Ray McCallum Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Sign Munford To Second 10-Day Contract

March 27th, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have signed point guard Xavier Munford to a second-10-day contract, the team announced today. Munford, who first signed with Memphis on March 16th, has averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in five games with the team.

Munford was the latest addition to the injury-plagued Grizzlies’ roster after the league granted a request under the hardship provision to carry 17 players. With starting point guard Mike Conley likely out for the rest of the regular season, Memphis also recently signed Ray McCallum and Jordan Farmar.

Before joining the Grizzlies, Munford played 41 games with the Bakersfield Jam in the D-League. He was part of the D-League’s All-Star Game this season, ranking sixth in the league in assists and 11th in scoring.

Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Conley, Davis

March 25th, 2016 at 8:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Dirk Nowitzki wouldn’t say anything definitive when asked recently whether he would leave the Mavericks if they went into rebuilding mode. The 37-year-old who has a player option worth only about $8.7MM for next season fielded the query on the “Ben and Skin Show” on KRLD-FM, as the Dallas Morning News transcribes.

“You know, that’s something I’ll focus on from summer to summer,” Nowitzki said. “I’m in the midst of chasing the playoffs here and trying to play well and compete every night. That’s something we’ll revisit this summer. Obviously I still have a year on the contract. I could choose to opt out. I think that’s in my contract. Honestly, I haven’t really spent a lot of thought on that at all. Like I said, I want to really make the playoffs bad. I think our fan base deserves that. It’s always a fun part of the year. The competition is high. We’d love to be a part of that. Everything else we can, you know, come together and talk about after. There’s just not enough thought put into it right now. Hopefully we can squeeze in the playoffs and then we can talk about all that stuff later.”

Nowitzki simply appears to be putting off conversations about his contract until the team is done with its playoff push, though a clear assertion that he’ll remain in Dallas, as expected, would probably have better served to short-circuit any chatter. In any case, see more on Nowitzki amid news from the Southwest Division:

Rick Carlisle isn’t at all worried about Nowitzki’s future with the Mavericks, as the coach said earlier this week, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s playing for this franchise,” Carlisle said. “It’s pretty clear. His loyalty to [owner] Mark [Cuban] and the Mavericks has been undying. Very atypical for a player of his magnitude and his greatness. There’s probably three or four guys on our team that would not be here had he not made certain financial sacrifices. It’s pretty amazing, what he’s done and what he’s given up, so that we can compete.”
Soon-to-be free agent Mike Conley isn’t expected to have his sore left Achilles re-evaluated until the end of the regular season, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, presumably meaning he’s out until the playoffs, at least. That’s led the Grizzlies to turn to recent signees Ray McCallum, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Munford at the point, as Tillery examines. GM Chris Wallace is a fan of McCallum’s versatility, shooting range and ability to run a team, Tillery notes.
A straw poll of 28 of 129 All-NBA Team voters shows the majority are at least somewhat likely to vote Anthony Davis to one of the teams, which would allow him to trigger the Derrick Rose Rule and make more on the extension he signed with the Pelicans last summer, reveals Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.

Grizzlies Sign Ray McCallum To Second 10-Day

March 22nd, 2016 at 10:43am CST by Chuck Myron

The Grizzlies have signed Ray McCallum to a second 10-day contract, the team announced. His first expired overnight. The move restores Memphis to a 17-man roster, meaning the club has received additional clearance from the league through the hardship provision to carry two more than the regular season 15-man maximum. However, Memphis has no immediate plans to re-sign Alex Stepheson, whose first 10-day contract also expired at the end of Monday, tweets Grizzlies sideline reporter Rob Fischer. The hardship exception they’d used to carry Stepheson as one of 18 players on Monday’s roster wasn’t renewed, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who suggests it likely means Chris Andersen will return tonight from the left shoulder injury that’s kept him out for the last nine games (Twitter link)

The latest deal for McCallum, which costs $55,722, will cover four games, against the Lakers, Spurs (twice) and Nuggets. The third-year pro has seen plenty of action in Memphis, starting the last two games and averaging 8.5 points, 2.8 assists and 1.8 turnovers in 24.3 minutes per contest across six appearances overall. He’s canned nine of his 18 3-point attempts as he’s seen far more opportunity than he did with the Spurs, who had him for most of the season before waiving him to make room for Andre Miller. The Knicks reportedly considered signing him, but the Grizzlies instead scooped him up to deal with their many injury problems.

Nine Grizzlies were ailing at one point earlier this month, and six have some sort of injury at this point, including Andersen. Marc Gasol is out for the season with a broken foot, while Brandan Wright, P.J. Hairston, Jordan Adams and Mike Conley are also sidelined, according to the CBSSports.com injury log.

Teams can’t sign any player to more than two 10-day contracts per year, but only 13 days will be left in the season when McCallum’s latest pact expires. The Grizzlies only have 14 players signed through season’s end, so they have flexibility to retain McCallum if they choose.

