Larry Sanders Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Second 10-Day

February 7th, 2015 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks have signed Jorge Gutierrez to a second 10-day contract, the team announced (Twitter link). Uncertainty over the length of Larry Sanders‘ suspension loomed as a potential stumbling block to a new deal for Milwaukee and Gutierrez, but it appears Sanders will remain on suspension for a while longer, allowing the Bucks to once more carry a 16th man. The point guard’s first 10-day pact expired at the end of Friday.

Gutierrez had been the team’s 16th player, an allowance the league grants when a team has a player on the suspended list, as is the case with Sanders, who served the 10th game of his suspension Friday. The NBA had set the minimum length of the center’s suspension at 10 games and stated that it would end once Sanders is in full compliance with the league’s anti-drug program, so evidently Sanders has not yet satisfied the requirements.

Kidd has given the 26-year-old Gutierrez a fair amount of playing time, including one start, and the second-year NBA veteran has put up 4.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 turnover in 14.8 minutes per game over four appearances. He posted similar results in a 15-game stint with the Nets at the end of last season.

Milwaukee will have to either sign Gutierrez for the season or let him sit in free agency once his second 10-day contract with the team expires. He parlayed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Nets into a deal that carried into this season with salary that became partially guaranteed when he remained under contract for training camp, but the Sanders situation figures to again serve as a complication once the latest 10-day deal runs out. The Bucks have the option of terminating Gutierrez’s 10-day contract early if the NBA lifts Sanders’ suspension soon, though they’d still be on the hook for the full amount, likely $48,028, of Gutierrez’s short-term deal.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: West, English, Gutierrez

February 6th, 2015 at 4:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was less acrimony Thursday when the Magic fired Jacque Vaughn than there was when they ousted Stan Van Gundy in 2012, but the current Pistons coach and executive nonetheless has plenty of sympathy for the latest ex-Magic coach. “There’s no such thing as a longtime Magic coach,” Van Gundy contends, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays.

“All those things are the same,” Van Gundy said. “You get in the press conference, they loved Jacque. He did a great job. You listen to all that, and then I listen to [GM] Rob [Hennigan] say it doesn’t fall on Jacque, but he takes full responsibility. I laugh, obviously, because that’s not true. You’re still sitting there with a job, and Jacque doesn’t have one, so I don’t know what full responsibility means. But I would say they left the full responsibility on Jacque.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe heard six weeks ago that the Pacers had become open to trading David West for a first-round pick, but such chatter has quieted, Lowe adds, suggesting teams aren’t willing to pay that price for the power forward.
Bulls camp invitee Kim English has signed with Guaros de Lara in Venezuela, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The 26-year-old who played in 41 regular season games with the Pistons in 2012/13 had played in France earlier this season after the Bulls cut him loose prior to opening night.
Coach Jason Kidd admits that the indefinite length of Larry Sanders‘ latest drug-related suspension complicates Jorge Gutierrez ‘s future with the Bucks, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines. Gutierrez’s 10-day contract expires tonight, when the Bucks play the 10th game of Sanders’ suspension. The ban was to last a minimum of 10 games, but the league still hasn’t revealed just how long it will last, and once Sanders comes back, the 16th roster spot the Bucks created when they placed Sanders on the suspended list goes away. “We understand this is Jorge’s 10th day,” Kidd said today. “We’ll go back and evaluate and see if we can do another 10-day.”

Lowe’s Latest: Aldridge, Spurs, Sanders

January 21st, 2015 at 9:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke with a half-dozen executives from four different teams who brought up the possibility that LaMarcus Aldridge would sign with the Spurs this summer. It’s still unlikely that the All-Star power forward winds up with San Antonio, Lowe asserts, noting that Aldridge pledged this past summer to re-sign with the Blazers when he hits free agency after this season. The Spurs declined to give Kawhi Leonard a max extension this past fall, reportedly in part to preserve flexibility to sign a max-level free agent this summer in case Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire. The Blazers have nonetheless always been leery of teams from Aldridge’s native Texas above all other potential suitors for the 29-year-old who hits free agency this coming summer, according to Lowe. A November report indicated that the Mavs planned a run at him, though that was before Dallas acquired Rajon Rondo, and the Mavs would have to renounce their rights to some desirable free agents to chase Aldridge, as Lowe points out.

