Louis Amundson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Zgoda On Roy, Gelabale, Johnson, Trades, Kahn

January 26th, 2013 at 9:58pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune opined that Brandon Roy's current rehab treatment could be a way for the Timberwolves to bide time in case they need his $5MM contract in a trade near the deadline, noting that it couldn't be used in a deal if he were to retire. In the rest of tonight's column, Zgoda addressed a few more hot topics that have been brewing in Minnesota:

He also clarifies that if the team wants to keep both Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson, they'd have to find a way to free up a roster spot as a player can only sign two 10-day contracts before his next deal becomes fully guaranteed. Dealing Louis Amundson for a future draft pick or waiving a player could also be considered.
On the trade front, he identifies Derrick Williams as the best piece they can offer in a meaningful deal by the trade deadline unless they deem Nikola Pekovic expendable.
To expand on Pekovic, Zgoda notes that the Montenegrin center is set to hit the free agent market this summer and could be dealt by the deadline or in an offseason sign-and-trade if management doesn't want to commit to the $12MM-$14MM that he could command on the free agent market.
With this season being GM David Kahn's final of a four year deal, Zgoda wonders if Kahn will be considered the right fit to continue to lead the front office.
Rick Adelman's return to the team is dependent on the continued improvement of his wife's health, which could allow him to rejoin the team as soon as this Wednesday.

Western Notes: Stephen Curry, Bogut, Spurs

October 20th, 2012 at 8:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are some rumblings out of the Western Conference tonight:

Grizzlies guard Wayne Ellington is in the final year of his rookie contract and aims to be more aggressive in order to earn consistent playing time in Memphis, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal).
Brad Townsend of SportsDayDFW discusses the importance of Rick Carlisle's leadership skills as it relates to the Mavericks' ability to succeed this season (subscribers only).
Kevin McHale commented on some of the coaching challenges he's encountered with his inexperienced Rockets team (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets notes).
According to this report from CSN Bay Area, Stephen Curry received no concerns from Dr. Richard Ferkel after the orthopedic surgeon evaluated his ankle today. Dr. Ferkel also checked out the progress of Andrew Bogut's left ankle and determined that his rehabilitation has been on schedule. Warriors GM Bob Myers says that while Bogut does not need clearance to participate in full-contact practice, the team wants to make sure that he is completely free of any pain or discomfort before they let him scrimmage.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters that the their final roster spot will come down to deciding between Derrick Brown and Eddy Curry (Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation reports).
Dwight Howard fully participated in today's practice with the Lakers and is prepared to make his debut tomorrow under the approval of their training staff (says Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN Los Angeles). Also, forward Jordan Hill was cleared to practice with the team today after being diagnosed with a herniated disk less than two weeks ago, and told reporters that he could possibly return before the season opener on October 30.
According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, forwards Louis Amundson and Dante Cunningham have emerged as "energy guys" for Rick Adelman and the Timberwolves.

Pacers Rumors: Granger, Green, Augustin, Mahinmi

September 25th, 2012 at 9:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star shares a number of noteworthy tidbits from his conversation with Pacers coach Frank Vogel, including word that Danny Granger will be brought along slowly in training camp after a left knee issue that arose over the summer. He'll only play in some of the team's preseason games, but the Pacers don't expect it to become a major issue, Wells writes. Here's more from the coach of the team that held a 2-1 lead on the eventual champion Heat in the conference semis this spring:

Vogel is impressed with new acquisitions Gerald Green and D.J. Augustin. "Gerald Green is doing things everyday I didn’t think was possible for human beings to do," he said. "D.J. has really blown me away in the limited time that he’s been here in terms of his ability to create and make others better. That’s a unique talent to have. Literally on almost every possession he makes somebody better with his passing."
The coach also shed some light on the team's decision to let go of Louis Amundson, who signed today with the Wolves, and commit $16MM over four seasons to Ian Mahinmi in the sign-and-trade that sent away Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. "We felt like Lou did a great job last year, but we also felt like we got lucky with injuries to (Andrew) Bogut, (Al) Horford, (Brook) Lopez and (Dwight) Howard," Vogel said. "We think Mahinmi will size up and give us more depth against those elite centers better than Lou did."
Lance Stephenson is the early favorite to backup Paul George at shooting guard, Wells writes, a role filled by current free agent Leandro Barbosa when last season ended. "Lance Stephenson has challenged for playing time for two years," Vogel said. "Now he’s playing with more confidence than he ever has. So he’s going to challenge the starters."

