea of re-signing him when he gets healthy. According to Stein, New Orleans didn’t want to cut Stephenson but didn’t see a viable alternative solution.

The Pelicans are currently carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Stephenson’s deal as the only one that isn’t fully guaranteed. Since they have multiple backcourt players sidelined, the Pelicans needed to make a move in a timely fashion, and according to Stein (via Twitter), the club’s case for a hardship waiver isn’t automatic, since Jrue Holiday is away from the team for personal reasons.

While New Orleans received criticism from some observers, including Stephenson’s former teammate Matt Barnes, for deciding to waive the 26-year-old following his injury, it seems the club is doing everything it can to accommodate his recovery, short of actually keeping him on the roster. Stein tweets that the Pelicans have told Stephenson they’re willing to participate in his injury rehab even if he wants to do it somewhere besides New Orleans.

Latest On Lance Stephenson

November 6th, 2016 at 4:49pm CST by Will Joseph

Lance Stephenson will be re-evaluated after the Pelicans announced Saturday he suffered a groin injury and would need surgery, and the expectation is for the shooting guard/small forward to miss weeks — not days, a source told Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.

The Pelicans are 0-6 and are already without Jrue Holiday (personal), Tyreke Evans (right knee) and Quincy Pondexter (left knee). They can apply for an injury hardship waiver, which allows a team to temporarily add a 16th player to the roster, but New Orleans is currently unlikely to do that, according to Verrier.

Stephenson’s contract is for the minimum, but is only guaranteed for $100K. Stephenson, who won a roster spot after the preseason, has averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game during the team’s six contests this season.

Lance Stephenson Sidelined Indefinitely

November 5th, 2016 at 10:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lance Stephenson has suffered a groin injury and he will need surgery, according to a team press release. Stephenson had an MRI earlier today and a timetable for his return has not yet been established.

Stephenson’s contract is for the minimum, but is only guaranteed for $100K. However, the team will be on the hook for his salary while he recovers from the injury, Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (Twitter links). Marks adds that the Pelicans could be granted the hardship exception, allowing them to add a 16th player as soon as next Friday. New Orleans is already without point guard Jrue Holiday, who is out of the lineup indefinitely while caring for his wife.

Stephenson signed with the Pelicans during the offseason and beat out Alonzo Gee for a roster spot at the conclusion of the preseason. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game during the team’s six contests this season.

Western Notes: Stephenson, Goodwin, McGee

October 25th, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Eddie Scarito

Lance Stephenson hung on to snag the Pelicans‘ final regular season roster spot, beating out Alonzo Gee, despite the fact that Gee had a fully guaranteed pact. Stephenson says his aim this season is to rebuild his reputation around the league, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”My goal is to prove everybody wrong this year – work hard and show a different side of me,” Stephenson said. “Everybody got this expectation of me, I just want to show them a different side of me. I love the game, I just want to play ball. I can show that what I was doing for the Pacers, I can still do it. I just got to have an opportunity to be put in a position where I can do that.”

Stephenson also noted that he’s made a determined effort to get to know his Pelicans teammates and bond with them, something he hasn’t always done in the past, Reid adds. ”Teams that I’ve been on, I really didn’t [talk] to my teammates, I talked to them a little bit but,” Stephenson said. ”But this time, I was really, ‘Hi are you doing to today, what you do yesterday’ and stuff like that. It’s like being a rookie again, everybody got this image of me that’s a straight lie.”

Here’s more from out West:

The Suns were trying to trade Archie Goodwin, who was waived on Monday, but when they were unable to find a taker, the team was forced to release him in order to pare its roster down for the regular season, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports.
JaVale McGee is overjoyed at landing the 15th and final roster spot on the Warriors to start the regular season, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. “I’m just happy, blessed, to have this chance,” McGee told Poole. “I’m starting to figure out what the coaches want from me, and I’m starting to execute it. Everything is going well.”
The Clippers are still trying to fill their void at small forward, which has been a weak spot on the team for the past few seasons, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times writes. Luc Mbah a Moute, Wesley Johnson and Alan Anderson are all competing for the starting job, but none of them has heard much from coach Doc Rivers about who will get the bulk of the minutes at the position, Turner adds.

Pelicans Waive Alonzo Gee, Keep Lance Stephenson

October 24th, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have made their final cut, reducing their roster to 15 players by waiving Alonzo Gee, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that there’s room on the roster for Lance Stephenson, who was believed to be vying with Gee for that final opening.

While Gee was long viewed to be on the roster bubble in New Orleans, it’s still a slightly surprising decision, since his salary for 2016/17 was fully guaranteed, while Stephenson had only received a $100K guarantee so far. Unless Gee is claimed on waivers this week, the Pelicans will be on the hook for his full $1.4MM salary.