Pacific Notes: Jones, Russell, Chalmers, Grizzlies

March 14th, 2016 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tyus Jones has already played in more games since the All-Star break than he played before it, as the Timberwolves have decided it’s time to let last year’s 24th overall pick learn on the court. Ricky Rubio, a subject of deadline trade talk whom Jones is trying to eventually replace as Minnesota’s starting point guard, sees “great things” ahead for the rookie, observes Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune.

“He can really score the ball. I think he’s learning how to control, and play in this league,” Rubio said. “It’s not like college. He’s learning how to play and he’s not afraid. That’s one of the main things you ask of a rookie. Don’t be afraid.”

See more from the Western Conference:

Much consternation has surrounded the limited playing time Lakers coach Byron Scott has given No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell this season, but the combo guard is seeing 31.4 minutes per game since the All-Star break compared to 27.1 minutes per game before it, and he’s upbeat about the future, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “It’s all about the opportunity,” Russell said. “Everybody has a different route toward reaching their potential. Some people bloom early and some people bloom late. If I’m a late bloomer and I’m around this league for a long time, I would prefer that.”
Mario Chalmers was popular within the Grizzlies organization, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who believes his early-season acquisition was a plus for the team, writes in his Pick-and-Pop column. Chalmers cleared waivers after tearing his Achilles tendon last week.
The Grizzlies have filled gaps in their roster with such wizened veterans as Gilbert Arenas, Jason Williams and Keyon Dooling in past years, so the recent signings of Ray McCallum, Alex Stepheson and Briante Weber represent a shrewd pivot toward finding stopgaps with potential future value, Herrington argues in the same piece.

Grizzlies Sign Ray McCallum To 10-Day Deal

March 12th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:29pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. It will be a 10-day pact for McCallum, per the official announcement.

SATURDAY, 11:29am: The signing is expected to be announced today, Charania tweets. It’s unclear if it will be a 10-day arrangement or cover the remainder of the season.

THURSDAY, 9:09pm: Free agent point guard Ray McCallum is en route to Memphis to meet with the Grizzlies and the team is likely to sign him, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports. The Grizzlies currently have 15 players on their roster, provided Briante Weber was indeed signed to a 10-day deal. Weber’s signing took place Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though Memphis has made no official announcement regarding the move.

It is unclear if Memphis has been granted a hardship exception by the league that would allow them to add a 16th player, which McCallum would be if the Weber signing is indeed official. The move to add McCallum is in response to Mario Chalmers being lost for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The team waived Chalmers earlier today in an effort to clear roster space. Marc Gasol is also done for the season, while Jordan Adams, Chris Andersen, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are all out for indefinite periods with maladies of some kind.

McCallum has had contract discussions with the Knicks and the Rockets since the Spurs waived him last month, Charania notes. McCallum is eligible to appear in the playoffs for the Grizzlies since he was released on February 29th, one day before the cutoff for postseason eligibility, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets. The 24-year-old has appeared in 31 games this season and is averaging 2.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes per outing.

Knicks Consider Tim Frazier, Ray McCallum

March 2nd, 2016 at 11:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are thinking about signing either Tim Frazier or Ray McCallum to a 10-day contract, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Each is considered a more likely candidate than Tony Wroten, with whom the Knicks met recently, Isola adds. Marc Berman of the New York Post earlier wrote that the team was eyeing McCallum, who comes off waivers from the Spurs at 4pm Central today, while The Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring reported last month that the Knicks considered Frazier before signing Jimmer Fredette instead. New York reportedly has no plans to re-sign Fredette after his 10-day contract expires tonight.

Frazier rejoined the D-League affiliate of the Celtics last week after clearing waivers from the Trail Blazers, who cut him to accommodate their deadline-day trades. Blazers GM Neil Olshey said he told Frazier he’d be interested in re-signing him if the team was unable to add another point guard, though Portland acquired point guard Brian Roberts in one of its deadline swaps.

The 25-year-old Frazier saw just 7.8 minutes per game in 35 appearances for the Blazers this season, though he put up an impressive 5.5 assists in 21.7 minutes per game across 11 contests with the Sixers last year. Similarly, McCallum was buried on San Antonio’s bench before his release from the Spurs but made 30 starts for the Kings last season.

Latest On Knicks Targets

March 2nd, 2016 at 10:41am CST by Chuck Myron

10:41am: The team won’t re-sign Fredette, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link), not long after Berman heard the Knicks weren’t expected to bring him back (Twitter link).

12:20am: The Knicks appear unlikely to re-sign Jimmer Fredette after his 10-day contract expires at the end of Wednesday, and they’ve decided to take a pass on signing Ty Lawson, who’s poised to become a free agent in the wake of his buyout from the Rockets, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Lawson is nonetheless one of the team’s “possibilities” for summer free agency, Berman writes.

New York is meanwhile eyeing Ray McCallum, who’s on waivers until 4pm Central time Wednesday following his release from the Spurs, Berman adds, lending some clarity to earlier reports. The Knicks recently met with free agent Tony Wroten, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News heard.