Timberwolves Sign Louis Amundson

September 25th, 2012 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 3:25pm: The Timberwolves have officially signed Amundson, according to the team's Twitter feed.

MONDAY, 1:37pm: After we heard last night that unrestricted free agent Louis Amundson was closing in on a new deal with an unknown team, Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida fills in the blanks — Tomasson hears from a source that Amundson is set to sign with the Timberwolves (Twitter link).

Amundson will only receive a one-year, minimum-salary deal, but it will be for guaranteed money, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). The big man is already in Minnesota and will be with the team for the start of training camp (Twitter link).

Amundson, a six-year veteran, spent last season with the Pacers, recording 3.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 60 contests (12.6 MPG). Prior to his brief stint in Indiana, the 6'9" forward also played for the Warriors, Suns, Sixers, and Jazz. In part-time action over the course of 288 career contests, Amundson has posted a 12.8 PER.

Up against the cap and having already used their room exception on Greg Stiemsma, a minimum-salary contract was the most the Timberwolves could offer. Amundson was said to be in the market for a deal worth around the mini mid-level a few weeks back, but with few players receiving more than make-good deals for the minimum these days, the 29-year-old may be fortunate just to receive a guarantee. When Amundson's deal becomes official, the T-Wolves will have 15 players under contract, including 14 with full guarantees. Will Conroy's deal is only partially guaranteed.

Louis Amundson Nearing Deal

September 23rd, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Alex Lee

Free agent big man Louis Amundson is closing in on a deal with a mystery team, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. Zwerling reports that the deal could be completed as early as Monday, but adds that it is unknown which team it is with.

The 29-year-old Amundson is the ultimate NBA journeyman, playing on five teams in his six years in the league. He played 60 games as a member of the Pacers last year, averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 boards in 12.6 minutes per game. Assuming it happens this week, we will report Amundson's destination as soon as we know where he is headed. Stay tuned.

Louis Amundson

Latest On Shawne Williams

September 19th, 2012 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

While veteran players like Kenyon Martin and Mickael Pietrus are reportedly uninterested in signing for the minimum salary, Shawne Williams appears very open to such a deal. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, Williams would like to join the Knicks on a minimum-salary contract, but New York isn't currently interested.

The Knicks are still seeking a power forward to fill out their roster, but are targeting players like Martin and Louis Amundson rather than Williams. If those players sign elsewhere or remain out of the Knicks' price range (the team can only offer minimum-salary deals), Williams, a former Knick, may re-emerge as a potential option. In the meantime, the Hawks and Bobcats are eyeing the 26-year-old, says Zwerling.

Williams, the 17th overall pick in 2006, has seen NBA action for the Pacers, Mavericks, Knicks, and Nets since his rookie season. Most recently, after injuries cut his 2011/12 campaign short, he was dealt by the Nets to Portland, where he never played a game for the Trail Blazers. The Blazers bought Williams out earlier this summer, which could be one reason he's willing to play for a minimum salary.

Atlantic Notes: K-Mart, Knicks, Celtics, DiLeo

September 18th, 2012 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

Among the NBA free agents still looking for work, Kenyon Martin arguably has one of the strongest career resumés. Given his past production, the former first overall pick has "remained steadfast" in not wanting to sign for the veteran's minimum, according to Alan Hahn of MSG Network (Sulia link). A few teams, including the Knicks and Celtics, have K-Mart on their radar, but New York can't offer more than the minimum, and the odds of Boston signing Martin are "slim to none," according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

Here are a few more Atlantic Division notes from Hahn, Blakely, and a handful of other NBA scribes:

