Maurice Ndour Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Waive Maurice Ndour

October 26th, 2015 at 2:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:53pm: Mavs owner Mark Cuban confirmed the move to Charania, calling it “a really tough decision.” Charania indicates the decision came to down to keeping Ndour and Salah Mejri, who has a fully guaranteed rookie minimum salary but no guaranteed salary beyond that. A stress reaction that Ndour suffered in his left leg that has him out indefinitely weighed heavily in the team’s thinking, Charania writes.

2:10pm: The Mavericks are releasing Maurice Ndour, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). A league source told Charania the move has already taken place, though the Mavs have yet to make a formal announcement. The subtraction of Ndour leaves the Mavs with 15 players, the regular season roster limit. That includes Dwight Powell, who has a non-guaranteed salary, and JaVale McGee, who’s salary is partially guaranteed, so presumably this signals that both have made the opening night roster. Presuming that’s the case, Powell earns a full guarantee on his one-year veteran’s minimum salary of more than $845K, while McGee’s partial guarantee jumps from $500K to $750K.

Ndour’s salary of $525,094 for this season, $1 more than the rookie minimum, is fully guaranteed, and his deal also included a partial guarantee of $437K for 2016/17, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported. All of that stays on the books for Dallas unless he clears waivers.

The undrafted power forward out of Ohio University impressed while with the Knicks for summer league, and while the Knicks reportedly tried to get him to back out of his deal with the Mavericks, but that effort was to no avail. Ndour, 22, averaged 4.8 points in 22.8 minutes per game across four preseason appearances with Dallas.

Western Notes: Smith, Rondo, Mavs

October 18th, 2015 at 2:40pm CST by Will Joseph

In order to make the team, Rockets rookie center Joshua Smith, who is 350 pounds, has to cut down on his tendency to commit fouls, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Smith has committed 23 fouls in five games this preseason, spanning 90 minutes played, as Watkins points out. “It’s been OK, I can get a lot better, the foul trouble is one for me I got to correct,” Smith said. “It’s never good when your mom is telling you to stop hacking. I got to fix that.”

The Rockets have 14 players with fully guaranteed contracts for the regular season. Smith is on a non-guaranteed deal.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference:

Rajon Rondo does not believe he has to defend his reputation as a bad apple in locker rooms and contends that the perception of his character is the creation of the media, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. Jones caught up with Rondo after reports that the Kings point guard is already butting heads with coach George Karl were taken seriously even though, as Jones points out, Rondo was only kidding. “When things are positive the media doesn’t make a big deal about it,” Rondo said. “When we go out here and do things for the community, we do things for charity events, it’s not a big deal. But as soon as you make a mistake or get a technical foul it’s running across the ESPN ticker. That’s the way the world is. You’ve just got to make a difference one day at a time and hopefully the media, well you have to do your job, but the world thrives on bad news.”
Mavs rookie small forward Maurice Ndour has suffered a stress reaction in left leg and is out indefinitely, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). Ndour has a fully guaranteed salary worth $525,094 this season.

Southwest Notes: West, Marjanovic, Ndour

August 4th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

David West had kept the Spurs on his radar as a potential destination for years prior to his surprising decision to sign with San Antonio last month for the minimum salary, as the power forward told WRAL-FM in Raleigh, North Carolina (audio link; transcription via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News).

“At this point, I just want to win games,” West said. “I feel like I’m in a position to where I had a choice to make. I just chose to give myself a chance to win. The Spurs have an unbelievable culture. I just want an opportunity to be in that system and experience it and see what comes of it.”

