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Western Notes: Heslip, Black, Smith

December 26th, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

D-League standout Brady Heslip is considering a jump to Europe if he doesn’t secure an NBA deal soon, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Heslip, who appeared on the Wolves’ Summer League roster after going undrafted out of Baylor, is averaging a blistering 27.1 PPG for the Reno Bighorns while completing 49.4% of his shots from beyond the arc. The Kings were close to signing the sharpshooting guard, according to Stein (Twitter link), but that was before Mike Malone was dismissed as coach. Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi hears Heslip has an offer from Baskonia of Spain.

Here’s more from out West:

  • Tarik Black wasn’t surprised when he was waived by the Rockets in order to accommodate Josh Smith’s signing, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston details. “You got an undrafted free agent and you got Josh Smith, superstar,” Black said. “I think most GMs would have taken him. It happens. It’s business… I’m so thankful to the city of Houston. I still love this team.“
  • Rockets coach Kevin McHale said that he would determine exactly how Smith would be used over time, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I hate to put guys out there until they’re comfortable,” McHale said. “He’ll get some run. We’ll play everything by ear. All that stuff takes care of itself moving forward. He’s been a quality player in this league for a lot of years. I see him continuing to be a quality player.”
  • Smith was pursued by a number of contending clubs, but he chose the Rockets over the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Heat and Kings because when considering his skills and Houston’s style of play, the Rockets were the best fit, Feigen adds. “I just feel like with the guys they have along on the roster, all the talent, and the opportunity to do something special for the rest of this year and in the postseason, this was the most attractive place to be,” Smith said.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

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Rockets Waive Tarik Black, Sign Smith

December 26th, 2014 at 11:22am CST by Arthur Hill

11:22pm: The Rockets have formally announced the signing of Smith and the waiving of Black.

10:49am: Unable to find an acceptable deal to open a roster spot for Josh Smith, the Rockets waived center Tarik Black today, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes in a full story. Citing an unidentified league source, Wojnarowski says the Rockets have decided to part ways with the rookie center out of Kansas. He adds that the team hopes Smith can complete a physical and sign a contract in time to play tonight against the Grizzlies, but that remains uncertain at this point.

Smith, who was waived Monday by the Pistons, announced his intention to join the Rockets even before clearing waivers on Wednesday. With Houston already having 15 players on its roster, an opening had to be created. The Rockets spent the past two days trying to work out a deal involving Black, Nick Johnson, Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey or Clint Capela. Of the five, Black was the only one without a fully guaranteed contract. He signed a two-year, partially guaranteed deal in August.

Wojnarowski says several teams are interested in claiming Black. He has already earned more than the partial guarantee amount on his non-guaranteed contract. The money that Black has already earned will stick on Houston’s cap figure if he clears waivers, but another team will assume that amount on its cap if it claims him.

Black averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25 games with the Rockets, and started 12 games when Dwight Howard was out of the lineup with knee pain. He earned a roster spot with the Rockets after an impressive performance in the summer leagues.

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Rockets Put Five On Trade Block

December 24th, 2014 at 10:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets are trying to make deals involving five players in order to create a roster spot for Josh Smith, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The available players are Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.

Smith, who was released Monday by the Pistons, cleared waivers Wednesday afternoon and announced publicly that he plans to sign with Houston for the team’s $2.077MM biannual exception. However, the Rockets have the maximum 15 players under contract and cannot make Smith a formal offer until an opening is created. Stein said the Rockets are confident they can work out a deal, and would prefer a trade to waiving one of the players.

Black is the only one of the five without a fully guaranteed contract, agreeing to a two-year, partially guaranteed deal in August. Canaan makes $816K this year and a non-guaranteed $947K next season. Dorsey will be paid more than $948K this season and more than $1MM next year. Capela and Johnson are both rookies. Capela, a first-round draft pick, makes $1.189MM this year and is under team control through 2018/19. Johnson, a second-rounder, earns a little over $500K and is under team control through 2017/18.

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2014 Camp Invitees Who Remain On NBA Rosters

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Players face a daunting challenge when they arrive at NBA training camps without guaranteed money on their contracts. Most teams enter October with all but one or two of the spots on their opening-night rosters already spoken for. Camp invitees can occasionally convince a team to eat a guaranteed contract to open up an extra spot, as was the case with Charlie Villanueva and the Mavericks this year, but for the most part, regular season jobs are limited to those who proved their worth long before the preseason began.

Still, Villanueva is one of more than a dozen NBA players who remain on NBA rosters after signing non-guaranteed contracts in the offseason. Villanueva is like most such players in that he has extensive NBA experience. Few rookies made it to opening night on non-guaranteed deals, in part because teams often slip nominal partial guarantees of $100K or less to younger players to entice them sign on the premise that they’ll be cut and end up with the team’s D-League affiliate. That’s often a less lucrative route for those players than signing overseas would be, so the extra cash of a partial guarantee helps offset that difference.