The Knicks are still considering their power forward options, says Hahn, who cites Louis Amundson, Shawne Williams, and Jordan Williams as a few possibilities. Chris Andersen has "pushed the idea" of signing with the Knicks, but that interest isn't mutual, according to Hahn.
Within Blakely's above-linked piece, he answers plenty of Celtics-related questions that he received from Twitter followers.
The Celtics haven't ruled out adding another veteran before training camp, but it would almost definitely have to be for the minimum salary, says Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com spoke to Chris Copeland, who is on a non-guaranteed contract with the Knicks, about what he's learned from the team's veteran players during pre-camp workouts.
The 76ers should give Tony DiLeo the opportunity to take over for Rod Thorn as the club's general manager, opines Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com.

Latest On Lou Amundson

September 15th, 2012 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Free agent power forward Lou Amundson, who spent last year with the Pacers, has been linked to a handful of teams this summer, and according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, he's still in conversation with a number of those clubs, but is "not a favorite" right now (Twitter link). The Knicks and Bobcats appear to be in the hunt, according to reports, and the 6'9" UNLV product has been drawing interest from overseas as well.

Zwerling indicated last month that Amundson was likely to get either the $2.575MM room exception or the $3.09 taxpayer's mid-level exception, but with minimum-salary deals the norm at this point in the offseason, the market might not be so fruitful. He's competing with Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, D.J. White and other power forwards for a spot on a team, and Andersen and White put up better PERs than Amundson's 11.5 mark in 2012/13.

Amundson saw just 12.6 minutes per game last season, the least amount of run he's gotten since his breakout season with the Suns in 2008/09. That number shrunk to 8.5 MPG in the playoffs. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in the regular season and 2.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 11 postseason games.

Odds & Ends: Tolliver, Rubio, Knicks

September 13th, 2012 at 10:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Anthony Tolliver has been working out with several Timberwolves players, namely Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) looks at it as a sign that Tolliver "badly" wants to remain in Minnesota next year. In another tweet, Zgoda caught Nikola Pekovic's thoughts regarding Ricky Rubio, saying that while the Spanish point guard looks good and hopes to be running again next week, he is still aiming for a return in December. We've had quite a bit of updates tonight, so be sure to check out the newest tidbits from around the league here..

Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Trail Blazers guard Elliot Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured achilles tendon.
Justin Verrier of ESPN talks about Chris Bosh's willingness to continue playing center after contributing to a successful title run at that position with the Heat.
Free agent Maurice Evans remains confident in the leadership ability he can bring to a team, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Although a source suggested that the Wizards offered him a position in their front office, Evans says that he believes he still has value as a player.
ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Hakeem Olajuwon is slated to visit with the Knicks for several days next week to continue working out with Amare Stoudemire in addition to helping Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Marcus Camby. On another matter, Tracy McGrady's health looked "good" during his workout with the team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).
According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Dwight Howard's rehab is going well, although he won't be ready for the start of training camp or the start of pre-season. Earlier, Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers were expected to make an announcement today regarding an update of Howard's recovery from back surgery.

D.J. White Visiting Teams, Hopes To Sign Soon

August 31st, 2012 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Unrestricted free agent D.J. White had planned to visit "a couple teams" this week, and hopes to decide on a new club soon, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). It's not clear which specific teams might be in on White, but the 26-year-old expects to sign somewhere before camps begin.

"I have a couple options," White said (Twitter link). "I just want to be in a position to succeed. Hopefully I know my future in a couple weeks."

White spent the 2011/12 season with the Bobcats after the club acquired him in a trade with the Thunder at the 2011 trade deadline. He earned 11 starts for Charlotte, and in 58 overall contests, averaged 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The 6'9" forward has seen limited action in his first four NBA seasons, but has shown some promise, recording a 14.5 career PER. Still, it wasn't enough to earn a qualifying offer from the Bobcats, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

As Zwerling notes (on Twitter), White isn't the only power forward expected to land with an NBA team in the coming weeks. Louis Amundson, Andray Blatche, and Chris Andersen are among the other bigs talking to teams, in search of a new contract.