San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Gentry, Dekker, Aldridge

October 12th, 2015 at 8:50am CST by Eddie Scarito

While the Pelicans organization believes that former coach Monty Williams did a good job during his tenure with the team, the franchise thinks it can get more out of its current roster with new coach Alvin Gentry at the helm, Rob Mahoney of SI.com writes. “It was an organizational decision,” New Orleans GM Dell Demps said. “Monty did a lot of good things for us; I thought that Monty did a great job of establishing a blue-collar approach. I thought our guys played hard. We did feel that we had come to a point where we wanted a change in leadership and our goal is maximizing our team. We wanted to get a coach that was the best fit for our current team in the short term and the long term, and for our organization and our community. We felt Alvin was the ideal choice. His style of play will be a little different than what we’ve done in the past. Our goal is to maximize our group. The West is so tough right now that you have to maximize your team just to compete.”

Here’s more out of the Southwest:

New Orleans decided to enter the 2015/16 campaign with the majority of its roster returning from a season ago based on the recommendations of the players, Mahoney relays in the same piece. “We felt our group played with a sense of desperation in the latter part of last season,” Demps said. “And at the end of the year, in talking to the players, we felt—and they expressed to us orally—that they enjoyed playing with each other and wanted to continue that. We listened.”
Sam Dekker, who is a small forward by trade, will be utilized by the Rockets primarily as a stretch-four this season in an effort to get him on the court more often, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. “If [Dekker] gets time this year, unless there is an injury, it’s more likely at the four than at the three,” coach Kevin McHale said. “We’ll keep him there. We’ll probably play him a little three also.”
LaMarcus Aldridge is still adapting to life with the Spurs, a transition that he is still struggling to be comfortable with, writes Kevin Ding of BleacherReport.com. “I don’t really handle change well,” Aldridge told Ding. “It’s been weird because I was in Portland for so long, and I kind of know the ways,” he continued. “Things were a little bit tailored to me in a way. Wasn’t too much to have to figure out.“

And-Ones: Extensions, Kentucky, Lakers

October 11th, 2015 at 10:45pm CST by Will Joseph

The Pistons do not seem overly concerned about maximizing on cap space and waiting to the summer to strike a deal with Andre Drummond and it’s more likely than any other potential extension other than Harrison Barnes that the center secures a lucrative extension this month, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein adds that Barnes is also likely to receive a large extension from the Warriors before the league’s deadline for rookie-deal extensions on November 2nd. Stein points out — as we at Hoops Rumors have consistently mentioned where applicable as well — that the window has been pushed back two days (it usually is October 31st).

The Wizards have an opposite approach from the Pistons and instead are hoping to convince Bradley Beal to hold off on a new deal until next summer because the delay could lead to Washington having nearly $10MM in additional salary cap space next summer when it intends to make a run Kevin Durant.

You can view our Extension Candidate series by clicking here.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Rasual Butler likely must beat out Jimmer Fredette and Reggie Williams, among others, for the Spurs‘ final regular season roster spot, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News writes. Butler, 36, knew what the odds were when he signed with the Spurs last month, McDonald adds. Butler, as McDonald points out, has played for five teams since the start of the 2010/11 season.“Some of us have to work a little harder, and you have to be OK with that,” Butler said. “You have to pick your lunch pail up and go to work if this is what you love do to.”
All 30 teams scouted Kentucky’s pro day, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV reports.
Matt Brase will finish the preseason with the Rockets before taking over as coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their NBA D-League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes in a worthwhile profile. Brase was announced as the Vipers’ new coach in August.
The Lakers are hopeful rookie Marcelo Huertas, whose $525,093 contract isn’t guaranteed, can stabilize the second unit, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times details. Huertas has been unable to practice because of a hamstring strain, Pincus adds. “He’s a very, very good floor leader,” Lakers head coach Byron Scott said. “He’s a gutsy, pesky-type guy. He doesn’t back down. He’s going to try to guard you to the best of his ability, and he’s a guy that can make plays for you.”

Western Notes: Kerr, Spurs, Lakers

October 11th, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, that he suffered a spinal fluid leak during his July 28th back surgery on a ruptured disk, which has led to his absence from the team during the preseason. There is no timetable for his return. Luke Walton, the team’s lead assistant, is serving as the interim head coach.

