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Odds & Ends: Spurs, Heat, Cavs, Eliyahu, White

June 23rd, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

For as compelling as the Finals were, it's a shame that we almost certainly won't see the Heat and Spurs clash again next season without at least a few changes to their rosters. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News tackles a half dozen key questions for the Spurs amid uncertainty for soon-to-be free agents Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal. In a separate piece, McDonald examines the prospects each Spurs player has of sticking around. I examined the offseason ahead for the Heat earlier today, and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel follows with a look at what it will cost to keep each player on the Miami roster. The only constant in the NBA is change, and here's the latest on the league's comings and goings:

  • As expected, the Cavaliers met with both Nerlens Noel and Alex Len this week, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald confirms amongst his league roundup. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, who argues that Otto Porter should get the nod at No. 1, notes that Porter, Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo all worked out for the Cavs in the past few days.
  • The "overwhelming belief" is that the Cavs won't trade the top pick, Lloyd writes.
  • Lior Eliyahu, a former second-round pick whose NBA rights are owned by the Timberwolves, has parted ways with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports with an assist from colleague David Pick. 
  • NBA contracts aren't necessarily guaranteed in case of mental disability, but Royce White's deal with the Rockets is, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link) points out. That means the Rockets wouldn't save any money if they waived him because of his psychological disorders.
  • The Bucks are looking for a shooting guard, and they'll bring in Jamaal Franklin for a workout Monday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
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Western Notes: Mayo, Wright, Beverley

April 25th, 2013 at 10:58pm CST by Ryan Raroque
The Dallas Morning News relayed some quotes from Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko today, from his appearance on 1310 AM The Ticket. Regarding O.J. Mayo, Sefko doesn't think that the Mavs will make an offer "too far north of the mid-level exception" and estimates a reasonable offer to be close to around a four-year deal at around $30MM. He also thinks that Mayo's starting offers will be for the mid-level exception. As for Brandan Wright, Sefko believes that retaining the 6'9 big man as a reserve in addition to finding a starting center would help shore up their rotation at the five spot. Here are a few more miscellaneous notes out of the Western Conference tonight:
  • Fresh off of his 16-point, 12-rebound, and six assists performance against Oklahoma City, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley isn't fazed at all by the playoff atmosphere, crediting the hostile environment from his experiences in Europe for his ability to handle the pressure now (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets writes): “It’s different here. You have cities versus cities, states versus states. There, it’s countries against countries. I’ve played in games and got hit in the face with quarters, played with my face bleeding. I’ve played in hostile environments a lot. The first round of the playoffs I can deal with.” 
  • Max Ogden of Sheridan Hoops gives an update on Kostas Papanikolaou, the 48th selection of last year's NBA draft by the Knicks whose draft rights were later traded to the Trail Blazers. The 22-year-old forward has continued his progression for the defending Euroleague champion Olympiacos. 
  • NBA commissioner David Stern commended the Rockets for how they handled Royce White's situation, saying "we'll see what happens" with regard to White's future (Reid Laymance of Ultimate Rockets). 
  • This NBA.com article focuses on Andre Miller, who at age 37 is leading the third-seeded Nuggets in his quest to get out of the first round for the first time in nine playoff appearances. 
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Odds & Ends: Kings, White, McRoberts, Suns

March 28th, 2013 at 11:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Since a deal to keep the Kings in Sacramento fell through last year, there seems to have been no love lost between the Maloof family, which owns the team, and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson. Lately, though, Johnson has taken a conciliatory tone toward the Maloofs, and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com believes that could be strategic, since the Maloofs would still have to agree to sell the team to Sacramento investors if the league rejects their pending sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle group. We rounded up more on the Kings sale this morning, and we'll continue to monitor the story in advance of a key meeting coming up on Wednesday. In the meantime, here's more from around the Association:

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Southwest Rumors: Grizzlies, White, Brewer

March 27th, 2013 at 6:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks are one of only two NBA teams sitting the night out, but the Grizzlies appear to be especially busy, juxtaposing a tough road game against the Knicks tonight with reports that they're apparently seeking a point guard. There's more on that and other news from Southwest Division teams, as we round up here:

