Mario Chalmers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Chalmers, McRae, Robinson, MCW

November 26th, 2016 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Signing Mario Chalmers could be an option if the Cavaliers are desperate for a backup point guard in January, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Vardon stresses that the team would prefer to trade for someone in December, but if that doesn’t happen, Chalmers could become an attractive option. The 30-year-old is still recovering from an Achilles injury. He has been working out since August, but hasn’t been medically cleared for full basketball activities. Because the Cavs are well over the salary cap, Chalmers would have to accept the league minimum to come to Cleveland.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Jordan McRae‘s increased playing time probably means the Cavaliers are showcasing him for a possible trade, Vardon contends in the same piece. McRae, who joined the team in March, has seen at least 10 minutes per night over the past five games. That has meant reduced playing time for offseason acquisition Mike Dunleavy Jr., although Vardon says it’s possible that coach Tyronn Lue is just resting the 36-year-old.
Injuries have given Glenn Robinson III a chance to play and he’s taking advantage of it, writes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star. The third-year forward has turned in two impressive games as he fills in for Paul George and C.J. Miles. “I didn’t want him to worry about trying to replace Paul’s points,” said Pacers coach Nate McMillan. “You can’t do that. I wanted him to relax and offensively not put any pressure on himself. I did want to see him pick up his pace on the defensive end of the floor and that’s where I really wanted him to focus and work hard.”
A bone chip in his left wrist is the latest health setback for Michael Carter-Williams, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. The Bulls had hoped to get the fourth-year guard back as early as next week from a bone bruise on his knee that has kept him out since October 31st. Carter-Williams, who has played just three games for Chicago since being acquired in an offseason trade, will have the wrist re-evaluated in two weeks.

Mario Chalmers Hopes To Land With Contender

November 15th, 2016 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Mario Chalmers, who continues to recover from the Achilles injury that ended his 2015/16 campaign prematurely, remains on track to get healthy this season, and is hoping to land with a title contender, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. According to Reynolds, Chalmers wants another chance to play in the Finals after a disappointing showing in 2014.

“My last performance in the Finals, that’s the one thing I do want to change if I ever get the opportunity again,” Chalmers said. “That’s the one thing that really sticks out in my mind.”

As Reynolds details, Chalmers has been on the court working out since August, but hasn’t yet been cleared for full basketball activity. That medical clearance could come later this week, however, and the veteran point guard thinks he could be back on an NBA court as soon as early December.

Currently, no NBA team has an open 15-man roster spot, but a club hit by injuries or struggling to find a reliable backup point guard could turn to Chalmers, if he shows he’s 100% healthy. According to Reynolds, the 30-year-old is fine with the idea of signing a “prove-yourself” deal and taking on a bench role.

Although Chalmers appeared in a career-low 61 total games last season with the Heat and Grizzlies, and averaged just 22.5 minutes per contest, another career low, the former Kansas standout averaged a career-high 10.3 PPG to go along with 3.8 APG and 1.4 SPG.

And-Ones: CBA, Thabeet, Parker, Chalmers, Trades

October 21st, 2016 at 6:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Multiple positive reports about the progress of Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations surfaced on Thursday, suggesting that a new CBA deal may not be done yet, but it’s getting close. NBA commissioner Adam Silver agrees with that assessment, telling reporters today that a new CBA isn’t “done-done” yet, but could be finalized in the “not-too-distant future” (Twitter link via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report).

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:

Former second overall pick Hasheem Thabeet hasn’t played in an NBA game in more than two years, but he’s still working hard to salvage his career, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. Kennedy takes a closer look at Thabeet’s training regimen, adding that the Knicks, Lakers, and Wizards have all recently worked out the 29-year-old.
Former Lakers guard Smush Parker hasn’t given up on the NBA either, according to Brian Rzeppa of D-League Digest, who says that the 35-year-old plans to play in the D-League this season.
Several NBA.com scribes – including David Aldridge, Scott Howard-Cooper, Fran Blinebury, and others – gave their two cents on the best fit for point guard Mario Chalmers, with the Cavaliers getting the most votes. The Clippers and Kings were also mentioned as potential suitors that would make sense for Chalmers, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury.
In a detailed piece for The Vertical, Bobby Marks examines looming roster decisions for all 30 teams around the NBA as they work to reach to the 15-man regular-season limit.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders provides some housekeeping details on a few offseason trades, reporting that the Clippers paid the Magic $230K in their C.J. Wilcox trade, the Jazz paid the Sixers $1.6MM in their Tibor Pleiss deal, and the Cavaliers paid the Sixers $1.8MM in their Sasha Kaun swap (all Twitter links).