“The leak is fixed, but I’m still getting some symptoms. That’s why I’m out,” Kerr said. “I wanted to be clear to you guys and the fans. I want to be upfront about what’s happened. Because I’m still having symptoms, it makes it difficult for me to be on the floor. The prospects are good. I’m going to heal.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

LaMarcus Aldridge called his preseason debut with the Spurs “a little overwhelming,” Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News relays. “It doesn’t really hit you until you put on a jersey and go play,” Aldridge said. Aldridge is working on learning where to find his new teammates when he gets doubled, McDonald adds.
The Lakers have six players — Ryan Kelly, Metta World Peace, Jabari Brown, Robert Sacre, Tarik Black and Robert Upshaw — competing for the final four roster spots and Upshaw is the “wild card” because of his talent and checkered past, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. Upshaw is a talented shot blocker, but he was also kicked off teams at Fresno State and the University of Washington, as Oram points out. Lakers head coach Byron Scott said it is conceivable that the team will keep four centers, including starter Roy Hibbert, but indicated that would only be in an extreme circumstance, Oram adds.
Wolves coach Sam Mitchell believes Zach LaVine‘s shooting woes are a product of LaVine thinking too much, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Thibodeau, Ginobili

October 11th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle plans to keep and use all four of his point guards, tweets Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. New acquisition Deron Williams, who signed with Dallas after being waived by the Nets this summer, has joined J.J. Barea, Raymond Felton and Devin Harris in a crowded backcourt. “We’re going to keep all our point guards,” Carlisle said. “All those guys, Williams, Barea, Harris, Felton, those guys are going to be on the team.”

There’s more this morning from the Southwest Division:

Dallas has been one of the stops for former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau as he makes the rounds of NBA training camps, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Thibodeau expects the Mavericks to contend for the playoffs even after losing key players such as Monta Ellis, Al-Farouq Aminu, Amar’e Stoudemire and Rajon Rondo. “Rick’s been here a long time, and he’s had to adjust and adapt to injuries, guys leaving in free agency — you have a different team,” Thibodeau said. “But every year, he finds a way to win.”
The Spurs‘ Manu Ginobili may have a more important role off the court than on it this season, writes Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News. The 38-year-old averaged a career-low 22.7 minutes per game in 2014/15, and that number may drop this year. “He’s a leader, and he’s part of the fabric of the team, so none of that changes,” coach Gregg Popovich said of Ginobili. “I’ll probably be conservative with his number of games, and I imagine he will discuss that with me because he won’t fully agree probably and we’ll come to some sort of an arrangement. We always do.”
Jonathon Simmons is surprising the Spurs with his passing ability, according to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. The 26-year-old once averaged 36.5 points per game in the American Basketball League, so the Spurs knew he could score, but he’s getting noticed in camp as a distributor. “This is a team where passing is most important and finding the open guy,” Simmons said. “Just like I’ve done in the past, just thrive on finding gaps – sort of like what LeBron does. … I just know that’s a plus here with guys that can shoot the ball well, so I just try and find the open guy as much as I can.”

Southwest Notes: Clippers, Jenkins, Aldridge

October 9th, 2015 at 7:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Employing daily meditation and a vegan diet, one that he’s trying to convince Anthony Davis to adopt, Chris Douglas-Roberts is taking a more sanguine approach to his career than he used to as he fights for a regular season roster spot on the Pelicans, as John Reid of The Times Picayune details. The Pelicans have six players, including Douglas-Roberts, who don’t have fully guaranteed salary and 13 who do. ”I was a first-team All-American [in college] — top five player in the country — and got drafted second round,” Douglas-Roberts said. ”So I carried a little bit bitterness and anger from that. I still performed when I was given an opportunity. But my energy just wasn’t right. Now my energy is right.”

Here’s more happenings from the Southwest Division:

John Jenkins has impressed Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle with his aggressive play, though Jenkins, a shooting guard by trade, has had his struggles while filling in at point guard due to a number of injuries, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. “The learning curve is always going to be there with young players. You know, we’ve got some young guys that are getting a real chance to play and are learning things. That said, I really like Jenkins. You know, Jenkins has played a real aggressive game both of the last two nights. He’s shown he can handle the ball a little bit. He’s done a good job, and he’s got to continue doing what he’s been doing,” Carlisle told Sneed.
The Rockets have been encouraged thus far by the preseason showings of second-year players K.J. McDaniels and Clint Capela, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle notes. Capela was selected with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and McDaniels re-signed with the team over the summer after having been acquired from the Sixers at last February’s deadline in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
LaMarcus Aldridge, who left the Trail Blazers over the summer to sign a four-year, $84MM deal with the Spurs, is still acclimating himself to San Antonio’s system, but he is pleased with his progress thus far, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. After making his preseason debut against his former team, Aldridge said, “The night was [a] little overwhelming because it doesn’t really hit you until you really go put on the jersey and then you go play. I knew I was in San Antonio, but it doesn’t really hit you until you’re on the court trying to figure out how to run an offense again and things like that. But I think the process has been going well so far.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Parker, Anderson, Lawson, Mavs

October 9th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Tony Parker has let the Spurs know that he wants another three-year deal when his three-year extension that kicks in for this season expires in 2018, as the point guard said to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. That would give him 20 years in the NBA, and after that he’d be ready to retire, Parker told Spears, adding that he’s confident he’ll have a bounceback season after struggling last year.