Among those who signed new deals this summer, West will see the third greatest decline in pay this coming season compared to last. See more on the Spurs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

The Serbian national team said it will challenge a decision the Spurs have made to pull newly signed center Boban Marjanovic out of international competition this summer, as the Serbian Basketball Federation announced and as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia translates. Serbia provided a copy of a letter the Spurs sent informing the national squad that it had exercised its right to unilaterally withdraw the center from international play because doctors had found a congenital defect in his feet that makes them more vulnerable to breaking. Marjanovic played on a broken foot this spring to help his club team, Red Star Belgrade, win the Serbian KLS League title, as David Pick recently chronicled for Bleacher Report.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe is willing to cautiously bet that the Rockets won’t sign rookie scale extensions with either Terrence Jones or Donatas Motiejunas out the desire for greater cap flexibility next summer. Still, Lowe sees the extension candidacy of Jones as especially fascinating (Twitter link).
Mavs signee Maurice Ndour has a partial guarantee worth $437K on his $874,636 salary for the 2016/17 season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link).

Southwest Rumors: Matthews, Bonner, Rockets

August 3rd, 2015 at 7:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have tempered their expectations of Wesley Matthews for the upcoming season because they don’t want to jeopardize his future, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said that the club won’t take any shortcuts as Matthews recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, Sneed continues. “I think the most important thing is that he makes a full recovery, because we’re signing him to a four-year deal,” Carlisle said. “The first year is more about making sure that he’s right and getting him out there on the right terms, and from there we want him to make a full recovery and continue to get better.” Matthews said in the same story that the Mavs will get their money’s worth, even though they have been criticized for giving him a $70MM deal. “It’s just going to make me hungrier to prove that I’m worth the money,” he said. “I’m not concerned with that. I just know that I can play this game, and I know that I can play it at a high level.”

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Maurice Ndour will see $1 more the minimum on his three-year contract with the Mavericks, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s fully guaranteed for this season, but the guarantees beyond that are still unknown, Pincus indicates. Brandon Ashley, Jarrid Famous and Jamil Wilson are also receiving the minimum from the Mavs this year, Pincus shows on the same page.
Matt Bonner received a $795,000 guarantee from the Spurs on his $1.5MM deal, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Bonner gets the full amount if he’s still on the roster on January 10th.
Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has been named International Player Personnel Scout for USA Basketball, the team announced Monday. Entering his fourth season with the Rockets in that capacity, Rosas was previously the Mavericks’ GM.

Atlantic Notes: Ndour, Boozer, Celtics, Prokhorov

July 29th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks tried to make Maurice Ndour the latest to back out of a deal with the Mavericks this summer, but Ndour wouldn’t break his commitment to Dallas, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The undrafted power forward stuck to a three-year pact that will give him a fully guaranteed salary worth more than the rookie minimum, according to Berman. The Knicks had only been offering a $200K partial guarantee until the Mavs swooped in, and New York’s attempt to win over Ndour after he gave his word to Dallas came up short, Berman writes. Still, if Ndour becomes a free agent again soon, he’d love to return to the Knicks, for whom he played in summer league, the Post scribe says. Already, DeAndre Jordan and Richard Jefferson have turned their backs on the Mavs, but Jefferson did so with owner Mark Cuban’s blessing. In any case, there’s more out of New York amid the last from the Atlantic Division:

New York’s interest in Carlos Boozer is “tepid,” Berman writes in the same piece, and that jibes with his report from two weeks ago that the team held internal conversations about the free agent power forward but hadn’t made a move on him. In any case, Knicks team president Phil Jackson would still like to sign a big man, Berman adds.
The offseason has been a success for the Celtics because they acquired depth that vastly improved the team while still maintaining the copious draft assets that they can use in future trades, opines Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. That’s doubly so because the C’s acquired players with motivation to play to their fullest, Washburn adds. We asked you to weigh in Boston’s offseason so far right here.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov struck an upbeat tone in brief comments Tuesday, but conspicuous by his absence from Prokhorov’s remarks was Deron Williams, the marquee free agent signing of the Prokhorov era whom the Nets let go in a buyout deal this month, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “First of all, we had a really good offseason – better than a lot of people expected,” Prokhorov said. “Without a lot of noise, we got a lot done. Brook [Lopez] and Thaddeus [Young] are staying with us, which gives us continuity in our frontcourt. Joe Johnson stays as a core player. We also have high expectations for Bojan Bogdanovic, who showed us real flashes of brilliance in his first year on the Nets.”