Knicks longshot Travis Wear might be the most notorious of this year’s training camp long shots who stuck around for the regular season, but his $62K guarantee keeps him off the list below. The same is true for Rockets rookie Tarik Black, who’s surprisingly emerged as Dwight Howard‘s backup. There had been some confusion about whether his contract was partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed, but multiple sources tell Hoops Rumors that Black’s salary is partially guaranteed for $50K this season.

Long-tenured veterans rarely end up in the D-League, so they aren’t usually afforded the same small guarantees given to rookies or players with limited NBA experience. Still, there are a few rookies who are on NBA rosters without guaranteed salary, including Joe Ingles, who appeared to have come up short in his quest to make it to opening night before the Jazz claimed him off waivers from the Clippers. K.J. McDaniels, the 32nd overall pick in this year’s draft, had a leg up on most non-guaranteed rookies, given his draft position, and he’s only on a non-guaranteed deal because he signed Philadelphia’s required tender after rejecting a long-term deal from the club.

Alonzo Gee‘s salary is fully guaranteed, but it was non-guaranteed throughout the preseason as he battled to remain on the Nuggets roster. The same was true for Nets center Jerome Jordan, who earned a $100K partial guarantee when he stuck around. Those two are on this list, but A.J. Price isn’t. Price made it to opening night on his non-guaranteed contract with the Cavs, but he didn’t last much longer, as Cleveland cut him loose to sign Will Cherry this weekend. Players who signed prior to this past offseason on multiyear deals that included non-guaranteed salary for 2014/15 don’t appear on this list, either, owing to the benefit that incumbency gave them on their newly signed teammates.

Caveats aside, here are the players who are still on NBA rosters after signing non-guaranteed deals this summer:

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Texas Notes: Parsons, Black, Cuban

October 7th, 2014 at 10:01pm CST by Charlie Adams

We’re just three weeks away from opening night in the NBA, when the Mavs will square off against the Spurs in a matchup between two teams from the Lone Star State. San Antonio might look like a preseason favorite to take home a second consecutive title, but a fantastic offseason in Dallas should mean the Mavs have a shot themselves at making some serious noise in the West. Let’s have a look at the latest out of Texas:

  • Earlier today, Marc Stein of ESPN.com rounded up the events that led to Chandler Parsons‘ departure from the Rockets this summer. The 25-year-old forward suited up against his former club tonight to kick off his career with the Mavs, but he said the game didn’t carry any extra meaning despite who he was facing, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle transcribes. “Just because it’s them, it’s a little different because I know those guys and it’s the first time we play against them,” said Parsons. “But at the end of the day, it’s a chance to see where we stand right now.”
  • Rockets coach Kevin McHale won’t rush to determine which players will fit into the club’s regular rotation, Feigen writes in a separate piece. Reserves Ish Smith, Jeff Adrien, and Tarik Black have been particularly impressive, Feigen hears. Black is the only member of the group on a non-guaranteed pact, and Houston is already carrying the league max of 15 guaranteed deals. However, his solid performance in camp might speak well of Black’s chances to make an NBA club, even if it’s not in Houston.
  • There have been rumblings that some superstar players might want maximum contracts taken out of the next CBA, and Mark Cuban suggests such an idea might not be out of the question if the players are willing to forfeit some guaranteed money and agree to allow contract structures similar to the ones found in the NFL. Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com has all the details.
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Rockets Sign Tarik Black

August 27th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Alex Lee

6:50pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

6:33pm: Black’s deal with the Rockets is for two years and is partially guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter).

6:02pm: The Rockets have come to an agreement with Tarik Black, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). After going undrafted in June out of Kansas, Black played 13 games with Houston this summer between Las Vegas and Orlando. He was particularly impressive over five games in Orlando, averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds on 60 percent shooting in 20 minutes per contest.

Black, a 6’9″ forward, is probably a long shot to make a Rockets team that has 14 guaranteed contracts on the books, not to mention a handful of non-guaranteed ones. However, as Feigen notes, Black might be a good bet to end up on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate. The 22-year-old Black was a heralded recruit coming out of high school, playing three years at Memphis before graduating early and transferring to Kansas for his senior season to play alongside Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid. Black averaged 5.5 points on 69.2 percent shooting in his lone season in Lawrence.

