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California Rumors: Gay, Kings, Clippers, Warriors

December 10th, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee suggests the Kings will engage in extension talks with Rudy Gay if he’s productive and fills the team’s longstanding void at small forward. That’s similar to the stance former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo took after he acquired him last season, and Colangelo tells Voisin that he thinks Sacramento’s Gay trade signifies the Kings’ clear intention to increase their talent-level, rather than sell off assets. It’s a bit surprising, considering some GMs feel Gay wouldn’t be worthy of even the midlevel exception, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote Monday. There’s more from Voisin’s piece among our glance at California’s teams:

Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro suggests that his team is indeed lacking enough talent, Voisin notes. “We’re not kidding anybody,” D’Alessandro said before Monday’s victory over the Mavs. “We’re a long way from being a completed product. We have five wins. We need players here.”
The NBA probably would have allowed the Clippers to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as well as Doc Rivers this summer if they hadn’t been so transparent in their attempts to obtain all three at once, several sources tell Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Rivers says his job this year would be easier if Pierce and Garnett were around, and Beck hears that Rivers “absolutely” wanted to bring the two former Celtics with him to L.A.
Rivers explained why the Clippers are ready to add Stephen Jackson and offered a strong hint that the pact will be non-guaranteed, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times passes along. “He’s had his issues. There’s no doubt about it,” Rivers said. “He’s breathing and living and I think if that’s true, you should always give a guy another chance.…The good news is contractually, if it doesn’t work, we’ll walk.”
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group bats around a few possible upgrades to the Warriors bench, surmising that GM Bob Myers and company are more likely to look for cheaper options than ones that push them into tax territory.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Pierce, Raptors, Chandler

December 9th, 2013 at 8:57pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Today, Adam Silver stated (Twitter link) he would be willing to consider removing divisions from the NBA. If the NBA does so we will no longer be able to claim the Atlantic Division as the most talked about division in the NBA. Until then, the Atlantic Division has made headlines all season with the Nets and Knicks struggles. Those headlines have increased of late with the Raptors and Sixers being active in the early trade market. Looking further into these rumors:

Thaddeus Young‘s name has once more emerged in trade talk, this time in reference to an Omer Asik deal, but the Sixers forward continues to pay little attention to the chatter, as he tells Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times. John Finger of CSNPhilly.com explains how this trade would work.
Sixers offseason acquisition Tony Wroten has played well in place of Michael Carter-Williams, but he seems interested in retaining a starting role long term, which could pose a dilemma for Philadelphia, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News explains.
Paul Pierce thinks he could return from his broken hand for Tuesday’s match up with the Celtics, and today he addressed the emotions of perhaps facing his former team as well as his continued faith in the Nets. The 36-year-old also dismissed talk of retiring in the near future. Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
Following the blockbuster Rudy Gay trade, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun explains what the road ahead looks like for GM Masai Ujiri and the Raptors. Wolstat adds the Raptors may be realizing how important it is to get in the top of the lottery for next year’s draft especially with fellow Canadian Andrew Wiggens atop that draft.
Projecting the next few years for Rudy Gay, Tom Ziller of SBNation compares what the Raptors gave up to acquire Gay versus what the Kings gave up to acquire Gay ten months later. Ziller points out that although the Kings gave up much less than the Raptors did, they will be the loser in this trade in the coming years.
With the 4-6 week timetable approaching for Knicks‘ center Tyson Chandler to return from his fractured leg, Chandler told reporters this morning he expects to be in the lineup before New Year’s Day. Royce Young of CBSSports.com describes what his return will mean for the Knicks’ rotation.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

California Rumors: Kobe, Pierce, KG, Warriors

November 16th, 2013 at 3:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

It might be awhile before Lamar Odom is back on the court, though it sounds like he’s moving toward a reunion with the Clippers. A much bigger L.A. star is also making progress toward playing again, as we detail here:

Kobe Bryant returned to practice today with the Lakers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, though there’s still no timetable for when he’ll make it into a game for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in April.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain in regular contact with Clippers coach Doc Rivers, but at one point this summer the ex-Celtics figured they’d both be following their coach to L.A., as Pierce and Garnett tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Garnett and Pierce also expressed doubt that they would have been pleased to play in Boston without Rivers around.
Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have made strides in turning the franchise into a team that didn’t have to make a sales pitch to convince Andre Iguodala to come aboard this summer, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines. Lacob and Guber may face their stiffest test yet as they seek to build an arena in San Francisco.
We covered more Lakers rumors earlier this morning in our roundup from the Pacific Division.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Bradley, Lawal

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:01am CST by Chuck Myron

The stripped-down Sixers have somehow managed to start 2-0, with wins over the Wizards and Heat. Still, not all is rosy in Philadelphia, where Evan Turner and GM Sam Hinkie appear to be suffering from a disconnect. Turner has spoken about feeling unwanted with coach Brett Brown, who doesn’t think the issue will cause problems for the team this year, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer observes. Here’s more on the Sixers and their Atlantic Division rivals:

Avery Bradley isn’t worried that he and the Celtics couldn’t come to a deal on an extension, and neither is GM Danny Ainge, notes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “It doesn’t mean anything other than we talk next summer,” Ainge said. “He’s a big piece of our future.”
The Sixers waived camp invitee Gani Lawal last week, and he’s headed back to Italy, where he played last season. Lawal has agreed to a deal with Olimpia Milano, reports Chema de Lucas of Gigantes (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
Paul Pierce knew weeks before the Celtics traded him to the Nets this summer that his time in Boston was short, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com, who examines the attitudinal adjustment Pierce and Kevin Garnett have brought to the Nets.
Executives from rival teams are convinced the Celtics have some sort of clause in their six-year contract with Brad Stevens that would allow them to recoup money in case Stevens leaves early, according to Ian Thomsen of SI.com. That’s an indication of the unusually high stature Stevens has as he enters his first NBA job.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Anderson

October 24th, 2013 at 10:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Knicks coach Mike Woodson plans to meet with GM Steve Mills and team brass either tonight or tomorrow to determine the five cuts he has to make before Monday’s deadline. In another piece, Braziller writes about how Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to have a heart-to-heart talk with J.R. Smith about the importance of staying focused and keeping out of trouble moving forward.

You can find more of tonight’s links out of the Atlantic Division below:

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston notes that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is “very proud” of Rajon Rondo‘s progress in rehab: “I think he’s working as hard as he can. I’ve been very proud of him of how he really wants to get out there and I think he wants to get out there, not for his own benefit, but he wants to really help the team. He sees how he’s missed and he just loves to play. He wants to get back for all the right reasons.”
Ainge also elaborated on why he wants to keep the team under the luxury tax: “Right now we’re barely under the luxury tax, so we really have no choice…If there are deals made later in the year, that would open up roster spots and open up to keep us under the tax. But we will stay under the tax this year. We have to. As we’re rebuilding, not just from a standpoint of the financial budget, but as a competitive advantage.”
Yesterday, we heard that James Anderson was one player who had “all but wrapped up” a spot on the 76ers’ roster. Today, Tom Moore of The Intelligencer discusses how Anderson secured a spot in Philadelphia after establishing himself as a starter and the team’s top perimeter threat.
Former NBA executive and current NBA analyst Steve Kerr explains why he thinks the Knicks are the fifth-best team in the East (Justin Terranova of the New York Post).
Clippers coach Doc Rivers took time to defend current Nets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the criticism hurled at them by LeBron James last week, who insinuated that they had abandoned Boston: “Paul and Kevin were traded…They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different…You could make more of a case for me leaving than Paul and Kevin” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News [hat tip to ESPN Radio in Miami]).