Interestingly, the Pelicans only would have owed Gee about $980K if they’d signed him to a minimum salary benefit contract, which still would have paid the veteran forward about $1.315MM (the minimum salary benefit rule calls for the NBA to make up the difference). As I wrote back in July, the Pelicans’ curious decision to pay Gee $1.4MM instead of the minimum salary appeared to be a result of his decision to decline a $1.379MM player option in June — by giving him a raise, New Orleans allowed him to save face on that decision.

Of course, it’s possible there was another explanation for the Pelicans, but at the time it cost them nearly $420K to give Gee an extra $85K or so. Now that he hasn’t even made the 15-man roster, the signing looks a little more costly.

In any case, the Pelicans appear poised to head into the season with Stephenson in the mix. The 26-year-old will look to build upon a second-half stint in Memphis that saw him averaged 14.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 26 regular season games. The ex-Pacer figures to get a decent amount of playing time to start the season, with Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans sidelined.

Southwest Notes: Stephenson, Green, Cousins

October 22nd, 2016 at 7:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pelicans have 16 players under contract and it appears the final roster spot is between Lance Stephenson, whose contract is non-guaranteed, and Alonzo Gee, John Reid of The Times-Picayune notes on Twitter. New Orleans has until 5:00pm eastern time on Monday to make a decision.

Here’s more from the Southwest division:

Danny Green will miss three weeks with a quad injury, according to the team’s website. Green missed the Spurs‘ final preseason game on Friday and Kyle Anderson started in his place.
C.J. Williams and Jaleel Cousins are expected to play for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks, according to D-League Digest (Twitter link). Both players were waived by Dallas earlier today.
DeMarcus Cousins will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2017/18 season and the Mavericks are expected make a hard push to sign the big man, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com tweets.

Western Notes: Stephenson, Kings, Cousins

October 7th, 2016 at 10:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lance Stephenson has an edge over Alonzo Gee for a roster spot on the Pelicans because of his versatility, John Reid of The Times-Picayune opines. Stephenson’s ability to play point guard will be especially useful with Jrue Holiday set to miss significant time. Reid also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if New Orleans ends up trading Gee.

Here’s more from around the league:

New Kings head coach Dave Joerger aims to change the culture in Sacramento, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. “I think it’s what we hope to have on a nightly basis,” Joerger said. “A mindset of being physical, being active. Flying around, being a good teammate, each guy up and down the line and helping each other.”
The Kings signed Matt Barnes this offseason and DeMarcus Cousins is happy to have the veteran on his team, Jones adds in the same piece. “He’s a true competitor,” Cousins said. “He leaves it all out there on the floor. I think he’s a great role model for the younger guys on how to approach a game on a nightly basis.”
Gordon Hayward will likely miss six weeks after injuring his left ring finger and Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News examines his absence from the court will impact the Jazz.

Western Notes: Felton, Gee, Mavs, Blazers

October 6th, 2016 at 8:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raymond Felton is emerging as the Clippers’ primary backup to point guard Chris Paul, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Even though the club re-signed Austin Rivers on a three-year, $35.5MM deal, the Clippers like the way Felton controls the offense. Felton was signed to the veteran’s minimum in late July. “I just liked his toughness,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Every coach you talked to loved him. They said he was great in the locker room.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Alonzo Gee‘s guaranteed contract doesn’t mean he has a guaranteed spot on the Pelicans’ roster, according to John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Gee, 29, could be the odd man out if Lance Stephenson secures a spot on the opening day roster, Reid continues. Gee signed for the veteran’s minimum this season, while Stephenson has a partially-guaranteed $1.2MM contract. Gee barely played during the first two preseason games, Reid notes, and Stephenson’s ability to play both guard positions, plus small forward, works in his favor. Gee, 29, appeared in 73 games with New Orleans last season, including 38 starts.
Argentinian small forward Nicolas Brussino has improved his prospects of making the Mavs’ 15-man roster, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. Brussino, who signed a partially-guaranteed three-year contract this summer, scored 13 points in 23 minutes against the Pelicans in the preseason opener. The fact that Brussino has enrolled in English-speaking classes is another sign that the team is serious about keeping him, Sneed adds.
Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee spent most of his summer working on his jump shot form, Cody Sharrett of Blazers.com reports. Plumlee finished third on the team in assists last season but rarely looked for his shot. He averaged 6.3 shot attempts despite starting every game. “He was important to us last year,” coach Terry Stotts told Sharrett. “His ability to be a playmaker will not be diminished. You can’t have too many playmakers on the court. The more guys that can dribble, pass and shoot, it just makes you a better team offensively.”