  • In a piece chronicling the Mavs' run at a playoff spot, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld wonders whether D-League center Jerome Jordan could be a fit for the Grizzlies. With starting center Marc Gasol back from injury and the team linked to Keyon Dooling and Jonny Flynn, there may not be much call for Jordan in Memphis.
  • Royce White had his best showing as a pro Tuesday, with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his return to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but he plans on leaving the Rockets' affiliate again when the regular season is over, as he tells David Hinojosa of The Monitor. "I’ll be here until the end of the regular season," the rookie said. "The playoff schedule and how hectic it is in the D-League probably ain’t going be the best thing for me. Going to the playoffs, I want them to have a team that’s going to stick together."
  • Corey Brewer says he wants to return to the Nuggets as a free agent in the offseason, but the swingman also reveals that he came close to signing with the Spurs before inking his current deal, notes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. The Celtics were also in the running for Brewer before the Mavs scooped him up and later traded him to the Nuggets.
  • Giannis Antetokoumpo of Greece, who plays point guard despite his 6'10" height and 7'3" wingspan, has drawn interest from Rockets GM Daryl Morey, among others, reports Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. Bryan Colangelo of the Raptors, Masai Ujiri of the Nuggets, and Sam Presti of the Thunder are the other GMs who've traveled to scout Antetokoumpo, who has an affordable buyout clause in his contract for next season with Zaragoza of Spain, according to Sheridan. While there appears to be some confusion about the spelling of his last name, he's No. 32 on the DraftExpress list of the top 100 draft prospects.
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Royce White Returning To D-League

March 25th, 2013 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Last week, Royce White announced on his Twitter feed that he'd be leaving the Rockets' D-League affiliate for the rest of the season, returning to Houston to work out. It seems the team wasn't on board with that plan, however, so White will be rejoining the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski adds that White could return to game action as soon as Tuesday.

When White announced his decision last Thursday, he cited the "team physician," but the Rockets didn't, and still haven't, commented on the subject, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter). Feigen reported last week that the club wasn't a part of White's decision to leave the Vipers.

Including tomorrow night's game, the Vipers have six more regular-season contests before the D-League postseason gets underway. Rio Grande Valley has clinched a playoff spot, so White figures to be a part of the team's postseason roster next month.

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Royce White Leaves Rio Grande Valley Vipers

March 22nd, 2013 at 9:50pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 9:50pm: White tweeted from his personal account that he plans on rejoining the Rockets next season.  The big man emphasized that he is not giving up on playing in the NBA, despite his tumultuous first season and conflict with the Rockets' front office.

THURSDAY, 4:04pm: The Rockets were not a part of White's decision to leave the team's D-League affiliate, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team is not commenting on the subject for now, says Feigen.

9:40am: After playing 12 games for the Rockets' D-League affiliate, it appears Royce White will return to Houston, though that doesn't necessarily mean we should expect to see him on the Rockets' bench anytime soon.

"[I] have been advised by our team physician it is most logical I be in Houston the remainder of the season," White tweeted this morning. In a second tweet, he clarified that he never said he'd be rejoining the Rockets — only returning to Houston. White thanked the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in both tweets.

There are still nine games on Rio Grande Valley's regular-season schedule, and the club looks like a lock to continue on to the D-League postseason, so the decision doesn't appear to be schedule-related. And while it's not clear yet whether or not the Rockets intend to recall the rookie forward to their roster this season, I can't imagine that rejoining the team would be White's reward for recently suggesting that the Rockets and the NBA wanted him "gone." We'll have to wait on further word to find out exactly what the club's plan is for the 21-year-old.

In addition to making off-the-court headlines this season, White also didn't look particularly effective on the court during his D-League stint. In 12 games with Rio Grande Valley, he averaged just 9.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG, while struggling with his conditioning.