The Grantland scribe has more tidbits picked up from this past weekend’s D-League showcase in his must-read column, and we’ll focus on the news related to player movement here:

Larry Sanders will likely miss many more than 10 games on his latest drug-related suspension, according to Lowe, who hears from league sources who expect the Bucks and Sanders to eventually strike up buyout talks. Sanders is in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.
The Celtics have been calling teams in the past week and letting them know that they’re willing to take on cap-eating contracts, Lowe writes. Boston is over the cap but about $11.8MM shy of the luxury tax line this season, and the Celtics have only about $33.5MM in commitments for next season.
There’s “major skepticism” that the Suns will be able to acquire a first-round draft pick in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Lowe hears. That’s certainly no surprise, though Phoenix is looking for a first-rounder as they shop the big man, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Sunday.
Executives from teams around the NBA have tried to sell league brass on an earlier trade deadline, Lowe reports, suggesting that the teams are aiming to move the deadline up by at least a week or two. This year’s deadline is February 19th.

NBA Hits Larry Sanders With Drug Suspension

January 16th, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA has suspended Larry Sanders without pay for a minimum of 10 games for a violation of its anti-drug policy, the league announced. The suspension will continue until he fully complies with his treatment program, the league said in its statement. It’s the second drug-related suspension for the Bucks center, whom the league suspended for five games late last season, a punishment which Sanders admitted was for marijuana use. The NBA doesn’t suspend players for their first two marijuana violations, but the league’s drug policy stipulates a five-game ban after the third and 10 after No. 4.

Players lose 1/110th of their salary for every game they’re suspended, so assuming Sanders sits out only the 10 games, he’ll lose $1MM of his $11MM salary. The 26-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension. Sanders has already been away from the team since December 23rd because of personal reasons, though he denied a report that he’s thinking of retiring.

There were trade rumors surrounding Sanders last year as he slumped after the breakout campaign in 2012/13 that led the Bucks to sign him to his extension. It appeared some teams had serious interest in acquiring the defensive ace around draft time, but talk has cooled as Sanders has failed to return to form. He was averaging just 21.7 minutes for Milwaukee before his absence.

Bucks Notes: Parker, Wolters, Henson, Sanders

January 9th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jabari Parker has said in the past that he wants to remain with the Bucks for his entire career, and he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that market size simply isn’t a consideration.

“LeBron [James] went back to Cleveland, Kevin Durant is in OKC,” Parker said. “There’s no such thing as a small market. If you win, they come see your games. It’s about winning. If you lose and you’re in a big city, they are not going to come to your games, so it doesn’t matter.”

Indeed, big-city draws aren’t what they used to be, as Deveney examines. Parker couldn’t elect unrestricted free agency until July 2019, but Milwaukee will certainly welcome the promise of a franchise cornerstone for more than just a handful of years to come. Here’s more on the Bucks:

The Timberwolves are surely high on Nate Wolters, whom the Bucks waived today, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who nonetheless doesn’t get the sense that Minnesota will pursue him, since that would require opening up a roster spot.
The Bucks were “in position” on Christmas Day to listen to offers for John Henson, but in the two weeks since, he’s done much to demonstrate his value to the Bucks as a long-term piece, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. GM John Hammond insists the team is committed to the big man and always has been. “We’ve never had any interest in trading John Henson,” Hammond tells Lowe. “He’s the kind of player you want in your organization for a long time.”
The Bucks aren’t entirely certain of their options regarding Larry Sanders and his salary as the center continues to sit out games, but the team isn’t particularly concerned about that at this point, league sources tell Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. The Bucks instead appear willing to give Sanders, in year one of a four-year, $44MM extension, time to sort through his issues and tend to his mental health, Aschburner writes.

Eastern Notes: Sanders, Dawkins, Waiters

January 7th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Larry Sanders wouldn’t delve into specifics about his absence, but he denied Tuesday that he’s thinking about retirement, as he told reporters, including Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com. The Bucks center hasn’t played since December 23rd, but he sat on the bench with the team for Tuesday’s game, a first since he took his leave, and he said he’s ready to start working toward a return to the court. “I haven’t said anything like that,” Sanders said of the notion he would retire. “I figure with the absence, something was going to come out like that. It’s not true. What is true is I’m in the process of trying to do what’s best for my psyche and my physical health.”