“It’s very rare for any player in any sport – soccer, football, baseball – to play their whole career with the same team,” Parker said. “So it would definitely mean a lot to me to do like David Robinson and Timmy [Duncan] and Manu [Ginobili]. It would be great to be a part of the history of being with the same team. My time will come soon. But I definitely want to enjoy my last years in the NBA.”

Parker also mentioned to Spears that he sought advice from Steve Nash this summer about how to sustain his body. See more from around the Southwest Division:

Ryan Anderson is entering a contract year and thinks the arrival of new Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry will be beneficial for him, as the stretch four explained to Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. “His up-tempo pace is perfect for this group, and it’s great for me personally,” Anderson said. “[We’re] able to spread the floor, play naturally and go with the flow of the game rather than being really precise and running specific plays or getting over-organized and over-thinking things. There are players that can do a lot of different things and we want to take advantage of that. I think I fit into that category, that there’s a lot of things that I can do in this offense. We’re pushing it up the floor and pushing the pace. That’s good for me.”
James Harden finished second in MVP voting last season, but the Rockets traded for Ty Lawson in part to change Harden’s role in the offense in a way that Harden called for prior to the deal, as Jonathan Feigen writes for Bleacher Report. “With Ty, I think we can take the ball out of [Harden’s) hands, let him play off the catch, let him play a little more free, not having so much ball responsibilities. I think that will help him. I think he’s harder to guard like that,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We talked about that. That was kind of our goal.”
The Mavericks are at a potential turning point for their franchise as they slip farther from the elite, and even Dirk Nowitzki admits, as he enters his age-37 season, that the team doesn’t have a superstar anymore, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

Western Notes: Kroenke, Lillard, D-League

October 7th, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The National Football League gave its OK to Stan Kroenke’s plan to transfer ownership of the Nuggets to his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, satisfying an NFL rule barring its owners from also owning another pro sports team in an NFL city, report Nathan Fenno and Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. Kroenke’s son Josh, who already serves as Nuggets team president and is the team’s representative on the board of governors, will continue to run the Nuggets and the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, Fenno and Farmer add. Stan Kroenke owns the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.

Here’s more from the West:

Damian Lillard, with input from C.J. McCollum, organized a team getaway to San Diego for the Trail Blazers in an effort to draw together all the newcomers from an offseason of upheaval in Portland, writes Anne M. Peterson of The Associated Press. It furthers the notion that Lillard, who signed a five-year max extension this summer, has replaced LaMarcus Aldridge as the team’s central figure, Peterson writes. “It’s still going to take us time to get to know each other. It’s going to take more than a week in San Diego, or getting here early before camp,” Lillard said. “It’s going to take more than that. Being out together in the preseason, we’ll learn more about each other. … I think it’s about the growth, the process.”
The Spurs announced via a press release that Patrick Mutombo and A.J. Diggs have been hired as assistant coaches for their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. “The additions of Patrick and AJ bring a wealth of NBA and player development experience to our team that will serve our group well moving forward,” said coach Ken McDonald. “We are fortunate to continue to attract strong candidates to join our coaching staff.”
The Mavericks‘ rotation at center is unsettled and while it’s not ideal, the team is counting on veteran big man Samuel Dalembert to contribute this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. “Dalembert’s having a solid camp,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Tuesday night’s preseason contest against the Nuggets. “He came in a little bit out of shape. He’s working really hard to get himself where he needs to be. I thought his minutes tonight were positive.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Ferry, Budenholzer, Dragic

October 6th, 2015 at 10:19am CST by Chuck Myron

Mike Budenholzer and former Hawks GM Danny Ferry are close, but Budenholzer encouraged Ferry to resign in September 2014 so that the Hawks could more easily put their racism scandal behind them before the opening of training camp last season, report Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Their piece goes deep into the downfall of Ferry, who instead went on a leave of absence that extended until he took a buyout this past summer, and the team’s previous ownership group, one that had lost money each year since it purchased the franchise in 2004, Arnovitz and Windhorst reveal. Former controlling owner Bruce Levenson had nonetheless structured a long-term deal for Ferry when he hired the executive, one that other GMs called the “Golden Ticket” for its favorability to the former Spurs and Cavs executive, Arnovitz and Windhorst write. Prominent co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. opposed that deal and never saw eye-to-eye with Ferry, who upset him on several occasions, such as when Ferry had harsh words for former coach Larry Drew, according to Arnovitz and Windhorst.