New York Notes: Stoudemire, Williams, Pierce

October 19th, 2013 at 8:58pm CST by Spencer Lund

Here are some notes tonight on the Nets and Knicks:

Amar’e Stoudemire has been cleared for contact, coach Mike Woodson told ESPN New York’s Ian Begley (by way of The Knicks Blog’s Adam Zagoria). STAT is hoping to play opening night on October 30th against the Bucks.
But Stoudemire only participated in 5-on-5 half-court drills and avoided the full-court scrimmage, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News adds.
It’s still unclear when Deron Williams will return to action one month after the Nets announced he’d sprained his right ankle, writes the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps.
Bontemps adds that D-Will has ramped up his participation in practice the last two days, and Paul Pierce said he, “Had a chance to see [Williams] get his feet wet a little.”
But neither coach Jason Kidd nor Williams would talk about whether Williams will appear in any of the Nets‘ final two preseason games, or what his status is for the season opener on October 30th in Cleveland.
The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy adds that Kidd’s been largely avoiding most of the questions about Williams’ injured ankle.
Kidd confirmed to Bontemps that the Nets’ big offseason acquisitions Pierce and Kevin Garnett will not play in their return to Boston for a preseason game against the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Pierce tells Newsday’s Roderick Boone he’s been seeing a lot of open looks during preseason, but he’s shot poorly and believes it’s the result of being so unused to all the uncontested opportunities.

Odds & Ends: D-League, Celts, Collins

October 10th, 2013 at 7:17pm CST by Alex Lee

Yesterday, commissioner David Stern boasted of the job that the NBA has done in developing the D-League while also taking a shot at the NCAA, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m very proud of the development league,” Stern said. “It’s working. That march is continuing. The drumbeats I hear about colleges not liking what they refer to one-and-done. We now have a league in the NBA Development League that will accept players that are 18 and will do a better job of educating them than the college programs in which they are…. Take that.”

Those are some big words from Stern. Let’s take a look at some of the other odds and ends from around the league:

There are a handful of 2011 and 2012 draftees that are candidates to have the second or third year options on their rookie contracts declined for next year before the looming October 31 deadline, writes Mark Deeks of SB Nation. Among the more notable names on the list are Jan Vesely and Derrick Williams.
According to his daughter, longtime Celtics coach Red Auerbach would not have given in and dealt Boston staples Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett this offseason, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. As Spears details, Auerbach’s intense loyalty was on display throughout his reign in Boston, allowing stars like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to walk off into the sunset wearing Celtics green. Current C’s general manager Danny Ainge admitted that the memory of Auerbach’s resolve did cross his mind before he sold off his stars.
While his agent received several inquiries this offseason, Jason Collins remains a man without an NBA contract nearly six months after announcing he is a gay professional basketball player, writes Harvey Araton of the New York Times. Collins knows that his veteran status — and the contract demands that come with it — complicates his ability to land an NBA deal. What he doesn’t know, and wouldn’t comment on, is if any discriminatory forces are playing a role in his ongoing free agency. Either way, Collins will continue to explore an NBA deal before he considers playing overseas.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Atlantic Links: Nets, Celtics, Knicks

October 3rd, 2013 at 8:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

There have been some instances in which talented tandems that played together early on eventually blossomed into stars on different teams. A few pairs that come to mind include Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter in Toronto, Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, and Jermaine O'Neal and Rasheed Wallace in Portland. However, not many of them get another chance to reunite and try to capture some of what could have been. Brooklyn's Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce shared their thoughts about the opportunity to finally achieve success together after looking back at a 2001/02 mid-season trade that saw Johnson – then a Celtics rookie – get traded from Boston and subsequently develop into a star in Phoenix and Atlanta (Tim Bontemps of the New York Post). With that aside, here are a few links to pass along out of the Atlantic Division tonight:

With Rajon Rondo still out in Boston, Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com looks at the team's other options at point guard – Avery Bradley, Jordan Crawford, and rookie Phil Pressey. In another piece, Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston describes how this team nearly full of new faces has quietly looked to foster their camaraderie during camp.
ESPN New York's Ian Begley reports that Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston was in attendance to witness tryouts for the team's D-League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks. Among those who made strong impressions were swingman Dami Sapara, center Kyle Hunt, forward Akeem Ellis, as well as big men Brian Addison and Desmond Blue.
Begley also mentions that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert sat out of today's practice with what was called a "minor" right shoulder injury, although Marc Berman of the New York Post suggests that this could possibly open the door for J.R. Smith to earn the starting shooting guard spot.
As Eric Koreen of the National Post notes, the competition for reserve minutes at the wing positions on the Raptors is wide open. Later in the article, Koreen also takes a brief look at rookie Dwight Buycks. In another team-related piece, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun takes notice of the more competitive vibe felt at this year's camp compared to last year.
Jason Kidd and a few other Nets offered their comments on what Andrei Kirilenko brings to the table with Roderick Boone of Newsday. In a separate article, Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com gathers some thoughts from coach Kidd and Paul Pierce after today's training camp session.

Eastern Rumors: George, Pierce, Celtics

September 22nd, 2013 at 11:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George informed Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star this week that he's certain he'll sign an extension with the Pacers, and George's comments in Pointer's latest piece make the deal sound like a fait accompli.

"It’s almost like now that I have this contract, I’ve got to do more work," George said."I’ve got to go out and play at the level the guys that are making this much money are playing at."

Andrew Perna of RealGM.com cautions that there's no deal yet (on Twitter), so we'll have to wait awhile longer to see whether the player that an overwhelming majority of Hoops Rumors readers believe will be the next to sign a rookie-scale extension actually ends up signing one. Here's more from the Eastern Conference:

Paul Pierce tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he doesn't think the Celtics will continue to have the trouble they've always had attracting free agents. "The city of Boston has changed so much since I’ve been here," Pierce said. "There are so many more things to do and the city has grown. I think it would be a great place to play."
Pierce isn't upset with the Celtics for trading him, and he can envision himself working for the C's once his playing days are over, as he also says to Washburn.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discusses the false hope that cap space gives some teams and addresses Heat-related issues in his mailbag column, while Doug Smith of the Toronto Star gives the Raptors the mailbag treatment in his latest dispatch.

Eastern Notes: George, Pacers, Deng

September 19th, 2013 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Hoopsworld's Yannis Koutroupis explores the possible implications from a potential contract extension for Paul George and suggests that Danny Granger has now become an expendable piece. Losing Lance Stephenson - who is coming off of a career year and may have likely played himself out of Indiana's price range next summer – would be a bitter pill to swallow, opines Koutroupis. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:

Granger believes that Indiana can contend for a title next season and calls the addition of Luis Scola "our biggest free agent pickup" (Scott Agness of NBA.com).
ESPN's Chad Ford (via Twitter) notes that Luol Deng has been working out at BYU-Hawaii over the last several weeks and says that the Bulls forward appears to be in fantastic shape.
Erildas Budraitis of RealGM catches up with CSKA Moscow's Jeremy Pargo, who last played for the 76ers and Cavaliers during the 2012/13 season. The 6'2" point guard admitted that he probably won't think of returning to the NBA for another one or two years and calls his exit from Cleveland "unfortunate."
Earlier today, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reported that Cavs number one overall pick Anthony Bennett resumed playing five-on-five basketball this week.
Nets star Deron Williams is even more eager to get the season started after hearing head coach Jason Kidd and teammate Jason Terry say they expect him to be a part of the MVP conversation in 2013/14 (link via Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report).
Despite NBA commissioner David Stern's recent efforts to quell tension between the Knicks and Nets owners, the players don't seem to be necessarily following suit. When Paul Pierce was asked today about J.R. Smith calling him a bitter person recently, the Brooklyn forward tersely responded with "Who? Who are we talking about right now? Exactly" (Tim Bontempts of the New York Post).