Here’s more out of the East:

The Heat waived guard Andre Dawkins so that the team could retain some measure of roster flexibility heading forward, Surya Fernandez of FOX Sports Florida writes. “We liked ‘Doc’ and the development he was making,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Right now it makes more sense for us to have some flexibility.” When asked if any players were being looked at to fill Dawkins’ roster spot on a 10-day contract, Spoelstra said, “It could be filled at any time, that’s the whole point, but nothing is imminent.”
In the moments after he was informed that he had been dealt to the Thunder, Dion Waiters said he felt “bitter” toward the Cavs, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. But once he settled down and thought about his destination he felt much better about his situation, Slater adds. “I’m just happy they sent me here to another great organization where I get the chance to play with another great player,” Waiters said. “I feel I’m in a win-win situation. So I take it as a positive thing. I get a chance to grow and learn from these guys.”
Waiters was also asked about the Cavs‘ disappointing start to the season, Slater notes. Waiters responded by saying, “Uhh, we never really played together. Of course I’d played with Kyrie [Irving], but I’d never played with Kevin [Love] or LeBron [James] or those type of guys who dominated on their opposing teams. So for them to come to Cleveland, we all had to change our game for the better of the team. Like, for instance, my scoring went down. Ky, he’s used to having the ball, but with LeBron, he’s a guy that needs the ball to facilitate and make plays. It was a chemistry thing that we was still building. Like they said, Rome wasn’t built in one day. We had to continue to figure it out day by day.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Larry Sanders Contemplating Retirement?

January 5th, 2015 at 7:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

7:24pm: Kidd told WTMJ’s Sports Central that he expects Sanders will return soon, possibly Tuesday, Gardner tweets.

6:27pm: Agent Happy Walters told HoopsHype that his client is not looking to retire. “I saw that tweet. It is not accurate at all. Rumor unsubstantiated,” Walters said.

4:15pm: Sanders disputes the notion that he told the Bucks that he no longer wanted to play basketball, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). According to Kyler, Sanders has been out with the flu and dealing with some personal issues, and is planning to rejoin the team sometime this week.

3:13pm: Bucks center Larry Sanders has recently told team officials that he no longer wants to play basketball, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times reports (Twitter links). Sanders’ potential lack of passion for the game has been building for some time, as some friends of Sanders told Woelfel last summer that they were concerned that Sanders wasn’t committed to basketball and wanted to explore other options. The 26-year-old big man is currently in the first year of a four-year, $44MM extension.

Sanders was previously reported to have left the team due to personal reasons, and was said to be out indefinitely by coach Jason Kidd. At the time Kidd was quoted as saying, “That’s a good question so you don’t have to ask me tomorrow or Sunday or Monday, so there’s no timetable. Being sick, away from the team, guys go on as you see. Charlotte, we played without him. The other night we played without him [in Cleveland]. It’s nothing new to this ball club. Injuries happen. The train keeps moving forward. It’s just personal. There’s nothing I can give you more. That’s the way the question will be answered.”

The Bucks were reportedly interested in dealing Sanders last season, and the talk began mere months after the team signed him to the extension. This was due in part to Sanders missing extended time during the 2013/14 campaign courtesy of a broken hand that was suffered during a brawl at a nightclub. According to Woelfel (Twitter link), Milwaukee had offered Sanders and Brandon Knight to the Pacers this summer for Roy Hibbert. With Sanders’ alleged lack of desire to play any longer, finding a taker for his contract at this point would likely be a near impossibility.

If Sanders’ issue is primarily with playing for the Bucks, rather than wanting to simply walk away from the game permanently, then Milwaukee would potentially be able to threaten him with a suspension on the grounds of intentional refusal to render the services required under his contract. The team could withhold his pay, which would likely bring the NBPA into the fray. But if Sanders is simply determined not to play any longer, then he could attempt to negotiate a buyout in which he would forfeit all, or most of his salary.

Sanders has made 27 appearances for the Bucks this season, averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game. His career numbers are 6.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. His career slash line is .480/.000/.550.

Central Notes: Blatt, Sanders, Cavs

January 3rd, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are some insiders around the league who believe that the Cavs‘ David Blatt is coaching for his job this month, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Amico opines that Blatt could be fired by mid-January if the team takes a nosedive without LeBron James in the lineup the next two weeks. Cleveland is also missing Anderson Varejao, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

With Larry Sanders out indefinitely for personal reasons, Zaza Pachulia says that the Bucks need to move on without him, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “It’s a very important time of the season, so we should concentrate on the team, to play the right way and win as many games as possible,” Pachulia said. “That’s our job and we’re going to continue to work hard. Whenver Larry comes … obviously his locker is still here …he’s going to address it. It’s up to him. But we know it’s a personal reason. That’s all we heard.“
With speculation beginning to grow that Blatt is on the hot seat in Cleveland, Terry Pluto of The Northeast Ohio Media Group believes that adding a big man would do more to help the Cavs improve than bringing in a new coach would.
Tristan Thompson is taking all the talk about the Cavs needing a rim protector to heart, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Thompson is determined to up his game and quell the criticisms of Cleveland’s interior defense, Haynes notes. “I know I can block shots and I’ve got to do it,” Thompson said. “That’s part of my job as a big. That’s one of the reasons I was drafted because I blocked three shots a game in college so I got to continue doing that in the NBA. So I was disappointed in myself that I wasn’t being called a rim protector. I just got to do my job.”

