Salah Mejri Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Texas Notes: Harden, CP3, Noel, Mejri, Nowitzki

October 28th, 2017 at 9:24am CST by marksuleymanov

Friday marked the five-year anniversary of the Rockets‘ franchise-altering deal to acquire point guard James Harden from the Thunder. Since joining Houston, Harden has evolved into one of the NBA’s top players. In five seasons with Houston entering 2016/17, he has been a runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award twice and made the NBA All-Star team five times.

As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes, Harden, 28, looks back at the trade bringing him to the Rockets fondly.

“Five years go by fast, man,” Harden said. “It’s been a good five years, a great five years, the best five years of my life. This organization has shown me so much love and given me the opportunity to show who I am as a person and as a player. I appreciate it.”

Harden spent his first three seasons in Oklahoma City as one of the NBA’s most potent sixth men, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2011/12 season. Now, Harden is signed long-term by the Rockets as the face of the franchise. That status was unattainable in OKC with former MVP Kevin Durant and then-budding superstar Russell Westbrook in the fold.

Check out other news from teams in Texas:

Feigen writes in a separate article that Chris Paul, who has missed five of the Rockets’ first six games due to a bruised left knee, had no idea he would miss this much time. Paul banged knees with Mario Chalmers almost a week before the Rockets’ season-opener against Golden State and has not played since the team upset the Warriors to open the year.
Nerlens Noel was displaced in Philadelphia and traded to the Mavericks last season. While his statistics are not eye-popping, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that his energy and impact while on the floor is the reason why he could be in lime for a major free agency payday.
While Noel has been effective, foul trouble has been a concern. Other centers on the Mavericks roster have not been consistent either but Salah Mejri has vocalized his frustration due to a lack of playing time, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with the Mavericks and he is considered one of the greatest players in team history. However, the 39-year-old may also be taking away playing time from Noel as head coach Rick Carlisle is hesitant to play both seven-footers simultaneously, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News Writes.

Mavericks Notes: Nowitzki, Mejri, Motley

August 19th, 2017 at 10:42am CST by marksuleymanov

Dirk Nowitzki, entering his 20th season with the Mavericks, will have a lot of questions surrounding his health and productivity. While the 39-year-old was still productive in 54 games last season, averaging 14.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG, his shooting (.437% )from the field was the lowest figure since his rookie season. As Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes, the legendary Maverick could become a bench player in 2017/18.

Sefko notes that coming off the bench would help keep Nowitzki’s legs fresh and perhaps prevent long term injuries. The German-born All-Star missed several games last season with Achilles tendon issues and considering the mileage on his body, pushing the near 40-year-old legend could only result in further damage.

However, the Dallas scribe is adamant in mentioning that if Nowitzki did not feel he could help, he would not play. “He will probably split time again between power forward and center, and the long-talked-about scenario of him coming off the bench might finally be in the cards, although he still seems better suited to start, keeping those creaky old legs from stiffening up after pregame warmups,” Sefko writes.

Below you can find additional notes surrounding the Mavericks organization:

While Salah Mejri found his way into 73 games for Dallas last season, Eddie Sefko writes in a separate piece that he will have to prove himself in 2017/18 if he wants to remain with the Mavericks. Mejri averaged just 2.9 PPG last season and entering the final year of his deal, he will need to show improvements across the board.
While he does not figure to get much NBA playing time, Johnathan Motley, who signed a two-way deal with the Mavericks, feels he can provide energy and size if called upon, NBA.com’s Earl K. Sneed writes. Motley enjoyed three good years at Baylor and went undrafted this year but could see time if the Mavericks are struck by injuries.
Once from Sefko, he writes that Motley’s role with the team is uncertain but the two-way deal gives Dallas a choice to shuttle him between the NBA and G-League. If he stays healthy and proves he can be effective in the NBA’s minor leagues, he will get a look from the team, Sefko adds.

Mavericks Notes: Free Agents, Point Guards, Draft, Mejri

May 3rd, 2017 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks aren’t likely to make a big move in this summer’s free agent market, according to Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News. He sees the Mavs as too far away from contention to be able to lure a big name. Dallas has limited money available heading into the summer and has to worry about re-signing restricted free agent Nerlens Noel. Sherrington sees the Mavericks as having four major needs — firepower, rebounding, defense and a point guard — and thinks that’s too much to acquire in one offseason.