Fredette scored four points in a brief three-minute cameo Tuesday, just his second appearance for New York since signing February 22nd. The team has a specific interest in young players, coach Kurt Rambis said, so that would help explain the appeal of Wroten, 22, and McCallum, 24, as opposed to the 27-year-old Fredette and 28-year-old Lawson. The Knicks reportedly spoke with the Rockets about trading for Lawson before last month’s deadline, but New York’s playoff hopes have faded as they’ve lost 15 of their last 18 games. The expiration of Fredette’s deal will create a lone open roster spot, with 14 other Knicks signed through season’s end. New York has only the minimum salary to give out to free agents.

Knicks Meet With Tony Wroten

March 1st, 2016 at 11:40am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks met recently with free agent combo guard Tony Wroten, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The team has appeared to have some level of interest in Wroten since late December, when the Sixers released him, but his defense and unfamiliarity with the triangle have reportedly helped keep him unsigned. New York will have an open roster spot after Wednesday, the final day on Jimmer Fredette‘s 10-day contract, and the team is apparently keeping an eye out for young players as it ponders whether to re-sign Fredette or move on from him. Wroten doesn’t turn 23 until April.

Isola also pegs the freshly waived Ray McCallum as a candidate to replace Fredette on New York’s roster, though it’s unclear if the Knicks indeed have interest in the former Spurs point guard or if the idea is merely speculative. McCallum would first have to clear waivers, and New York, which has only the minimum salary exception at its disposal, is ineligible to claim him, since he’s on a three-year deal.

Wroten averaged 16.9 points in 30 games for the Sixers last season before he suffered a torn ACL in January 2015 that knocked him out until more than a month into this season. That scoring average was higher than what anyone else on the Sixers put up last year, but Philadelphia stunningly cut him just a few weeks after his return from the injury to accommodate its Christmas Eve trade for Ish Smith. The Heat have reportedly performed a due diligence check on Wroten, but he’s lingered in free agency and has publicly expressed a desire to play for the Knicks.

Spurs Waive Ray McCallum

February 29th, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs have waived point guard Ray McCallum, the team announced via press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported this weekend that the move would come so that San Antonio could sign Andre Miller, fresh off his buyout from the Timberwolves. The Spurs had been carrying a full roster of 15 players, so someone had to go for Miller to join.

McCallum’s minimum salary of $947,276 will stick on San Antonio’s books if he clears waivers, which isn’t necessarily a given. Any team that claims him would be able to match offers for him when he hits free agency this summer, though not every team is eligible to claim him. Teams must have cap space, a trade exception or a disabled player exception to claim McCallum, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.

McCallum appeared in 31 games with the Spurs, including three starts, but he only averaged 2.2 points and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes. He also played seven games with the team’s D-League affiliate in Austin.

San Antonio acquired McCallum from the Kings via trade for a second-round pick in July. McCallum was the Kings’ second-round selection in 2013 and started 40 games for them in his first two seasons.

The 24-year-old has ties to the Pistons. In one of his recent tweets, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press noted that Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy is friends with University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Ray McCallum Sr., so perhaps that could lead to the younger McCallum returning to his roots in Michigan. Detroit would have to open up a roster spot for that to happen, but the Pistons currently have power forward Justin Harper on a 10-day contract.

Central Notes: Monroe, Butler, Bullock, McCallum

February 28th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks coach Jason Kidd is defending his decision to use center/forward Greg Monroe off the bench, writes SB Nation’s Paul Flannery. Monroe was Milwaukee’s prize offseason addition, but the team’s disappointing season has led Kidd to shake up the rotation. Monroe was placed in a reserve role, along with former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. “Our bench has gotten better with Michael and Moose,” Kidd said. “You start those two and our bench gets really thin. With those two guys being unselfish and knowing that they want to start, and we all know they do, for the betterment of the team right now we need those guys to come off the bench.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls got some good news Saturday about injured shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. The latest MRI on Butler’s sprained left knee “looked good,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “The swelling is significantly down and now it’s just a matter of Jimmy getting back out there, getting his timing back, getting his conditioning and getting comfortable,” Hoiberg said. “He still hasn’t exploded off the one leg, he’s done some two-foot jumping. He’s done some lateral slides, now it’s about getting him out there in scrimmage-type situations and getting him ready to play.” Butler hasn’t played since hurting the knee on February 5th. He was orginally projected to be out for three to four weeks.
Reggie Bullock may have revived his career in Detroit with a 16-point outburst Wednesday, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Bullock, who came to the Pistons from Phoenix in the Marcus Morris trade, was used in 10 of the season’s first 15 games, but offensive problems forced him out of the rotation and eventually to D-League assignments. “Reggie always plays to his strengths and he knows who he is,” said coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “He’s got to defend and he’s got to make open shots. He certainly made open shots [Wednesday]. Those are the two things that really make him a good player.”
Van Gundy has a long friendship with University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Ray McCallum Sr., which may give the Pistons some interest in McCallum’s son if the Spurs release him, tweets Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. The younger McCallum will likely be waived to make room for the signing of Andre Miller.