Luc Mbah A Moute Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: World Peace, Clippers, McGee

October 26th, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Metta World Peace not only made the Lakers‘ opening-day roster, but the club also plans to make him an assistant coach after his playing career, league sources told Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania. The veteran small forward, who beat out Jabari Brown for the final roster spot, has been mentoring several young Lakers players, including 2014 lottery pick and power forward Julius Randle, Charania adds. World Peace is excited about the possibility of being a coach, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets. “It would be fun,” World Peace said. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a coach? It’s a great life.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Luc Mbah a Moute secured the Clippers’ final roster spot over veteran forward Chuck Hayes because of his defensive prowess, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers told Woike that he views Mbah a Moute as a defensive specialist. “He’s one of those guys that can be a great team defender,” Rivers said. The small forward wound up with the Clippers after the Kings voided Mbah a Moute’s free agent deal with the team this summer, claiming he failed his physical because of a shoulder injury, Woike adds.
Center JaVale McGee is still “weeks away” from being cleared to play but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is encouraged by his progress, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. McGee is rehabbing from a left tibial stress fracture. Salah Mejri appears to be the main backup to Zaza Pachulia until McGee returns.
Al-Farouq Aminu has made a strong impression on his Trail Blazers teammates with his defensive versatility, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Aminu was signed as a free agent to a four-year, $30MM deal to be their defensive stopper, Freeman continues. “He’s a jack-of-all-trades, a guy who can do everything,” shooting guard C.J. McCollum said to Freeman. “I think he’s really, really talented defensively. He’s a guy who can guard multiple positions, can guard a point guard, he can get switched on the four or five and hold his own, rebound, block shots, run the floor.” However, he may miss the season opener because of a left hamstring strain, Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com reports.
Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley is ready for the season opener after a hand injury that required surgery prevented him from playing during the team’s postseason run, Jenny Creech of the Houston Chronicle writes. Beverley missed one preseason game with groin soreness, but averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 assists in seven other preseason outings.

Western Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Kings

October 25th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Lakers coach Byron Scott said a decision will come Monday on the team’s final cut, but offered no further details on whether it will be veteran Metta World Peace or second-year guard Jabari Brown, notes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Both players practiced on Sunday, Holmes adds.

Because players need 48 hours to clear waivers, the Lakers will be required to pay either World Peace or Brown for two days of salary, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times points out (assuming one is kept and the other is not). The waived player will receive only the two days of pay, so the Lakers will either owe World Peace approximately $18,000 or Brown $10,000, Pincus adds.

Here is more news out of the Western Conference:

Luc Mbah a Moute earned the Clippers‘ final regular season roster spot over Chuck Hayes mostly because of his defense months after the Kings voided his contract after a failed physical, Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com writes. In regards to the Kings, Mbah a Moute said, “I wish them luck. No hard feelings. I’m excited about the opportunity I have here now,” per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
While the Kings are expected to be better this season than in recent years, the team could just as likely implode with several interesting personalities, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. The vibe around the team, Jones adds, has been positive since training camp.
Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay cut down on his turnovers and showed promise in what should be considered a mostly successful training camp for the Nuggets under new coach Michael Malone, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes.

Clippers Waive Chuck Hayes, Keep Mbah a Moute

October 24th, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

3:37pm: Hayes has officially ben waived, the team announced.

3:18pm: The team will retain Luc Mbah a Moute and his non-guaranteed contract for opening night, Woike also hears (Twitter link). He’s the lone remaining Clipper without a full guarantee, as our roster count shows.

2:55pm: The Clippers will waive center Chuck Hayes, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). Hayes’ minimum salary arrangement was non-guaranteed, so the move won’t cost Los Angeles any funds as a result.

Through 643 career NBA regular season contests, the 6’6″ center has averaged 3.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. His career shooting numbers are .498/.000/.618. Hayes has been in the league 10 seasons after going undrafted out of Kentucky.

This move reduces the Clippers’ roster count to 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.