There’s more news tonight out of Dallas:

The Mavericks have a better chance of finding their point guard through trade rather than the draft, argues Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs currently hold the No. 9 pick, and unless they get lucky in the lottery it’s possible that all the top point guards will be taken by then. Sefko says Dallas may be able to get Dennis Smith Jr. or Frank Ntilikina at the ninth spot, but neither will be ready to start as a rookie. He prefers dealing the pick and another player to get a proven point guard, and mentions the Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio and the Hornets’ Kemba Walker as potential targets.
Keeping their pick could be the worst strategy for the Mavericks heading into the draft, Sefko writes in a separate piece. He sees two options: either trade for veteran help to team with Dirk Nowitzki in what is expected to be his final season or draft the “best player available” and try to improve through free agency and trades. Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague are two free agent point guards who might be available for less than max money.
Tunisian center Salah Mejri was much more comfortable in his second NBA season, he says in an interview with ESPN.com. After making frequent trips to the D-League as a rookie, Mejri played 73 games for the Mavericks this year, averaging 2.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in about 12 minutes per night. “It’s easier and clearer now because last year was a bit crazy for me,” he said. “Go to D-League, come back from the D-League, play, don’t play, dressing, not dressing … everything was new for me. But I’ve learned a lot. I’m still learning, of course. I felt more comfortable with the season.” Mejri is under contract for one more season at nearly $1.5MM.

Western Rumors: Bogut, Blazers, Lawson

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavs center Andrew Bogut is willing to come off the bench, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. That would allow coach Rick Carlisle to start Dirk Nowitzki at center. “He offered to come off the bench, if that’s a better situation for us,” Carlisle told Sefko. “You don’t often get a player of his stature offering to come off the bench for the betterment of the team. But because of his suggestion and this situation, we have that as an option.” Nowitzki faces difficult defense challenges playing power forward against more mobile players and is not used to coming off the bench. The downside is that Bogut is generally considered one of the league’s premier defensive big men.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers need to find improvement from within rather than seeking a solution on the open market, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com argues. Portland’s defensive issues stem from its conservative approach, which forces the second fewest turnovers in the league, Pelton continues. He also points out that the Blazers have to cut down on their penchant for fouling and improve their defensive rebounding. Injuries to forward Al-Farouq Aminu have also contributed to their defensive decline, Pelton adds.
There will be no suspensions or fines regarding the altercation on Tuesday between Rockets forward Trevor Ariza and Mavs center Salah Mejri, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Ariza was ejected after taking exception to something that Mejri said. After the game, Ariza and some of his teammates tried unsuccessfully to confront Mejri outside the Dallas locker room. The game was also marred by eight technical fouls and two flagrant fouls.
Backup point guard Ty Lawson is reviving his career with the Kings, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee examines in a column. Lawson has tenuous job security because of his non-guaranteed contract, Voisin notes, but he has become a big part of the Kings’ rotation. He averaged 15.5 points and 4.3 assists during a four-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday night. “He makes the game really easy for people and gets up and down the floor, and gets in the paint,” coach Dave Joerger told Voisin. “He’s playing really well. It’s been a successful week because of Ty Lawson.” Lawson’s $1,315,448 salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster beyond January 10.

And-Ones: Celtics, Mavs, Suns, Sixers

July 4th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics will likely pick up their $12MM team option on power forward Amir Johnson now that Kevin Durant has opted to join the Warriors, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com tweets. Johnson averaged 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 79 regular-season games with Boston last season. The Celtics are expected to retain fellow power forward Jonas Jerebko, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets. Jerebko averaged 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 78 regular-season appearances last season. Both salaries for the 29-year-old forwards become guaranteed if the Celtics don’t cut them loose by Thursday.

In other news around the league:

The Mavericks are determined to retain center Salah Mejri despite trading for Andrew Bogut on Monday, according to David Aldridge of NBA com (Twitter link). Mejri’s approximate $875K salary for next season becomes guaranteed on July 12th if he remains on the roster.
The Suns will give point guard Tyler Ulis, their second-round pick, the equivalent of a late first-round pick’s contract starting at approximately $1MM, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports. Ulis will receive two guaranteed years with two team option years, just as first-rounders get, Coro adds, though Phoenix is unsure whether Ulis can be the third point guard as a rookie.
Former NBA guard Alvin Williams is working with the Sixers’ coaching staff during Summer League action, and is likely to remain on the club’s staff beyond the summer, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Latvian small forward Davis Bertans is negotiating a deal with the Spurs in the $1.3MM-$2MM range, according to international journalist David Pick. Talks have been ongoing since Friday between San Antonio and the 2011 draft-and-stash prospect, Pick adds (Twitter links). Bertans’ NBA opt-out, which expires in mid-July, is worth the standard $650K.
The Nuggets have added Jordi Fernandez to their coaching staff, according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Fernandez was head coach of the Cavaliers’ D-League team, the Canton Charge.

