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Blazers Notes: Claver, Stotts, Aldridge

May 16th, 2014 at 6:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Victor Claver does not plan on seeking a buyout from the Trail Blazers, reports Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Claver said, “I have one more year on my contract and I want to play one more year.“ He has been unhappy with his playing time, having seen his minutes cut from 16.6 last year to 8.8 per game this season. Claver is scheduled to be paid $1.37MM for the 2014/15 season.

More from Portland:

  • LaMarcus Aldridge was pleased with Blazers coach Terry Stotts‘ extension, reports Mike Tokito of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Aldridge said, “I thought every guy responded for him and played well.“
  • Portland GM Neil Olshey was also pleased with Stotts’ deal, notes Tokito (Twitter link). Olshey said, “As much of a no-brainer as any contract extension that I’ve done.”
  • In a separate tweet Tokito notes that Olshey said that the extension was about the team heading in the right direction, not about winning playoff series.
  • When discussing the Blazers summer goals, Olshey said, “We’re out of the talent-acquisition mode … now we’re about winning games,” tweets Freeman.
  • In a separate tweet by Freeman, Olshey said of Aldridge, “Everybody, including LaMarcus knows, he’s the No. 1 priority in the organization.”
  • Will Barton‘s contract becomes fully guaranteed on July 31st, unless he’s released by the team, which Olshey said would not happen, reports Tokito (Twitter link). Barton is set to make $915,243 next season.
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Western Notes: Kerr, Trail Blazers, Rockets

May 10th, 2014 at 10:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors are growing increasingly pessimistic about their chances of convincing Steve Kerr to turn down the Knicks in favor of Golden State’s coaching job, report Ian Begley and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Warriors fear Kerr is “too deep” into talks with the Knicks at this point, according to the article. Begley and Stein also note that their sources also stressed that Stan Van Gundy is actually the closest thing to a top target at this early stage of Golden State’s search. This feeling is based on the premise that an experienced coach can ensure that the Warriors maintain upward momentum in the competitive Western Conference, per the article.

More from out west:

  • The Trail Blazers should have utilized the NBA D-League to better develop their young players, writes Chris Reichert of SB Nation. Instead of getting players like C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, Victor Claver, and Will Barton some experience and playing time, the team let them sit on the end of the bench, notes Reichert, who believes this is hurting the team’s playoff chances.
  • The Rockets have fired assistant coach Dean Cooper, citing problems with the team’s defense, reports Fran Blineberry of NBA.com (Twitter link). The Rockets ranked 23rd in the league this season in points allowed, giving up an average of 103.1 per contest.
  • The writers at The Commercial Appeal (subscription required) look at the Grizzlies core and the offseason ahead from a GM’s perspective.
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Western Notes: Burke, Clippers, Blazers

October 8th, 2013 at 9:36pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from around the Western Conference.

  • Jazz rookie point guard Trey Burke will get the start in his first preseason game, and his coaches want him to put his struggles behind him. Burke’s starting his professional career in shooting slump that Utah can’t afford to see carry over into the regular season, writes the Salt Lake Tribune’s Aaron Falk.
  • Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes his team can be as good as any he’s ever coached, and that the group is already understanding the principles of his defensive system, writes Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner.
  • Now that rookie guard C.J. McCollum will be sidelined with a broken foot, it’ll be interesting to see who gets his playing time: Will Barton or Allen Crabbe, writes OregonLive.com’s Joe Freeman.
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Blazers Recall Smith, Barton From D-League

January 9th, 2013 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • Nolan Smith and Will Barton were recalled from the D-League by the Trail Blazers, the team announced today (Twitter link). The backcourt duo had been assigned to the Idaho Stampede on Sunday. In a pair of Stampede losses during their assignments, Smith averaged 22.5 PPG and 5.5 APG, while Barton posted 14.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG.
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D-League Moves: Barton, Smith

January 6th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie small forward Will Barton and second-year point guard Nolan Smith to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, the team announced (link via Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com). They will both be sent down in time to appear at the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada.