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Draft Notes: Lakers, Gordon, Smart, Ennis

June 20th, 2014 at 3:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers will audition Zach LaVine for a second time on Saturday, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, and they’d like to be able to do the same with Doug McDermott, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who writes in an Insider-only piece. The Lakers are also the only team for which Aaron Gordon has worked out twice, as he told reporters, including Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Here’s more from around the draft scene:

  • The Sixers would like to meet with Gordon, too, and they have an audition scheduled Saturday for Marcus Smart, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding tweets.
  • Tyler Ennis, Cleanthony Early, Roscoe Smith, Eric Moreland, Ojars Silins and Viktor Gaddefors are performing for the Suns today, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). It’s Smith’s second workout for the team, Coro notes.
  • It appears as though Jarnell Stokes hasn’t had a chance to make up workouts he had to cancel with the Sixers, Celtics and Hawks when he suffered injuries in a car accident, as Andy Katz of ESPN.com details. He has auditioned for the Rockets and Spurs, among previously reported teams, since his recovery, according to Katz.
  • Tarik Black, Sean Kilpatrick, Nick Russell and Philipp Neumann are among those showing off for the Bucks today, the team announced (Twitter link).
  • The Lakers added South Carolina power forward Matthew Hezekiah to today’s workout group, Pincus notes (on Twitter).
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And-Ones: Cavs, Draft, Pelicans, Wolves

June 13th, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs coaching search may be down to just three candidates, writes Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal. While some names are still being mentioned, Finnan (hat tip to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders) believes the finalists are Clippers assistant coaches Alvin Gentry and Tyronn Lue and former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt.

Here’s more from around the association:

  • The Nuggets are planning to bring in Tyler Ennis, Zach LaVine, James Young, Clint Capela, Casey Prather and Tarik Black for workouts on Saturday, reports Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link).
  • The Timberwolves tweeted that Adreian Payne, Justin Cobbs, Kyle Anderson, Cory Jefferson, Markel Starks and Jamil Wilson all have workouts scheduled with the team.
  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports (Twitter link) Russ Smith, Jahii Carson, and Jordan Morgan worked out for the Wolves on Wednesday.
  • Adi Joseph of USA Today looks at the draft needs of the Pelicans. The team currently doesn’t have any picks, but they are reportedly trying to acquire one. According to the article, the team’s biggest needs are at small forward, center, and point guard.
  • In a separate article, Joseph looks at the draft needs of the Timberwolves. According to Joseph, the team’s priorities should be at point guard, and both forward spots.
  • The crew over at Basketball Insiders (video link) analyze the 2014 free agent class and where each player may end up.
  • In a separate article, the latest mock draft from Basketball Insiders has them split over who will be the first-overall pick–Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid.
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Draft Notes: Gordon, Napier, Spurs, Raptors

June 5th, 2014 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The draft is three weeks from tonight, and players continue to travel around North America to show off for teams and make the best of their chances. Here’s the latest:

  • The Jazz are among the teams on Aaron Gordon‘s workout schedule, tweets Sean Cunningham of News10 Sacramento.
  • Shabazz Napier is set to audition for the Bulls today, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Spurs are working out Cleanthony Early, Glenn Robinson III, and Isaiah Austin today, according to Goodman (via Twitter).
  • The previously unreported prospects showing off for the Raptors today are the similarly named DeAndre Kane, DeAndre Daniels, K.J. McDaniels and C.J. Fair, the team announced.
  • The Suns worked out Aaron Craft, Markel Starks, Tarik Black and Casey Prather on Wednesday, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
  • Bryce Cotton will audition for the Sixers next week, as agent Harold B. Woolfalk tells Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Daily News.
  • The Knicks are set to get a look at Arkansas State forward Kirk Van Slyke today, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
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Draft Notes: Sanchez, McRea, Williams

May 28th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest information regarding the rapidly approaching NBA Draft:

  • Javon McRea has scheduled workouts with the Bulls, Sixers, Grizzlies, Raptors, and Magic, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). McRea is projected as a second round pick.
  • Chaz Williams is scheduled to work out for Celtics on Monday, tweets Josh Newman of SNY.tv.
  • Jerrelle Benimon will work out on Friday for the Sixers, and has workouts scheduled next week with the Knicks and Bulls, and the following week with the Hawks, Hornets, and Mavericks, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal looks at the draft prospects and workout schedule of former University of Memphis guard Joe Jackson. Smith adds the Knicks, Rockets and Mavs to the list of teams auditioning Jackson. Jackson’s college teammate Tarik Black will work out for the Grizzlies, and Geron Johnson, another ex-Tiger, will show off for the Knicks and Rockets.
  • Jordan Bachynski tweeted that he worked out for the Bulls today. The 7’2″ center is projected as a possible late second-round pick.
  • Former Nevada point guard Deonte Burton will work out for the Bucks on Thursday, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
  • Former St. John’s forward Orlando Sanchez is scheduled to work out with the Sixers on Friday, tweets Zagoria. Sanchez averaged 7.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.4 APG last season.
  • Daniel Leroux of RealGM breaks down the best and worst fits for each projected lottery pick in this year’s draft.
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