Mavs Notes: Williams, Mejri, Anderson, Nowitzki

April 24th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Deron Williams is expected to be sidelined through the rest of the Mavericks’ playoff run, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. “I think he’s done for the year,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Saturday’s Game 4 loss to the Thunder. “… I don’t expect him to play in Game 5.” Williams appeared in 65 games this season after signing with the Mavericks last summer following a buyout with the Nets. He averaged 14.1 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game. Williams can opt out of his contract and become a free agent again this offseason.

There’s more news out of Dallas:

The Mavericks should start preparing for their future by giving Salah Mejri and Justin Anderson more playoff minutes, argues Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News. Gosselin says Dallas needs to focus on more players in their 20s rather than those over 30. He adds that Mejri gives the team its best chance to match the Thunder in rebounding. Both players are still on rookie deals, with Mejri, 29, signed through 2017/18, and Anderson, 22, under contract through 2018/19.
Dirk Nowitzki likely would be looking to leave Dallas if he hadn’t won a title in 2011, Gosselin contends in the same piece. The 18-year veteran has a player option for next season at $8,692,184 and could probably get much more to join a contender. But Gosselin thinks the idea of spending his entire career with one franchise is more appealing to Nowitzki than chasing a second ring.
Chandler Parsons expressed a desire to remain in Dallas during a Facebook chat earlier this week, The Dallas Morning News relays. Parsons has a player option worth a little more than $16MM next season. He is sitting out the series with the Thunder and may be done for the year after undergoing knee surgery in late March. “I love it here,” Parsons said. “My focus right now is to be healthy. The city has been great. I can see myself staying here and playing for a long time.”

And-Ones: Cavs, Wiggins, Nets

January 24th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Will Joseph

The Cavs will add veteran assistant Mike Longabardi to new head coach Tyronn Lue‘s staff, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports. Lue and Longabardi spent four seasons together on Doc Rivers‘ staff in Boston, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic notes (on Twitter). Longabardi is expected to take over the defensive specialist role that Lue held, Windhorst adds. The Suns fired Longabardi, who is known as a defensive specialist, from his role as assistant coach in late December.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Andrew Wiggins has not spoke candidly about his feelings regarding the Cavs, the team that shipped him to the Wolves as part of the deal for Kevin Love, and instead has preferred to let his play speak for itself, Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune writes. Wiggins has performed particularly well against the Cavs, as Youngblood points out.
One of the top assistants in the league, like Sean Sweeney of the Bucks, would be a sensible fit for the Nets‘ coaching vacancy because it would be wise for Brooklyn to avoid the long term implications of a flashy hire, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders argues.
Center Salah Mejri, who was recently coming off the bench in the D-League, found himself starting for the Mavs in place of the injured Zaza Pachulia and is making the most out of his opportunity, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays.
Arinze Onuaku, who was with the Wolves at the end of last season, will be signing with the D-League, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv released Onuaku, Pick adds.

Texas Notes: Smith, Lawson, Mejri, Ayres

January 23rd, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Smith made an immediate impact for the Rockets after Friday’s trade, and Dwight Howard tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that he’s happy to have his childhood friend back on the team. Smith flew to Houston immediately after the deal was announced, then had six assists, five rebounds and three blocks in a win over the Bucks. “I thought that me and him together in the playoffs was key,” Howard said. “I thought we really had great chemistry on both ends of the floor. All of us have a crazy type of relationship, especially me and Josh. He’s happy. We’re happy he’s back. We’ll see how it works. I think it’s going to be great.”