Barton has appeared in 28 games for the Blazers this season, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG. Smith has played in 18 games and averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.8 APG. We'll keep track of today's NBDL assignments and recalls below:

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Odds & Ends: Knicks, Harden, Terry, Draft

December 12th, 2012 at 10:57pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

  • Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com writes that Mike Woodson has been more successful at coaching Carmelo Anthony than Mike D'Antoni was.
  • James Harden was indifferent in his reaction to reports that the Wizards had rejected an offer from the Thunder to send him to Washington.
  • Jason Terry did not rule out a return to the Mavericks later in his career, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford took a variety of questions from fans relating to the 2013 NBA Draft in a live chat.
  • SNY.com's Adam Zagoria reports that Jabari Parker, the second-rated prospect of the 2014 Draft, is down to Duke and Michigan State in his choice of colleges.
  • Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports that John Wall will have his knee re-examined on Friday.
  • Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that youth is not an excuse for the Cavs' poor play.
  • D.J. Augustin has been a disappointment since signing with the Pacers this summer.
  • Sean Michael Meager of the Oregonian has an interview with Trail Blazers rookie Will Barton about his recent D-League assignment and the adjustment from college to the NBA.
  • Brandon Jennings was perhaps the best player up for a rookie-scale extension who didn't get one, but he's drawing comparisons to Chris Paul and Mike Conley from Bucks coach Scott Skiles for his play this season, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel documents.
  • Stephen Curry is feeling happy with his level of play this season and is not disappointed with his contract extension, he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
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D-League Moves: Claver, Barton, Jackson

December 9th, 2012 at 3:26pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Portland Trail Blazers have recalled rookie forwards Victor Claver and Will Barton from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League, the team announced this morning.

Claver and Barton were sent down on Friday, and played in two games for the Stampede. Barton averaged 19.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG. Claver averaged 11.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.0 APG.

Here are the rest of the D-League moves from Sunday:

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D-League Moves: Thunder, Barton, Claver, Leuer

December 7th, 2012 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with the latest moves up top. To keep tabs on all of this season's D-League assignments and recalls, check out our complete list.

  • The Thunder have recalled Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones III, and Daniel Orton from the Tulsa 66ers, the team announced today (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports). Having recalled DeAndre Liggins from the D-League last week, the Thunder now don't have any players still on the 66ers' roster, though I'd imagine that won't last too long.
  • The Trail Blazers have assigned Will Barton and Victor Claver to the Idaho Stampede, the team announced today (link via Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com). Of the two rookies, Barton has earned more playing time, averaging 8.8 MPG in 16 contests, while Claver has seen limited minutes in just five games. Both players will be with the Stampede for two games before rejoining Portland, according to GM Neil Olshey (Twitter link via Jason Quick of the Oregonian).
  • The Cavaliers have assigned Jon Leuer to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Leuer will join the Canton Charge and be available for the club's game tomorrow. After being claimed off waivers by Cleveland in the offseason, Leuer has appeared in five games for the Cavs, averaging 3.2 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 14.4 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old will be the only member of the Cavs playing in the D-League for now, since the team recalled Kevin Jones earlier this week.
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Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Trail Blazers

November 29th, 2012 at 5:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston heard from head coach Doc Rivers that the Celtics could decide to recall Kris Joseph and possibly Fab Melo up from the D-League while Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are out of action. More notably, after Danny Ainge told WEEI radio that Rajon Rondo would be given a two game suspension (Twitter link), Rivers gave the impression that the team won't necessarily try to make any subsequent roster moves anytime soon. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links from the Association here: 

  • HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says (via Twitter) that the Raptors are weighing their free agent options at the small forward position.
  • Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian of his plans to use D-League assignments accordingly for Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Will Barton, and Nolan Smith. While Olshey thinks that his young players are currently benefitting through their NBA experience, he believes the best time to send them to the Idaho Stampede (their D-League affiliate) would be after they have built a good enough foundation with the coaching staff and need significant minutes to continue developing.   
  • According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK, Thunder GM Sam Presti was spotted at Oklahoma State University's basketball practice to supposedly begin scouting Marcus Smart and Le'Bryan Nash, two college prospects who are currently touted as potential first round picks. 
  • The Nets announced that the right foot sprain which Brook Lopez suffered during last night's game is unrelated to the foot injury he sustained last season, and added that he is only expected to miss the next two games (Howard Beck of the New York Times reports). 
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Northwest Notes: Wolves Injuries, Blazers, Williams

November 20th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from the Northwest Division on Tuesday night:

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