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Royce White: Rockets, NBA Want Me Gone

March 19th, 2013 at 10:41pm CST by Alex Lee

The last time we heard from Royce White, he was quietly attempting to salvage his rookie season in the D-League after being suspended by the Rockets in January.  White had then just finally accepted the D-League assignment after an extended "holdout" resulting from his perception that the team and league did not have sufficient support in place for players suffering from mental illness. 

That silence has officially ended.  In a video interview with the Huffington Post, White said that he thinks the NBA and the Rockets would prefer if he just went away, citing his independent voice and his commitment to improving the way NBA handles players with mental health issues.  Here is a sizeable chunk of White's comments, courtesy of Ben Golliver at Sports Ilustrated:

“I went through the bumps and bruises of having to advocate for myself against a billion-dollar corporation. Other than that, I think I’ve actually been successful, if you look at the rate of success, or what could have went wrong. I could have easily been out of the league or blackballed or things like that. But that hasn’t happened yet…

“I’m a problem because I’m not afraid to say what I think and I’m not afraid to stand alone. Even amongst the NBA community, the players, the union, the NBA office, and [commissioner] David Stern and [deputy commissioner] Adam Silver. I’m not afraid to stand alone in my own circle, and say, hey listen, you guys aren’t respecting mental health…

“If I was to make an educated guess, I would guess that Adam Silver and David Stern and the Rockets organization, some other owners in the league, GMs, want me gone. And why do they want me gone? Because business is about convenience, it’s not about doing what’s necessary, right? It’s about cutting overhead… Being efficient. And a lot of times, what’s best for us as human beings doesn’t meet that criteria for business people.”

What happens with White now is anyone's guess, but it is probably safe to say that neither the Rockets nor the NBA will appreciate these comments.  As Golliver points out, the Rockets have already expressed plenty of frustration with their rookie.  We will be certain to keep an eye on this story, as there is sure to be some sort of fallout or reaction from the Rockets or the NBA. 

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Southwest Notes: Vasquez, White, Mavs, Dirk

March 2nd, 2013 at 7:59pm CST by Sean Highkin

With the Spurs attempting to mitigate Tony Parker's ankle injury, the Grizzlies and Rockets firmly in the playoff picture, and the Mavericks attempting to stay out of the lottery, the Southwest Division is one of the more fascinating in the league currently. Here is a roundup of the latest updates:

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Zillgitt On Wizards, Rockets, Redick, FIBA

February 26th, 2013 at 7:17pm CST by Sean Highkin

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has a new column in which he touches on a variety of topics from around the NBA and elsewhere in the basketball world. Here are the highlights:

  • Wizards head coach Randy Wittman talks to Zillgitt about the difficulty of keeping the locker room engaged as Washington heads towards another losing season.
  • Zillgitt takes a look at the Rockets' offense, which has vaulted them into the thick of the playoff race behind the explosive play of James Harden.
  • Zillgitt also gives an update on the status of Royce White, who has struggled in the D-League but does not concern the Rockets organization.
  • The Magic received excellent value in return for J.J. Redick, Zillgitt writes. He praises the aquisition of cheap, young assets in Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris, as well as a capable veteran with an expiring contract in Beno Udrih.
  • Many international players in the NBA are looking ahead to FIBA's Eurobasket tournament this summer, Zillgitt writes.
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Southwest Notes: White, Asik, Grizzlies

February 16th, 2013 at 9:15pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Southwest Division on Saturday evening:

  • David Stern weighed in on Royce White's situation to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle saying that the NBA was "quite involved" in the establishment of a mental-health protocol for White and the Rockets.
  • Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets that Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is surprised at Omer Asik's success in Houston.
  • In an interview with Chris Vernon on 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis, Tony Allen shared his thoughts on the Rudy Gay trade as well as a conversation he had with Zach Randolph about retiring in Memphis. Allen will be a free agent this summer (transcript via Grizzly Bear Blues).
  • Grizzlies VP of basketball operations John Hollinger discusses the Gay trade with Henry Abbott of ESPN.com, and also shares his thoughts on the trade deadline as a whole.
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