There’s more NBA news out of Texas:

Ty Lawson has been playing better, but Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff isn’t ready to make him a starter, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Patrick Beverley has been out of action with a sprained ankle, and Bickerstaff said he will remain in the starting lineup when he returns. “People will earn their minutes,” Bickerstaff said. “So both of them want to play obviously, there’s minutes there for both of them. Whoever is playing the best is going to get those minutes and I think that’s the right thing for the team.” It’s a decision that could affect the long-term future for Lawson, whose $13.2MM salary is non-guaranteed for next season.
Salah Mejri may be earning more court time with the Mavericks, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Tunisian center went through a 31-game stretch without playing earlier this season, but he’s impressed the team lately with his defensive presence. “I don’t hesitate to call anybody’s number on our roster,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “Everybody’s played when it counts. He’s one guy that’s been kind of an odd man out because of our depth at center. … He’s making a case that he deserves some minutes.”
Jeff Ayres, who signed a 10-day deal with the Clippers today, said he understood the Spurs‘ decision not to keep him, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. Ayres said San Antonio explained that there was no room for him after signing free agent David West. “There’s no animosity or anything like that,” Ayres said of coach/president Gregg Popovich. “I understand the business and appreciate how honest he was.” (Twitter link)

Texas Notes: Lawson, Smith, Aldridge, Mavs

January 22nd, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets expect to hang on to Ty Lawson through the trade deadline, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link). The Bucks have been linked to Lawson of late, as Amick says, echoing a recent report from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who said a trade to Milwaukee was nonetheless unlikely. Houston had reportedly been exploring the market for Lawson as the point guard’s camp sought a way for him to see more playing time elsewhere, but the market proved slow. Houston instead struck a deal to acquire Josh Smith from the Clippers. See more on that amid the latest from Texas:

Smith called the idea of returning to the Rockets “amazing” and said in an interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he hopes to deliver leadership to the Rockets and relieve pressure from James Harden and Dwight Howard (All Twitter links here). “I look at that team as being right there, just missing a couple of pieces and I feel like I’m one of those missing pieces,” Smith said to Berman.
LaMarcus Aldridge confirmed that the Suns were the last team other than the Spurs that he considered in free agency this past summer and said that while he enjoyed being the focal point of the Trail Blazers, he’s undergone a change that allows him to take a back seat on the Spurs. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio News-Express has the details. “I don’t see myself being that guy here,” Aldridge said. “This is more Kawhi [Leonard]’s team, and we all fit in around him and try to make his life a little easier. If I was trying to be that guy still, I should have not come. I’m OK trying to help Kawhi be great every night.”
The Mavericks have recalled Justin Anderson, Jeremy Evans and Salah Mejri from the D-League, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The team had just sent the trio on assignment Thursday.

Western Notes: Russell, Karl, D-League

January 21st, 2016 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has been compared to Kings playmaker Rajon Rondo, which suits the rookie just fine, Abbey Mastracco of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “That edge about him,” Russell said of Rondo. “A lot of guys don’t really like him, a lot of coaches don’t really like him, but he still finds a way to win. If that’s what it takes to be a winner in the league, I think I’m going to follow that path.” While Russell would like to emulate Rondo, he also wants to maintain his own identity on the court, Mastracco adds. “Just really being myself my whole career,” Russell said. “I don’t want to turn into somebody I’m not. I can control what I can control and that’s about it. I don’t really worry about those other things. Just trying to keep that positive mentality and being competitive.”

Here’s more from out West:

Kings coach George Karl is happy with the progress his team is making but cautions that there is still much to be done before Sacramento can be considered a legitimate playoff threat, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com writes. “I think as a coach, getting better and improving is the positive of what’s going on right now,” Karl said. “Our record is positive also, we’ve had a good month of January. It hasn’t been an easy schedule. At the same time, we’re in the middle of the season, 41 games left. If we think we’re good I think that would be a mistake right now. We’ve played good basketball, we’re playing better basketball, but we have a lot of work to do.”
The Grizzlies have been uncharacteristically productive from beyond the 3-point line recently, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, with the team connecting on 48.9% of its deep balls over the past three games. “I actually thought the 3-point shot was kind of the difference for us in our favor, which is kind of cool,” coach Dave Joerger said. “We’re starting to make shots.” It’s unclear if the team’s recent success will deter it from pursuing more offensive firepower as the trade deadline approaches.
The Mavericks have assigned swingman Justin Anderson, power forward Jeremy Evans and center Salah Mejri to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. This will be the seventh trip to the Legends on the season for Mejri, the sixth for Anderson and Evans’ third.