Pau Gasol Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Lopez, Gasol, Mavericks

November 24th, 2012 at 8:43pm CST by Michael Pina

Robin Lopez admits that the Suns gave him a fair contract offer this offseason, but decided to sign with the Hornets because he needed a "fresh start," writes AZCentral.com's Paul Coro.

CBSSports.com's NBA writer Zach Harper writes that Pau Gasol's shooting trend is worrisome; more jump shots and less action in the paint. This only supports the theory that Gasol might be on his way out of Los Angeles before this season ends.
Dallas Morning News reporter Eddie Sefko writes about Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle's "dog house," in regards to his inconsistent rotations so far this season.

Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks

November 18th, 2012 at 11:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.

Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
"Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.

HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments

November 18th, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:

Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.

Stein On Gasol, Hawks, Smith, Frank, Harden

November 16th, 2012 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Leading off his Weekend Dime piece at ESPN.com, Marc Stein follows up on yesterday's tweet about the possibility of the Hornets and Matt Carroll reaching a buyout agreement. According to Stein, New Orleans "immediately commenced" buyout talks with Carroll upon acquiring him, meaning the ex-Bobcat should be on the open market soon. Here are the other highlights from Stein's Weekend Dime:

While some pundits, including Grantland's Bill Simmons, continue to speculate about the Lakers trading Pau Gasol to the Hawks, Atlanta has no interest in sending Josh Smith to Los Angeles in a deal for Gasol, says Stein. The Hawks have "not been in enticed in the least" by the prospect of moving Smith, and are telling interested teams that they value the 26-year-old highly.
Atlanta's stance doesn't mean that the Lakers haven't spoken internally about the possibility of making a run at Smith, adds Stein. But it looks like an unlikely fit unless another team or two gets involved.
Even if the Pistons hadn't snapped a winless streak that saw them open the season 0-8, head coach Lawrence Frank likely wouldn't have been in immediate danger, according to Stein. Detroit views this season as a developmental one for its young core, and player development is considered one of Frank's strengths.
Stein also passes along details on the final year of James Harden's max contract, via Mark Deeks of ShamSports. As we heard earlier this week, that fifth year is only 50% guaranteed. However, it would become fully guaranteed if Harden makes even one All-Star team from 2013/14 to 2016/17. There are other conditions related to personal statistical benchmarks and the Rockets' postseason performance that would also guarantee that final year for Harden. You can check out the complete details at ShamSports.

Pacific Notes: Lillard, Gasol, Lakers, Biedrins

November 14th, 2012 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's Tuesday night schedule concluded with two west coast games, in Sacramento and Los Angeles, with the home team falling in both instance. The Lakers were in it down to the final seconds against the visiting Spurs, but lost 84-82 when Pau Gasol missed a last-second three-point attempt. The Kings, meanwhile, fell behind big in the third quarter and never recovered, losing by 17 points to the Trail Blazers. The Pacific will look to rebound tonight, with the Suns, Warriors, and Clippers all hosting Eastern Conference contenders. In the meantime, here's the latest out of the division:

Facing the Blazers, the Kings got a first-hand look at a player they passed up on draft night, and may have experienced some regret over not selecting Damian Lillard, writes Mike Tokito of the Oregonian.
Larry Coon of ESPN.com and HoopsWorld wonders if Pau Gasol trade rumors could resurface, since the Spaniard isn't an optimal fit for Mike D'Antoni's system (Twitter link).
ESPNLA.com's Dave McMenamin and Ken Berger of CBS Sports both published articles detailing Kobe Bryant's comments on the Lakers' coaching search. McMenamin notes that Kobe feels Phil Jackson is underappreciated, while Berger writes that the Lakers star is happy with D'Antoni, but would've preferred Jackson.
Andris Biedrins has a ways to go before his on-court performance will justify the $9MM he'll earn with the Warriors this season, but it's hard not to notice his improved play, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.

Odds & Ends: Muhammad, Brown, Ferry, Jackson

November 9th, 2012 at 11:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NCAA declared UCLA shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad ineligible for an unspecified number of games, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. The 6'6" Muhammad is rated the No. 1 draft prospect for 2013 by DraftExpress.com and others, but Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com doesn't think the ruling will affect his draft status, believing he'll be a top three pick regardless of whether he plays this season (Twitter link). Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty has a different reaction, saying via Twitter that the NBA's age limit, which kept him from entering the 2012 draft out of high school, is hurting Muhammad's career. While the NBA seems to be in Muhammad's future regardless, there's plenty more on people who are in the NBA right now, a group that no longer includes former Lakers coach Mike Brown.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders whether Hawks GM Danny Ferry could reunite with Brown, who served as Cavs coach when Ferry was Cleveland's GM (Twitter link).
A return of Phil Jackson to the Lakers sideline could be a boon for Pau Gasol, but it wouldn't mean he couldn't be traded if the team wants to improve its footspeed, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register (Sulia link).
Jazz forward Paul Millsap can't envision former coach Jerry Sloan with the Lakers, as Randy Hollis of the Deseret News observes.
Dwight Howard, who wants the Lakers to hire Jackson, once asked the Magic to pursue the Zen Master, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
A pair of Western Conference teams are keeping tabs on Australian big man Aron Baynes, agent Daniel Moldovan told David Pick of Sportando.
Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com breaks down the reasons behind each of the deadline extensions for players coming off rookie-scale contracts, concluding that the fear of bloated offer sheets motivated several GMs into the deals.