Cavs Looking To Trade For Backup Point Guard

October 21st, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 21, 12:32pm: The Cavs are at an impasse with Williams and are trying to attach his contract to McRae in a trade in order to reduce their tax penalties, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Windhorst also confirms that the Cavs were essentially showcasing McRae during the preseason.

OCTOBER 20, 3:31pm: After waiving Toney Douglas last week, the Cavaliers remain in the market for a veteran point guard to back up Kyrie Irving and complement rookie Kay Felder, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. According to Vardon, the Cavs have engaged in “advanced discussions” with at least one team and hope to make a deal before the start of the regular season next week.

While Vardon doesn’t offer specifics on the Cavs’ negotiations, he points to a couple players who could be moved in potential deals. Jordan McRae had a strong preseason, but doesn’t have a clear role in the Cavs’ rotation, and could appeal to trade partners. Additionally, Mo Williams intends to retire, but hasn’t formally filed his papers and remains on Cleveland’s books — his contract could be used to help match salaries.

According to Vardon, the Cavs have explored the free agent market for a potential solution at the point, participating in contract discussions with Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers, and Kirk Hinrich. However, Cole signed a deal with a team in China, and Cleveland doesn’t believe Chalmers will be fully health until the new year.

If the Cavaliers do make a trade, they could put one or more of their traded player exceptions to use. Cleveland is one of just four NBA teams to currently hold a TPE, and their biggest exception is worth $9,638,554, which would accommodate a majority of the contracts around the league. Still, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes in a piece about waiver claims, the club will have to be careful about adding too much extra salary. Based on their current position in the tax, the Cavs would be penalized $3.25MM for every $1MM they add to their 2016/17 salary total.

Stein’s Latest: Extensions, Jazz, Cavs, J.R. Smith

October 14th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest piece for ESPN.com, NBA insider Marc Stein takes a look around the league to attempt to determine which players entering the final year of their rookie scale contracts are most likely to sign extensions before the October 31 deadline. As Stein points out, the uncertainty surrounding the CBA may make some players or teams reluctant to finalize a new deal that won’t go into effect until next summer, but there are still a few extension candidates worth monitoring.

According to Stein, Jazz center Rudy Gobert is viewed as the most likely candidate to be extended this month — Utah wants to lock up both Gobert and Derrick Favors to long-term deals, recognizing that securing those players could help convince Gordon Hayward to re-sign next summer. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons), Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves), and Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves) are also in play for potential extensions, says Stein.

Here’s more from the ESPN scribe:

It’s not clear how eager the Thunder will be to get something done with Steven Adams and/or Victor Oladipo before October 31, since the team may be enticed by the possibility of maintaining 2017 cap room, Stein notes. Oklahoma City could take the same approach the Wizards and Pistons did with Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond, respectively, waiting to extend them in order to maximize cap room. Of course, waiting until 2017 would almost certainly mean doing max deals for Adams and/or Oladipo.
As high as they are on Dennis Schroder‘s potential, the Hawks may want to see how he handles the starting point guard job in Jeff Teague‘s absence before committing to a long-term deal, Stein writes. In that case, an extension this month seems unlikely.
The Cavaliers had been offering a $10-11MM annual salary to J.R. Smith, and while it’s possible they’ve increased their offer, it hasn’t been enough to entice Smith to sign. Sources tell Stein “it’s only a matter of time” before the free agent guard starts to engage more seriously with other teams.
While they don’t have the cap room for him at this point, the Celtics‘ reported interest in Smith is genuine, according to Stein, who suggests Boston could explore moving some salary to another team in order to create space for Smith.
There are whispers that the Cavaliers have “strong interest” in bringing Mario Chalmers aboard when he’s healthy enough to play, per Stein. Chalmers, who remains on the free agent market, continues to recover from Achilles surgery.
The Jazz don’t appear inclined to add anyone to their roster as a temporary fill-in while Gordon Hayward’s broken finger heals, Stein writes.