L.A. Notes: Clippers’ Roster, Lakers’ Backcourt

October 4th, 2015 at 12:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It appears Luc Mbah a Moute and Chuck Hayes will battle for the Clippers‘ last roster spot, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link). After waiving Nikoloz Tskitishvili on Saturday, the team only has 16 commitments and the duo’s pacts are the only contracts that are not fully guaranteed.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

Despite the number of new pieces in Los Angeles, Clippers President of basketball operations/coach Doc Rivers is optimistic that the team can seamlessly fit together, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “Chemistry can grow,” Rivers said. “In 2010, we had no chemistry and people had given up on us and all of a sudden, the second half of the year things start clicking, guys start getting together and the next thing you know we found ourselves in the Finals again. So, it can happen a lot of ways.”
No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell and sophomore combo guard Jordan Clarkson seem to have chemistry early in camp, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes. “We just relate to each other,” Russell said. “He’s not one of those real serious vets that you can’t crack a smile around. He’s a young dude, second year, still learning, still growing. Me, the same way. I’m a goofy guy, he’s a goofy guy. So we kind of complement each other.”

Clippers Sign Luc Mbah a Moute

September 25th, 2015 at 7:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 7:48pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

THURSDAY, 6:16pm: The Clippers have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent forward Luc Mbah a Moute, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). The terms of the arrangement are not yet known, though Woike refers to it as a training camp deal, which likely means that it includes little or no guaranteed money. The addition of Mbah a Moute will give Los Angeles a roster count of 17 players.

Mbah a Moute had previously signed a deal with the Kings, but that agreement was voided after the forward failed his physical. The National Basketball Players Association was reportedly going to file a grievance against the Kings questioning how valid it was for the franchise to void the deal. Mbah a Moute’s representatives at Wasserman Media Group and NBPA officials, using independent medical examinations that say Mbah a Moute was cleared to play, and disputed the legitimacy of the Kings’ procedure and conclusion, according to the report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The forward made 67 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 61 as a starter. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist to go along with a slash line of .395/.307/.589. His career numbers through seven NBA seasons, which include stints with the Kings and Bucks, are 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG.

Latest On Luc Mbah a Moute

August 1st, 2015 at 8:31am CST by Will Joseph

The National Basketball Players Association plans to file a grievance early next week against the Kings questioning how valid it was for the franchise to void free agent forward Luc Mbah a Moute’s contract over an alleged failed medical physical, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports writes.

Mbah a Moute’s representatives at Wasserman Media Group and NBPA officials, using independent medical examinations that say Mbah a Moute is cleared to play, are disputing the legitimacy of the Kings’ procedure and conclusion, Wojnarowski adds, citing league sources. As Wojnarowski also points out, Mbah a Moute has been medically cleared to play for Team Africa against Team World in the first NBA exhibition game in Africa.

The forward had previously agreed to a one-year, $1.55MM deal with Sacramento, but it was voided when Mbah a Moute failed his physical. The forward has an undisclosed shoulder issue, according to team executive Vlade Divac, which is what caused Mbah a Moute to fail that exam. Mbah a Moute played in 67 games for the Sixers last season, and averaged a career-best 9.9 points per game. Before the report of the planned grievance, the Kings still had some level of interest in signing Mbah a Moute. It is not yet clear if the Kings remain interested.

Latest On Luc Mbah a Moute

July 22nd, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings still hold some level of interest in signing Luc Mbah a Moute, league sources have told James Ham of CowbellKingdom.com (Twitter link). The forward had previously agreed to a one-year, $1.55MM deal with Sacramento, but it was voided when Mbah a Moute failed his physical. The forward has an undisclosed shoulder issue according to team executive Vlade Divac, which is what caused Mbah a Moute to fail that exam, Rui Thomas of CowbellKingdom.com tweets.

While the Kings may indeed still have interest, there may not be a roster spot for the 28-year-old. Sacramento’s current roster count sits at 15, including 11 fully guaranteed deals. While teams can carry up to 20 players until opening night, franchises are required to pare down that number to 15 for the regular season. With the Kings officially signing Quincy Acy today, the addition of Mbah a Moute could be considered redundant since both players man the same position. The 2008 second-rounder out of UCLA has also expressed interest in returning to Philadelphia.

Mbah a Moute made 67 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 61 as a starter. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist to go along with a slash line of .395/.307/.589. His career numbers through seven NBA seasons, which include stints with the Kings and Bucks, are 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG.

