Marc Gasol Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Gasol, Lawson, Dekker, McGee

October 17th, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Donatas Motiejunas still unsigned after the forward let his qualifying offer expire on October 1st, second-year player Sam Dekker is likely to receive extended playing time at power forward for the Rockets, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “I’m just worried about making plays on both ends of the court in any way that I can contribute, and if it’s at the 4, then so be it,” Dekker said. “I know I have a skill set that can play many positions. I’m embracing it, embracing that it will be my role this year. It’s a long season. Things can change, but if right now if [coach Mike D’Antoni] wants me at the backup 4, then I’m going to do that and play my hardest.”

Here’s more from out West:

Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale told the media today that an MRI taken on Marc Gasol‘s right foot revealed a bone bruise, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. The coach noted that the bone bruise is not in the navicular bone, which Gasol had surgically repaired after breaking last season, and that he expects the center to be “just fine” for the season opener, the scribe adds.
According to Kings coach Dave Joerger, there was no incident with point guard Ty Lawson, who missed a flight to Saturday’s game in Kentucky, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Despite a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein that stated the team was upset with Lawson, Joerger said that the point guard will remain a member of the Kings, Ham adds.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said center JaVale McGee has a “good chance” of making the team’s regular season roster, Anthony Slater of The Mercury News relays. McGee is signed to a one-year, minimum salary deal with no guaranteed money.
The Lakers still have two roster cuts to make in order to reach the regular season maximum of 15 players. Coach Luke Walton is still undecided on who will stay and who will go, telling Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that he has “no idea” who he’s going to waive just yet. The three players who are likely on the bubble are Metta World Peace, Yi Jianlian and Thomas Robinson.

Marc Gasol Cleared For Training Camp

September 16th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who missed the end of the 2015/16 season and the Olympics after breaking his foot in February, has been cleared to return to the court, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. According to Tillery, Gasol recently headed back to Memphis for strength and conditioning, and has been playing in some pickup games as he prepares for training camp.

As Tillery details, Gasol spent a good chunk of the offseason doing rehab work in his home country of Spain, though his regimen was monitored closely by the Grizzlies. The club took a cautious approach to the 31-year-old’s rehab and are “upbeat” about having a healthy and productive Gasol for the coming season, a source tells Tillery.

Although there’s “growing optimism” about Gasol’s recovery, Memphis will proceed with some caution, Tillery writes. Gasol suffered his fracture in the mid-foot area, which is a tough injury to recover from, so the Grizzlies may keep the two-time All-Star on a minutes limit to start the year.

Gasol, who ultimately missed 30 regular-season games and was out for the playoffs last season, will enter the second year of a five-year, maximum-salary contract in 2016/17. After a busy offseason, the Grizzlies will now have three players on max salaries, with Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons joining Gasol to combine for a total cap hit of nearly $70MM this season.

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Kalamian, D’Antoni, Thomas

June 5th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who missed the end of the season after breaking his foot in February, is still very limited physically and may have to skip the Olympics, he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper As (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). “I’m not going to lie; it’s very difficult,” Gasol said. “The training camp starts in less than a month and I still can’t run.” Gasol has been part of the Spanish national team since 2006 and won silver medals at the Olympics in both 2008 and 2012. It’s too early to say whether the injury will affect Gasol’s participation in Memphis’ training camp, which will start in late September.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

In the same interview, Gasol remains convinced that his brother should join the Spurs. Pau Gasol has a player option with the Bulls for next season worth less than $7.77MM, which he is expected to turn down. He has said the idea of going to San Antonio is intriguing and it’s one of the spots he considered during free agency two summers ago. “I think that the Spurs are the best option for him,” Marc Gasol said. “What that franchise represents, their winning culture, how they treat players. Everything is great there.”
The Rockets and Wizards are trying to lure Raptors assistant Rex Kalamian, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. New coaches Mike D’Antoni in Houston and Scott Brooks in Washington are both working hard to add Kalamian to their staffs, but Dwane Casey wants to keep him in Toronto. James Harden is reportedly a fan of Kalamian, who was an assistant in Oklahoma City when Harden broke in with the Thunder (Twitter link).
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski likes D’Antoni’s chances of succeeding with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Krzyzewski, who hired D’Antoni as part of his USA Basketball staff, thinks D’Antoni and Harden will be an effective pairing. “When you have plays and reads, it’s the best combination,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s especially good if you have a special player, and they do in James. It will be interesting to see how that develops because James is not just a really good scorer; James is a heck of a passer. Who knows what their roster will be next year, but it will start with James.”
Adonis Thomas attended the Rockets‘ free agent camp and plans to be at similar events for the Spurs and Jazz, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The 6’7″ small forward, who played for the Magic and Sixers during 2013/14, started last year with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive but was released in December with a season-ending wrist injury.