Pacific Notes: Barnes, Gasol, Kings, Suns

October 22nd, 2012 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Last night, we linked to a Los Angeles Times piece detailing the impact Matt Barnes has had in Clippers' camp. Within Broderick Turner's story on Barnes, there are a few more details on the influence Chris Paul had in recruiting the former Laker to L.A.'s other team.

"I've told everybody this: I hate playing against Matt," Paul said of Barnes. "But I knew him on my team, I would love it. He's passionate on defense, just like I am."

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Pacific Division:

Appearing on XTRA Sports 1360 in San Diego, Pau Gasol admitted that the trade rumors swirling around him last season made for an "uncomfortable situation," but said he's excited about the new-look Lakers and the coming season (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
The Kings will have to make at least two more cuts before the regular season gets underway, even if coach Keith Smart isn't looking forward to it, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "I wish this could be our team, I really do," Smart said of the Kings' current 17-man roster. "I feel we've had a lot of growth from the young guys on our team. I thought all the guys we brought in, if we could keep them and have a true farm system because we've seen those guys develop."
As the Suns prepare to make their own cuts, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes that roster hopefuls Diante Garrett and Luke Zeller would only earn the rookie minimum (about $473K) if they were on the team, while Ike Diogu and Solomon Jones would each cost the Suns the veteran's minimum (about $854K).

Lakers Notes: Rumors, Aguilar, Finances, Gasol

October 17th, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Lee

There has been no shortage of buzz this offseason when it comes to the Lakers, and while their big pieces are in place, that doesn't mean they're done dealing. We heard last week that Steve Blake and/or Chris Duhon may be available and then today from Mitch Kupchak that the team is not actively looking to move anyone. As we all wait patiently to see how their roster shakes out, let's round up some other notes out of the Staples Center:

David Wharton of the L.A. Times profiles Lakers center Ronnie Aguilar, who is working hard in hopes of going from training camp longshot to backup center. As of three weeks ago, Aguilar's efforts were not going unnoticed, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo reported that Aguilar was a "dark horse candidate" to make the Lakers roster.
Also from the L.A. Times, Mike Bresnahan writes that the Lakers have become an economic juggernaut. Bresnahan says that the team makes up to $90MM in ticket sales per year, and is in the first year of new television deal that pays them $120MM this year. While they owe $30MM in luxury tax and are projected to pay $49MM in revenue-sharing in 2013, the franchise seems to be in as good of financial shape as it's ever been.
Living in constant fear of being shipped out of Los Angeles this offseason, Pau Gasol had to temper his excitement for playing with Steve Nash, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. While swapping out Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard shouldn't majorly affect Gasol's game, no one should benefit from the existence of Nash more than the mid-range capable Spaniard.

Kyler On Gasol, Randolph, Boozer, Heat, Perkins

August 28th, 2012 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler examines a few players that may not be a part of their respective teams' long-term plans. Let's round up the highlights from Kyler's piece….

According to Kyler, 2012/13 is "likely [Pau] Gasol's last season with the Lakers," and some people even believe he'll be dealt by the trade deadline if Dwight Howard is healthy and dominant. However, it's more likely that the team commits to the current roster for the full season and re-evaluates things next July. Given the $19MM+ Gasol is owed in 2013/14, along with the CBA's more punitive luxury tax penalties, the odds Pau remains with the team until the end of his contract are "astronomically small," says Kyler.
The Grizzlies shopped Zach Randolph around the time of the draft, but didn't find a suitor with serious interest. Of the Memphis players with big, long-term deals, Randolph is probably the one the team is most open to moving, says Kyler.
Bulls sources maintained this summer that amnestying Carlos Boozer has "never been a real consideration," but the team figures to revisit that issue in future offseasons.
Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem are both future amnesty candidates for the Heat, though Miller could end up eventually retiring for medical reasons.
If one or more of the Thunder's big-man projects (Cole Aldrich, Hasheem Thabeet, Daniel Orton) shows promise and consistency this season, Oklahoma City could be faced with a decision on Kendrick Perkins. His contract and health questions may make him a trade or amnesty candidate, particularly if the team locks up James Harden to a big contract.

Lakers Notes: Howard, Gasol, Bryant, Preseason

August 27th, 2012 at 6:17pm CST by Alex Lee

It has only been about 24 hours, but as of now over 57 percent of Hoops Rumors readers think that the Lakers will have more wins next season than the reigning Western Conference champion Thunder. We know what Kevin Durant had to say, and as we have learned with the Heat, it takes some time for new pieces to translate into a championship caliber club. Titles are not won on paper. Nevertheless, the Lakers are the talk of the NBA for a reason. Let's round up all the Lakers links on this Monday night:

Dwight Howard coming to Los Angeles is just one of a number of moves that has transformed the L.A. sports scene into something special, says Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. The cache of Los Angeles has always drawn elite NBA talent, and it appears that effect has begun to overflow outside of just the Lakers.
Pau Gasol checked in with Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles on a wide variety of topics, including his performance in the Olympics as well as the Dwight Howard trade. Asked what to expect from the Lakers offense this year, he said, "We have to understand that there’s only one basketball to play with and we have a lot of players that can put the ball in the hole, and I’ll try to do my best to be assertive, to be active and be aggressive."
According to HoopsWorld, Durant claims that Kobe Bryant was extremely confident that the Lakers would end up with Howard a month before the trade went down.
Mike Trudell, who covers the Lakers for NBA.com, checked in at the new-look Lakers practice facility to see what players have already shown up to work out. According to the team's strength and conditioning coach, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, Jordan Hill, Darius Morris and Metta World Peace have all frequented the facility.