Kings Rumors: Rondo, Cousins, Mbah a Moute

July 17th, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Rajon Rondo had wanted to play with DeMarcus Cousins for a while, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who hears from the point guard about just how enticing the chance to play with his fellow former Kentucky Wildcat is.

“What made me comfortable is them having the best big man in the game,” Rondo said of Cousins. “It was a pretty easy decision. I think he’s definitely an MVP candidate and I look forward to playing with him and helping him grow as a player.”

Of course, plenty of rumors suggest Cousins isn’t long for Sacramento, but Rondo told Kennedy that he thinks much of the reported acrimony between Cousins and coach George Karl has been overblown. Rondo had plenty of kind words for the Mavericks despite his turmoil in Dallas, but he makes it clear he’s excited about Sacramento. There’s more on Rondo amid the latest from the California capital:

Rondo’s one-year contract with the Kings is worth $9.5MM, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Michael Malone said he felt “awful” for Tyrone Corbin, who guided a struggling Kings team after Sacramento fired Malone as coach in December last year, but the new Nuggets coach also told Grantland’s Zach Lowe that the Kings’ losing ways under Corbin “validated the job that my staff and I did.”
Malone also dished to Lowe on his relationship with Cousins. “That relationship was constant work. Constant. But we came to a deep respect,” Malone said in part.
The Kings had signed Luc Mbah a Moute for $1.55MM, an above-minimum salary, before voiding his contract Thursday because he failed his physical, Pincus tweets.
Kings coach George Karl said he and management wanted to re-sign Derrick Williams but simply couldn’t afford him, as the coach tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. A source close to Karl who spoke to Berman nonetheless impugned Williams’ basketball IQ and said Karl tore into the forward on one occasion for his lack of rebounding. Williams left for a two-year, $8.8MM deal with the Knicks. “It was more of fitting the finances and making the finances work,’’ Karl said. “There are other pieces we wanted and we couldn’t have enough money for him.’’

Kings Void Luc Mbah a Moute Contract

July 16th, 2015 at 2:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have voided their signing of Luc Mbah a Moute after the forward failed his physical, the team announced. Bill Herenda of CSN California reported the news minutes earlier (Twitter link). It was reportedly a one-year deal for the Darren Matsubara client who returns to free agency. It’s unclear what specific ailment, if any, was identified during his exam.

Sacramento officially announced the deal Tuesday, but physicals commonly take place after players put pen to paper. It’s not unprecedented for contracts to fall apart because of an issue discovered during the exam, and it happened with the Mavs and Rashard Lewis last year. Lewis has yet to sign another NBA deal, but it remains to be seen how serious Mbah a Moute’s trouble is.

The team doesn’t owe Mbah a Moute his salary, but the voided contract nonetheless has a ripple effect. Sacramento also officially announced its signing of Omri Casspi on Tuesday, and according to former Nets GM Bobby Marks, the Kings intended to use the $2.814MM room exception for him. Instead, he falls into the cap space that Mbah a Moute occupied, since the room exception isn’t available to teams that haven’t yet used all of their cap space (Twitter links). The Kings have reportedly committed to sign Caron Butler to a deal that will extinguish their remaining cap room, but they haven’t formally signed him yet, Marks notes (Twitter link).

Kings Sign Luc Mbah a Moute

July 14th, 2015 at 3:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have signed Luc Mbah a Moute, the team announced (on Twitter). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported overnight that they were close to a one-year deal, a day after Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the sides were making progress. It’s unclear just how much the Darren Matsubara client is getting, though Sacramento is in line for a $2.814MM room exception after clearing cap room this summer for a handful of other deals.

Mbah a Moute returns to Sacramento, where he played nine games at the start of the 2013/14 season before the Kings traded him to the Timberwolves for Derrick Williams, who left this month in free agency to sign with the Knicks. Thus, today’s move is something of an about-face on that deal, which came during the tenure of former Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro.

New Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac brings Mbah a Moute from the Sixers, and the seven-year veteran forward had expressed interest in returning to Philadelphia. The Sixers under GM Sam Hinkie have nonetheless rarely signed veterans such as Mbah a Moute, who arrived in Philadelphia as part of the Kevin Love trade. Mbah a Moute made 61 starts this past season, but he also served as a mentor for Joel Embiid, who’s now likely to miss all of 2015/16 as he continues to recover from a broken foot.