Eastern Notes: Sanders, Anthony, Magic

January 2nd, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bucks big man Larry Sanders will be away from the team indefinitely due to personal reasons, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel reports. When asked about a timetable for Sanders’ return, coach Jason Kidd said, “That’s a good question so you don’t have to ask me tomorrow or Sunday or Monday, so there’s no timetable. Being sick, away from the team, guys go on as you see. Charlotte, we played without him. The other night we played without him [in Cleveland]. It’s nothing new to this ball club. Injuries happen. The train keeps moving forward.”

When pressed for details regarding Sanders either being ill, injured, or having personal issues, Kidd said, “It’s just personal. There’s nothing I can give you more. That’s the way the question will be answered.” Sanders has not played since the Bucks’ home loss to Charlotte on December 23rd, Gardner notes.

Here’s more from the East:

The Magic‘s primary focus in free agency next summer will be to land a power forward, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando needs to improve its rebounding, notes Schmitz, something that drafting Aaron Gordon and signing Channing Frye to a four-year, $32MM deal this past offseason hasn’t fixed.
Knicks coach Derek Fisher acknowledged that at some point the team might need to shut down Carmelo Anthony due to his ailing knee, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News writes. “I think everybody involved is reasonable enough and smart enough as people in this business to come together on that if that time comes,” Fisher said. “I can’t speak for all of the different parties but from the conversations I’ve been a part of- I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise- that there may come a point that’s the decision that needs to be made but that we can’t force Carmelo to that point just yet.“
Anthony has stated that it’s ultimately his decision whether or not to continue playing, something that Fisher doesn’t fully agree with, Abramson adds. “There’s a balance between a player and his health and the part that he plays in the decision-making process and then where we are as a team and giving our thoughts and our opinion to it,” Fisher said. “I think our medical staff, our training staff, continue to have conversations with him about where he is. He’s conversing with us about how he’s feeling, what the symptoms are. As each day kind of unfolds decisions are being made. It’s not something that we’re just kind of stepping back and saying, Carmelo, you kind of tell us when you don’t feel like playing anymore.”

Nets Rumors: Kidd, King, Collins

November 20th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

Jason Kidd‘s controversial leap from the Nets to the Bucks this summer is a flashpoint for an issue that new union executive director Michele Roberts would like to resolve, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com details. The union has a rule that bars player agents from representing coaches or executives so that no agent is ever representing people on both sides of the negotiating table, but it’s rarely enforced, as Roberts and agents who spoke with Berger contend. Kidd said that his player agent, Jeff Schwartz, had a role in negotiations for him this summer, as Berger points out. Sources tell Berger that Schwartz kept the Kidd talks separate from discussions surrounding Schwartz clients Shaun Livingston and Paul Pierce, who also left the Nets this summer, but the conflict of interest nonetheless troubles Roberts and others.

“We can’t allow the status quo to remain, i.e. people to act in defiance of the rule because the rule is the rule,” Roberts said. “But I also want to try to do it in a way that makes sense for everyone. If it appears that the rule is not something that we can work around, then it’s time to enforce it.”

There’s more on the Nets and their former coach in the wake of Milwaukee’s three-overtime win Wednesday in Brooklyn:

Kidd cited rumors that the Nets thought about firing him during last season as reason for his distrust of the organization, but in reality the Nets were highly supportive of the first-year coach, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Mannix, writing in the same piece, hears from a Nets official who’s curious whether Kidd knew he would join the Bucks when the coach suggested during a meeting of Nets brass in June, while he was still working for Brooklyn, that the Nets trade Brook Lopez for Larry Sanders. In any case, Nets GM Billy King rejected the idea of such a swap.
Kidd insisted Wednesday that he never tried to convince the Nets to promote him above King, despite reports to the contrary this summer, but the Bucks coach added that he didn’t have much of a relationship with King last year, Newsday’s Roderick Boone observes.
Jason Collins admits that he knew this past summer that he wanted to retire but decided to wait to make an announcement until Wednesday’s meeting of Kidd’s Bucks and the Nets because of his respect for Kidd, a former teammate and coach, Boone notes.