Marc Gasol Changes Agents

May 30th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Marc Gasol has made a change to his representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, who reports that Octagon Sports has signed the Grizzlies big man. Gasol, who will be represented by agent Alex Saratsis at Octagon, was previously repped by Arn Tellem and Wasserman.

The timing of the move is interesting, since Gasol won’t be signing a new contract anytime soon. Wasserman negotiated a five-year, maximum-salary contract for Gasol less than a year ago, and that deal isn’t set to expire until at least 2019, at which point the former second-round pick will have to exercise or decline a $25.6MM player option.

It’s hard to imagine Gasol being too upset with the max contract negotiated by Wasserman last summer, but perhaps he’s regretting not signing a shorter-term deal that would have allowed him to cash in once the cap increased more significantly. It’s also entirely possible that Gasol just thought it was time for a change.

Gasol, 31, is coming off an injury-shortened season, one in which he was ruled out for the year with a broken foot back in February. He also set or matched career-lows with just 7.0 rebounds per game and a .464 shooting percentage, though most of his other numbers were right in line with what we’ve come to expect from the Memphis center.

Gasol is expected to be ready to go for the 2016/17 season, coming off his foot injury.

Grizzlies Notes: Wallace, Joerger, Conley, Gasol

May 9th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace didn’t speak with the Kings about the front office job that ultimately went to Ken Catanella, a Grizzlies source told Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, who nonetheless heard from a Kings source that Wallace went so far as to engage in contract negotiations with Sacramento. Wallace denied that he spoke with the Kings, as Chris Vernon of WMFS-FM relays (Twitter links), with Wallace telling Vernon he has no reason to leave amid what he calls the best run of his career. “I never interviewed for a job with Kings,” Wallace said. “I’ve been in Memphis 9 years. I’m not interested [in] going anywhere.”

The notion that Wallace would leave the top front office job in Memphis for the No. 2 post under Vlade Divac in Sacramento would be troubling if accurate, Calkins posits. See more from Tennessee:

Grizzlies management wanted to keep Joerger, but the coach forced the issue, Calkins writes in the same piece. Still, Joerger wasn’t Wallace’s guy, as Calkins points out.
Key players on the Grizzlies as well as the team’s front office weren’t in Dave Joerger‘s corner, and Marc Gasol and Mike Conley never embraced Joerger’s style in his three seasons as head coach, according to Peter Edmiston of WHBQ-FM and The Commercial Appeal (Twitter links).
The Grizzlies are in the middle of the pack, NBA’s no-man’s land, and the imperative this summer is that they acquire players who fit with a long-range plan, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks opines.
To see the latest on the Grizzlies coaching search, click here.

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Joerger, Pachulia

April 29th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol once more finds the idea of joining the Spurs intriguing, as he said to the Marca newspaper in his native Spain (translation via HoopsHype). Marc Gasol, who’s under contract with the Grizzlies for at least another three years, this week curiously advised his brother to sign with San Antonio. The Spurs were among the teams Pau Gasol reportedly considered when he was a free agent two years ago. The new Creative Artists Agency client has a player option with the Bulls for next season, but it’s worth less than $7.77MM and he’s long said he’ll likely turn it down, and chances of a new deal in Chicago appear to be waning.