Southwest Notes: Curry, Fredette, McDaniels

July 24th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The competition in the Western Conference is fierce, and Rockets GM Daryl Morey acknowledges that even in the wake of the Ty Lawson trade, his team isn’t the favorite, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. Still, the Rockets made a key step forward, as Feigen examines.

“People always used to say our point guard position was terrible, the worst, whatever,” Morey said. “I always pointed out that Pat Beverley was a really good player. He’s just maybe suffering compared to all these perennial All-Stars we go against in the West. Obviously, we’re still going to be going against those very difficult All-Stars, but Ty Lawson is somebody who gives you a top-10 point guard in the league, somebody who can really help us.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans only made a “token offer” to Seth Curry that included a partial guarantee, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). A previous report indicated that they were close to a deal with him for a guaranteed contract. Curry signed a two-year, fully guaranteed contract with the Kings.
New Orleans didn’t want to re-sign Jimmer Fredette, Wojnarowski says in the same tweet. The ex-Pelicans guard signed with the Spurs instead. Still, Fredette faces a challenge to find his niche in San Antonio, where he’ll have to prove he’s capable of replacing Marco Belinelli‘s shooting and beat out Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons for minutes, as Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News examines.
The three-year contract that K.J. McDaniels signed with the Rockets includes a team option on the final season and starts at $3.19MM, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That first-year salary figure means Houston is essentially prevented from using any more of its mid-level exception without triggering an $88.74MM hard cap.
Maurice Ndour‘s contract with the Mavericks is for three years, with this season’s salary and half of next season’s guaranteed, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
Nikola Milutinov, this year’s No. 26 overall pick, is negotiating with Olympiacos of Greece, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Spurs draftee had reportedly been close to a deal with Panathinaikos, another Greek team, but Panathinaikos landed Miroslav Raduljica instead. Regardless, the Spurs won’t sign him this season.

Mavericks Sign Maurice Ndour

July 23rd, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Mavericks have signed undrafted forward Maurice Ndour, the team announced via a press release. The length and terms of the arrangement are not yet known, but it’s most likely a training camp deal, though that is merely my speculation.

Ndour comes off of a successful run at the Las Vegas Summer League where he played for the Knicks’ squad. The 6’9″ forward averaged 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 block, 1.0 steal in 28.3 minutes per contest. The Knicks were reportedly impressed with Ndour, but a dwindling amount of open roster slots kept New York from signing him. “Maurice was solid, he brought energy and activity to our game,’’ Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “He showed ability to shoot fairly well and defend, block shots, rebound. He represented himself well. We may not be able to keep him. Our roster’s filling up pretty fast.’’

The 23-year-old native of Senegal spent the last two seasons playing for Ohio University, and his career NCAA numbers are 14.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. Ndour’s slash line was .498/.388/.757.

Knicks Rumors: Antetokounmpo, Ndour, Mudiay

July 19th, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Thanasis Antetokounmpo‘s impressive performance in Friday’s summer league game could change the Knicks’ minds about signing him for training camp, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Antetokounmpo performed below expectations in the D-League last season, and the team was reportedly not committed to giving him a shot in camp. His agent, Nick Lotsos, said Antetokounmpo would consider staying in Europe if the Knicks didn’t offer a contract. Antetokounmpo made all seven of his shots in a 17-point performance Friday that may have changed the team’s mind. “That’s what being a professional is all about,” said coach Derek Fisher. “It’s not about getting minutes every game, getting what you want the whole time but being ready when called upon. He did that [Friday]. We’ll have decisions to make going forward about what we want to do. He did everything he can do. I thought he finished the right way and left us with something to think about.’’

