T.J. Ford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Youth Movement, Asian Influence, Seattle

November 9th, 2017 at 9:30pm CST by Austin Kent

The current crop of NBA rookies is one of the best that hoops fans have seen in years, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders writes. The scribe cites Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum as two first-year players who’ve looked poised and dominant in significant roles out of the gates.

It’s not just a top-heavy class either, however, all of Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen and Donovan Mitchell have impressed over the course of their first months in the NBA.

The youth movement may not be limited to the 2017/18 season though. Marc Spears of The Undefeated recently profiled the 12 best collegiate players who could make an impact at the NBA level as early as next season, going so far as to declare that Michael Porter Jr. should have greater star power than anybody in the 2017 class.

There’s more around the league:

As the world economy shifts, more and more prominent Asian businesses and billionaires are looking to buy into the NBA. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune breaks down the trend that formally started when Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor sold a 5% stake in the franchise to Lizhang Jiang.
While Tim Leiweke remains confident that he and his Oak View Group represent Seattle’s best chance of regaining an NBA franchise, it’s not necessarily going to happen as soon as some fans would hope. He spoke on the topic at length with Q13’s Bill Wixey.
The BIG3 will add retired point guard T.J. Ford to its ranks, an ESPN report says. The guard averaged 11.2 points and 5.8 assists per game over the course of 306 NBA starts in eight seasons.

Management Rumors: Bird, Grunfeld, Petrie

March 23rd, 2012 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

We've got plenty of rumors and notes today involving coaches, GMs, and team presidents, so let's round them all up in one place:

Pacers president Larry Bird is set to retire at season's end, reports Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. Speaking to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Bird denied that he'd made a decision one way or the other yet.
Vecsey also wrote that Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension offer, but Michael Lee of the Washington Post says that's not true. One source told Lee the report was "made up," while multiple sources said Grunfeld has not been offered an extension.
"Word has it" that Kings president Geoff Petrie will sign a new deal soon, according to Vecsey. So far, Petrie hasn't refuted this one.
Amidst rumors that Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat in Los Angeles, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Del Negro is miscast coaching the current Clippers squad. Arnovitz cites a "profound disparity" between the pre-Chris Paul and post-Chris Paul goals for the Clippers, and argues that the team may need a new coach for its new era. For his part, Del Negro refuted reports that suggested he'd lost the team.
Recently retired T.J. Ford will become a volunteer assistant coach for the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, says Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman.

Warriors Waive T.J. Ford

March 17th, 2012 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors have waived point guard T.J. Ford, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Ford, who had been playing for the Spurs, announced his retirement this week and was included for financial reasons in the deal that sent Richard Jefferson to the Warriors and Stephen Jackson to the Spurs.

Ford was on a one-year minimum-salary contract for $1,223,166. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 assists in 13.6 minutes as a backup for San Antonio this season. In his eight-year career, he averaged 11.2 PPG and 5.8 APG before injuries drove him to call it quits just shy of his 29th birthday.

Spurs, Warriors Swap Jefferson, Jackson

March 15th, 2012 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs and Warriors have agreed to a trade that will send Richard Jefferson and T.J. Ford to Golden State and Stephen Jackson to San Antonio, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Warriors will also receive a conditional first-round pick in the deal, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.

Jackson, who was acquired by the Warriors earlier this week, is a favorite of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Unlike Jefferson, who still has two years and $21MM+ remaining on his deal after this season, Jackson will be entering the final year of his contract this summer. He's set to earn just over $10MM next season.

Ford recently announced his retirement, so he was only included in the trade for financial purposes.

T.J. Ford Announces Retirement

March 12th, 2012 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

11:54am: Ford announced his decision via Twitter: "It's official " I Retire from the NBA " as of today."

10:49am: Following a neck injury that forced him out of action last Wednesday, T.J. Ford has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence while he contemplates retirement, according to a statement from the Spurs. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links), Ford himself says his career is over.

"After last Wednesday, I felt being on the floor and being in that position one too many times," Ford said. "I feel like that was enough for me…. That was the last basketball game you’ll see me play.

"It’s tough because I know I can still play," Ford added. "If I had to play today, I could play. The tests came back negative. I just felt mentally and physically, my body has taken enough."

Ford, 28, has been limited to 102 games in the last three seasons, including just 14 this year, due to various injuries. Although Ford's most recent injury was diagnosed as just a neck stinger, the incident was particularly scary given the point guard's history of neck and spine issues.

Ford has played for the Bucks, Raptors, Pacers, and Spurs over the course of his nine-year NBA career, with averages of 11.2 points and 5.8 assists in 429 career games. If 2011/12 ends up being his final season, he'll have earned about $43MM in the NBA, according to Basketball-Reference.

Minor Moves: Gadzuric, Cavs, Ford, Tyler, Cousin

March 6th, 2012 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll keep tabs on all of Tuesday's notable international and D-League-related moves right here:

Less than a week after signing with the D-League, Dan Gadzuric has already been traded, and will join the Texas Legends, tweets Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside.
The Cavaliers have assigned Christian Eyenga and Luke Harangody to the Canton Charge, the team's D-League affiliate, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). It's the second D-League assignment this season for both players.
Having finished his one-day stint with the Austin Toros, T.J. Ford has been recalled by the Spurs, the team announced today. Ford is returning from a torn left hamstring that has sidelined him for all but ten games this season.
The Warriors have recalled Jeremy Tyler from their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Tyler played five games for the Dakota Wizards during his assignment, averaging 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.
Marcus Cousin, not to be confused with DeMarcus Cousins, has signed with Venezuela's Guaiqueries de Margarita, according to Sportando. The 6'11" Cousin appeared in four games with the Jazz last season.

Minor Moves: T.J. Ford

March 5th, 2012 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll round up any notable international and D-League-related moves here throughout the day:

The Spurs announced they've assigned T.J. Ford to the Austin Toros for a one-day rehab stint. The Spurs' D-League affiliate doesn't play its next game until Thursday, so Ford will simply practice with the team before rejoining San Antonio on Tuesday. Ford tore his left hamstring earlier in the new year and has missed nearly two months of action.