Western Notes: Ranadive, Cousins, Chalmers, Durant

October 9th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive told Sam Amick of USA Today that he is confident the DeMarcus Cousins situation can be resolved. Cousins has repeatedly expressed unhappiness with the direction of the franchise and had frequent clashes with former coach George Karl last season. Ranadive thinks the hiring of Dave Joerger as the new coach will help smooth over the bitterness. “When I first bought the team I had to make one decision, which was ‘Do I give [Cousins] a contract [extension] or not [in September 2013?’ and I made the decision to give it to him,” the owner said. “I feel like that was the right decision. But other than that, I haven’t really made any basketball decisions, because after that I hired a GM and a coach and everyone else. But I expect that [GM] Vlade [Divac] will make the right calls. I think DeMarcus truly looks up to Vlade. I think he truly likes the coach.”

Ranadive also addressed the status of Rudy Gay, who recently announced that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer. “He’s a professional,” Ranadive said. “It’s his last year, and I’m sure he’s going to go out there and do his best and we’ll see. But I have confidence that Vlade and him and everyone else will work it out.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

Free agent addition Raymond Felton said the rumors of discontent in the Clippers‘ locker room are untrue, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The 12-year veteran, who came over from the Mavericks in July, said stories of personality clashes involving Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are greatly exaggerated. “You hear a lot of negative stuff through the years about this team when you’re on other teams,” Felton said. “But being here, this team is actually closer than you think. That surprised me. To see that, and add the couple of things I feel like I can add personality-wise off the court, I think we’re going to be all right.”
Mario Chalmers, who played for the Grizzlies last season before tearing his Achilles in March, is making progress in his comeback, posts Brian Windhorst on ESPN Now. Chalmers said he is about a month away from being ready to return and several teams have been in contact with him.
Changes in the collective bargaining agreement could be the biggest obstacle to Kevin Durant re-signing with the Warriors next summer, writes Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com. While it would be a virtual certainty under the current CBA, a lower salary cap or changes to non-Bird Rights could complicate Golden State’s effort to keep Durant.

Cavs Notes: James, Point Guards, Thompson

October 7th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwyane Wade doesn’t believe it’s possible for LeBron James to surpass Michael Jordan’s legacy, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com passes along. “The only thing you can do is tie it,” Wade said. “You can’t go past it. How can you? That’s as great as it gets, man. The only thing you can do, like I said, is be A-1, A-B. There’s no way higher.” Wade added that he and James have never discussed the legacy comparison.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavs needs to improve their backup point guard position in order to give themselves a better shot at repeating as champs, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com opines. Kay Felder and DeAndre Liggins are currently backing up Kyrie Irving.
With the Cavs in need of point guard depth, Norris Cole could be an option, Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group speculates. The Cavs like Felder, but they are hesitant to give the rookie a major role too soon, which could open up the door for Cole. Vardon also names Mario Chalmers as a possibility.
Tristan Thompson will miss the next two preseason games because of a sore left foot, freelance journalist Chris Haynes reports. Thompson has played in 370 straight regular season games, which currently leads the league.

Community Shootaround: Pistons’ PG Situation

October 5th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Last week, one Central division team faced some uncertainty at its point guard spot, when the Cavaliers received news of Mo Williams‘ decision to retire, which left the team with just Kyrie Irving and Kay Felder at the point. Cleveland subsequently signed Toney Douglas to provide veteran depth, and now one of their division rivals is facing similar questions at the same position.

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy revealed today that Reggie Jackson, who is dealing with knee tendinitis and a bone bruise, could miss up to six to eight weeks of action. According to Van Gundy, Jackson is considering treatment options and will make a decision soon (Twitter link via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com). If the point guard undergoes platelet-rich plasma therapy, his recovery timetable would be in that six-to-eight-week range, but it’s possible he’ll be back before then.

Faced with the possibility of being without Jackson for the first few weeks of the regular season, the Pistons are exploring their options. However, Van Gundy said today that it’s unlikely the team would cut one of its young players to add another point guard to provide short-term coverage (Twitter link via Langlois). He added that a trade is also unlikely, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link).

Still, without Jackson, the Pistons are somewhat thin at the point. Ish Smith would move into the starting role, with someone like Ray McCallum, Lorenzo Brown, or Trey Freeman potentially backing him up. McCallum and Brown are both on non-guaranteed deals, so if the team wanted to keep both players for depth purposes, it would mean waiving a player with a guaranteed contract, as Van Gundy noted today (Twitter link via Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press).

Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net hears that Mario Chalmers and Steve Blake are among the players the free agents the Pistons are considering. Kendall Marshall, Andre Miller, and Kirk Hinrich are also available, and Van Gundy said that the team is keeping an eye on players on other rosters who may be cut before the regular season (Twitter link via Ellis).

What do you think the Pistons should do to address the point guard position, if anything? Are their in-house options fine, or should they add a free agent? If they sign someone, which player would be the best fit? Are Jackson’s knee issues worrisome enough that they should consider adding a veteran guard for the season, rather than for just a few weeks?

Take to the comments section below to weigh in and share your thoughts on the Pistons’ point guard situation.

Cavs Consider Adding Point Guard Depth

September 26th, 2016 at 7:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Mo Williams announcing his retirement earlier today, the only true point guard on the Cavaliers’ roster to back up Kyrie Irving is rookie Kay Felder. Despite GM David Griffin saying that the team is “comfortable” with the point guard spot, Cleveland is seeking to bolster the position via free agency, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. To that end, the Cavs have been in contact with Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers, and Kirk Hinrich, Vardon adds.

“We feel very comfortable with where we are at the point guard position, the versatility that we have to absorb that,” Griffin told the media. “We have other people that can guard the position. Because of LeBron James, we have additional people that can also play the position offensively, and frankly we’re really excited about finding out what some of the younger players on our roster can do. This is a training camp that for the first time since I’ve been here I think will be incredibly competitive, relative to roster spots themselves, and we’re really excited about the guys that we have in camp who have a chance to earn a job.”

The Cavs have been in contact with all three of the players mentioned above, anticipating Williams hanging up his sneakers and retiring, a source told Vardon. But the team appears to be in no rush to sign anyone, preferring to let Felder get some experience in training camp and to see if coach Tyronn Lue can make his rotation work without adding a new player to the mix, Vardon relays.

Cole has also drawn interest from the Sixers and Nuggets, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net relays (via Twitter). The 27-year-old made 45 appearances for the Pelicans last season, averaging 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 26.6 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .405/.324/.800.

Chalmers was James’ teammate when LeBron was a member of the Heat. The 30-year-old made 55 appearances for the Grizzlies last season prior to tearing his Achilles in March. He was subsequently waived by the team. Chalmers notched averages of 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per night. His slash line was .417/.326/.827

The 35-year-old Hinrich is the oldest of the trio mentioned. He split time between the Bulls and Hawks in 2015/16, making a combine 46 appearances and averaging 3.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 13.7 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .380/.387/.938.

Heat Notes: Richardson, Bosh, Chalmers, Cole

September 10th, 2016 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Richardson doesn’t expect any long-term problems from a knee injury that will force him to sit out the preseason, relays the Associated Press. Richardson learned today that he will miss six to eight weeks after partially tearing the MCL in his right knee during a workout Friday. The good news is that doctors don’t believe he will require surgery. Richardson wore a large brace on his leg and walked with the help of crutches as he attended a store opening today in Fort Lauderdale. “When I hit the ground, it was like my knee was on fire,” he said. “I just kind of laid there and my teammates helped me off and carried me off to the training room. I just tried not to think the worst.” The timetable means Richardson could possibly be ready for Miami’s regular season opener Oct. 26 at Orlando.

There’s more tonight out of Miami:

Chris Bosh could become the latest in a long line of Heat players to be put on a maintenance program, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. With training camp nearing, Bosh’s status is still uncertain after blood clots cut short his past two seasons. Miami officials are considering a reduced workload to help Bosh adjust to playing while taking blood thinners. Winderman notes that maintenance programs were also set up for Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller, Dan Majerle and others.
Former Miami point guard Mario Chalmers wasn’t dropping any hints when he posted an online photo of himself working out in Heat shorts, Winderman notes in the same piece. Chalmers, who spent more than seven years in Miami before being traded last November, remains without a team a little more than two weeks before training camp. Winderman suggests the Cavaliers could be a destination for Chalmers or his former Heat teammate Norris Cole.
Little has changed on Bosh’s situation from last season’s playoffs, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bosh remains convinced that he can play, but the team hasn’t given him medical clearance. Bosh has been working out by himself in Los Angeles while most of his teammates are practicing together in Miami.