See more from the Southwest Division:

The idea that the Timberwolves considered Dave Joerger for the coaching job that’s since gone to Tom Thibodeau simply wasn’t true, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Any would-be path to Minnesota for Joerger vanished when former coach/executive Flip Saunders died, Tillery writes. The Commercial Appeal scribe expects Joerger to seek an extension with the Grizzlies as he heads into next season, the last one that’s guaranteed on his existing deal.
Joerger pushed hard for the team to draft Rodney Hood two years ago, when the Grizzlies selected Jordan Adams instead, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com details amid a larger piece on the team. Despite the way Hood, a 36% 3-point shooter, has blossomed for the Jazz, Grizzlies executive Ed Stefanski rejects the notion that the front office hasn’t looked for shooting. “Of course we want shooters,” Stefanski said. “An ‘oh, [expletive]’ shooter would be a helluva weapon for us, but they’re not easily had. It makes me laugh when people act like we’re ignoring shooters. You think we’re not looking?”
Soon-to-be free agent Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia wishes he had a lifetime contract and doesn’t understand why more players don’t choose to play in Dallas, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s my first year for me being here so I don’t exactly know what happened previously,” Pachulia said. “But the one thing, whoever will come here and play for this team and this organization would love it. Very few percentage of the players — very few — wouldn’t like it. The city, the fans, the organization, the personality and the heart. This team is all about winning. So if you are a winner definitely this is the place to be.”

Southwest Notes: Conley, Gasol, Martin, Cuban

April 25th, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Conley won’t commit to staying in Memphis until he sees what kind of offseason moves the Grizzlies make, according to ESPN.com. The 28-year-old point guard, who hasn’t played since March 6th because of an Achilles problem, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time in his career. “We need to be committed to doing the things, whatever it may be and however hard the decision may be,” Conley said, “to do the right things in order to get us where we need to go.” Conley’s situation has been compared to that of teammate Marc Gasol, who re-signed quickly after hitting the open market last summer, but Conley cautions that his decision is different because the Grizzlies have regressed as a team. Coach Dave Joerger remains confident that Conley will stay in Memphis.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Gasol has some free agent advice for his brother, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Pau Gasol has expressed plans to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Bulls, and Marc Gasol says he should sign with San Antonio.
Spurs teammates have come to accept Kevin Martin‘s odd-looking shot since he signed with the team on March 9th, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. After agreeing to a buyout with the Wolves, Martin has become a valuable part of the Spurs’ rotation, averaging 6.2 points per game and helping them sweep Memphis in the first round. The 33-year-old shooting guard has been impressed by what he has seen during his short time in San Antonio. “The culture here is real genuine,” he said. “You wake up in the morning knowing there is one goal in mind, and everybody puts their sacrifices to the forefront. It makes you want to get up in the morning, come to the gym and just work hard for these guys.”
Playoff results won’t have any effect on the Mavericks‘ postseason plans, relays Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Sixth-seeded Dallas currently trails its first-round series with the Thunder, 3-1. “We know the guys we like,” owner Mark Cuban said. “We know our core guys and we’ll try to add to it.”

Grizzlies Notes: Carter, Conley, Joerger

April 24th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Vince Carter isn’t ready to walk away from the NBA, he told reporters in a video tweeted by NBA TV. Carter, 39, could be headed toward free agency after his Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by the Spurs this afternoon. He is under contract with Memphis for next season and is slated to make $4,264,057, but only $2MM of that is guaranteed. Carter averaged 6.6 points per night this year in 60 games with the Grizzlies, all but three of them as a reserve. “When I don’t feel like training or lose the passion and love for the game, then it’s time to walk away,” Carter said in a postgame press conference. “I still have it. It still bothers me to lose games and not play well.”

There’s more on a season-ending day in Memphis:

Mike Conley‘s aching Achilles is improving and he is looking forward to his first experience as an unrestricted free agent, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Conley, who hasn’t played since March 6th, will be the top point guard on the open market this offseason, and he can expect several teams to come calling. That should produce a substantial raise from the nearly $9.6MM he made this season. “This summer will be a fun one for me,” Conley said. “Free agency is new for me. We’ll see how it goes.”
Memphis coach Dave Joerger should be remembered for making history by leading a roster that included 28 different players at one point or another into the playoffs, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies were ravaged by season-ending injuries that robbed Joerger of Conley, Marc Gasol and Mario Chalmers. Two other key contributors, Jeff Green and Courtney Lee, were traded for draft picks at the deadline. “It’s frustrating from the level as a coach, where you see, especially San Antonio, they’re at the doctoral level of things that they run,” Joerger said. “And we had to go backward. … It’s just difficult when you have new guys, new faces. Defense is built on trust.”
With today’s loss, the Grizzlies are now eligible to make trades, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. They join the 14 nonplayoff teams that have been in that position since the regular season ended. Only players under contract for next season who don’t have player options can be dealt.