There’s more news this morning from New York:

Maurice Ndour impressed the Knicks with his summer performance, but he may not be invited to camp, Berman reports in the same story. An undrafted 6’9″ power forward out of Ohio University, Ndour stood out with his energy and impressive mid-range shooting. However, the Senegal native may have to seek a camp invitation from another team. “Maurice was solid, he brought energy and activity to our game,’’ Fisher said. “He showed ability to shoot fairly well and defend, block shots, rebound. He represented himself well. We may not be able to keep him. Our roster’s filling up pretty fast.’’
Denver’s Emmanuel Mudiay wasn’t upset about being passed over by the Knicks with the No. 4 pick in the draft, Berman also writes. Mudiay was reportedly concerned that he wouldn’t fit in with the Knicks’ triangle offense.
One new Knick who has no fear of the triangle is point guard Jerian Grant, whose uncle Horace learned it while playing for Phil Jackson‘s Bulls in the 1990s, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “With his IQ and being in a program like Notre Dame, I think he’s a perfect fit for the triangle from the standpoint of the way he passes, the way he can command the game, getting guys in the right position, and I know Phil and I know D-Fish — and they knew he was the perfect guy for that triangle,” Horace Grant said. “… He’s the type of person that I feel will definitely push for the starting point guard spot.”

Eastern Notes: Williams, Knicks, Celtics

June 17th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There have been reports that the Knicks intend to trade down in the NBA Draft if Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when New York is set to pick at No. 4 overall. As for what team president Phil Jackson is seeking in return for the fourth pick, in his weekly chat Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) relays that the Knicks want a young veteran player and a pick in the 8 to 14 range. One player who New York has been linked to in that draft range is fast-rising playmaker Cameron Payne of Murray State, who would fill a glaring need for the franchise at the point guard spot.

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is expected to receive strong interest from teams that include the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, providing a clear competition for the Raptors to retain his services, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. Williams is expected to seek a three-year deal in the range of $27MM or four years for $35MM, Charania adds.
The Celtics held workouts today for Kevon Looney (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova), and Maurice NDour (Ohio), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
The Wizards will hold workouts on Thursday for Justin Anderson (Virginia), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Aaron White (Iowa), Derek Cooke Jr. (Wyoming), and Maxie Esho (UMass), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Working out for the Cavaliers today were Josh Richardson (Tennessee) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops notes (on Twitter).
The Hornets are hoping that newly acquired Spencer Hawes can help replace the outside shooting the team lost when Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat last offseason, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “In the offseason you try to make your team fit better together, and I think that’s what this trade does. Our defense is more than good enough to win and our offense isn’t,” Clifford said. “If you look more specifically into the numbers [the flaw] is our [long] range shooting. What Spencer will do is improve our range shooting and he’s also a very good passer.”

Western Notes: Hunt, Grizzlies, Draft

June 2nd, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nuggets now possess the NBA’s lone head coaching vacancy, though all signs seem to point toward Melvin Hunt having the interim tag removed and being named the team’s coach for next season. In an interview with Davide Chinellato of La Gazzetta dello Sport (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), forward Danilo Gallinari said that he hopes to see Hunt return as his coach next campaign. “Our goal next season will be to make the playoffs,” said Gallinari. “I hope Melvin Hunt will be our coach next season. He knows basketball very well, also European basketball, something that can make the difference in the NBA. He is a very positive person and he is great in motivating the players. I think he has the qualities to succeed as head coach.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:

The Grizzlies have workouts scheduled on Thursday for Vince Hunter (UTEP), Chris Jones (Louisville), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Maurice Ndour (Ohio), Marshun Newell (Tennessee-Martin), and J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), the team announced in a press release.
Michigan State swingman Branden Dawson has a workout scheduled with the Timberwolves, Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links has learned (via Twitter).
Arizona defensive whiz Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will work out for the Trail Blazers next week, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com reports. Georgia State point guard Ryan Harrow could also be a workout candidate for Portland this month, Young adds. Harrow is projected as a late second round pick, but if he goes undrafted he could sign with the Blazers as a free agent and be added to the summer league roster, the CSN scribe notes.