Western Notes: Russell, Gasol, Freeland

March 10th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Spanish national team coach Sergio Scariolo believes there is still a chance that Grizzlies center Marc Gasol will play in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, as he told the Spanish media outlet ACB.com (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype). “Marc is hoping to be there, but health comes first and the main thing is he recovers 100%,” Scariolo said. “When the time comes, he will tell us what’s his situation and his club’s opinion because with Marc there’s a lot of factors at play. I wish it was only up to him to make the decision.” While Scariolo’s comments were likely tinged with a dose of optimism, the mere possibility of Gasol being able to suit up and play this summer bodes well for the big man being able to be on the court for Memphis come opening night next season. Gasol is out for the remainder of the 2015/16 after undergoing surgery in February to repair damage to his broken right foot.

Here’s more from out West:

D’Angelo Russell tries not to think about the implications his performance could have for the future of the Lakers, but he believes that as he, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle play better, it helps the team’s case for free agents this summer, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If we keep playing at a high level, the sky is the limit,” Russell said. “That could dictate who wants to come here and who feels like we don’t need to bring this guy here because we have such and such. We can play a certain part.”
Joel Freeland, who signed a two-year deal with the Russian club CSKA Moscow this past summer, said he had a number of NBA offers, including one from the Mavericks, but chose to head overseas because of the playing time that doing so would provide, Mark Woods of MVP247.com relays. “I wanted to play. I probably had four or five offers from the NBA, but at the end of the day, nobody would guarantee me minutes,” Freeland told Woods. “And I never knew what my situation was going to be, going to those teams. So I felt like this was my best option, especially coming to a team with a great heritage, a great organization and a team that’s hopefully going to be fighting for championships.” Freeland became a free agent last offseason after his rookie deal expired and the Trail Blazers declined to submit a qualifying offer to him.
The Thunder have assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Huestis has appeared in 18 games with the Blue this season, averaging 11.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32.9 minutes per night, while McGary has made 19 appearances and is averaging 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per contest.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Holiday, Wallace, Rockets

March 6th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans fear that shooting guard Eric Gordon‘s season may be finished, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune. Gordon had to leave Saturday’s game when he fractured his right ring finger on a steal attempt. He missed 16 games after having surgery on the same finger in January. ”I don’t know for sure what happened, but it looked like he might have done the same thing again,” said Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who speculated Gordon could be out six to eight weeks. ”That would be really unfortunate because he worked so hard to get back and I really thought he was playing really good basketball.” Gordon, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is averaging 15.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds through 45 games.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Gordon’s injury will likely mean more playing time for Jrue Holiday, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Holiday started the second half Saturday after Gordon was hurt, and Gentry indicated that he wants to see more of the former All-Star point guard who’s mostly come off the bench this season. “I’m happy to be playing, if you want me to be honest,” he said. “I appreciate it. I don’t take it for granted. Obviously with previous two years and what’s happening now — and I think Eric just went out with his finger — I’m happy to be on the court.”
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace gives the team an A-plus for how it has responded to Marc Gasol‘s season-ending injury, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Memphis has gone 7-2 since Gasol went down with a broken right foot last month. “The fans are enjoying this recent incarnation of the Grizzlies,” Wallace said. “It’s come together rather well and rather quickly. You have to give the players and coaching staff credit. They’ve embraced the challenge.”
No team has fallen harder this season than the Rockets, writes Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. After winning the Southwest Division and reaching the Western Conference finals last year, Houston enters tonight’s game 30-32 and in danger of missing the playoffs. “Success in this league is fragile,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “You should work every day to be better, work every day on every possession, because it is fragile and fleeting.”