See more on the Hawks amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Gearon didn’t initially take issue with the tenor of Levenson’s racially charged 2012 email — the one that ultimately led to his decision to sell the team, as Arnovitz and Windhorst detail in the same piece. Gearon instead put pressure on Levenson when the email again came up amid an internal investigation that Ferry’s racial comments touched off, and when a reporter was coming close to breaking the story of the scandal, Levenson decided to take a proactive step and announce his intention to sell, the ESPN scribes recount. Levenson remained a fan of Ferry and nearly brought him back before the sale took place, but the team’s renaissance worked against that, as Levenson decided too much was going right to risk disruption.
Goran Dragic is wistful about no longer playing with his brother, but he re-signed with the Heat without assurances they would keep Zoran Dragic and was on board when the team traded him, as he explains to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “I was sad, of course,” Goran said of the trade. “I know how much he wants to be part of a team in the NBA, but I understand this is a business. That’s a better situation for him right now. He’s gonna get playing time. He signed a good deal in Russia. He’s happy. That’s a good thing. Sometimes, for me, when you play with your brother, sometimes it’s a little bit stressful because if he’s not getting playing time, it affects you too. But everything’s good now.”
Jaleel Roberts didn’t think he would end up in training camp with the Wizards after he failed to wow them with his summer league performance, but he’s grateful for the opportunity after an overseas offer didn’t pan out as he expected it to, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.

Southwest Notes: Butler, Ajinca, Green

October 5th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs weren’t the only NBA team interested in Rasual Butler when he signed with San Antonio last month, as a Western Conference suitor lurked, but the 36-year-old finds there’s “no place better to be than here,” reports Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. Butler’s contract is non-guaranteed, but he has a line on a regular season roster spot, according to coach/executive Gregg Popovich, as Young notes.

“He’s a seasoned pro in a sense that he knows himself, he knows what role he can play,” Popovich said. “He’s at a stage in his career where he just wants to be a part of something that’s just positive and good. He obviously can shoot the basketball. If he couldn’t shoot, we wouldn’t be talking to him. You got to have a skill to play. For all those reasons, he’s somebody that’s got a great shot to make our team.”

The Spurs have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, seemingly leaving two available spots on the opening night roster. See more on the Spurs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans backup center Alexis Ajinca will miss the next four to six weeks because of a right hamstring strain, the team announced. New Orleans committed a four-year, $19.5MM deal to Ajinca this past summer, and the team is without any other natural center to play behind Omer Asik, with the possible exception of Anthony Davis. The injury could bode well for power forward Jeff Adrien, the only big man without a fully guaranteed salary on the Pelicans.
Jeff Green says he was frustrated with the lack of a consistent role with the Grizzlies following the midseason trade that took him to Memphis, but he’s optimistic about this year, and coach Dave Joerger is expecting a breakout season, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. Green is set for free agency this coming summer after picking up his $9.2MM player option this past June. “It was tough to not be in one role. One day I’d start, one day I’d come off the bench. I was playing the 3 and the 4. It was tough,” Green said. “It’s hard to do. There’s only a few players that can really do that. I’m thankful to be in that position to be able to do that. But when you come onto a team halfway through the year, having to do that is tough because you never get a grasp of what you really need to do for the team. This year, I have an open mind. It doesn’t matter what position I play, I’m going to give it my all.”
Cory Joseph started for the Spurs most of December last year and wound up seeing only 22 total minutes during the postseason. A similarly occasional place in Sacramento’s rotation has trade acquisition Ray McCallum willing to embrace the same stop-and-start playing time with the Spurs, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News chronicles. Joseph snagged a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this past summer, and McCallum is due for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Spurs Notes: Popovich, Aldridge, Marjanovic

October 4th, 2015 at 4:11pm CST by Will Joseph

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told ESPN’s Sage Steele (h/t Cork Gaines of Businessinsider.com) that he will continue coaching after Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire.

Popovich said that he made a commitment to the newly signed LaMarcus Aldridge. Popovich has four years remaining on a five-year deal that he signed in the summer of 2014. Aldridge’s contract expires at the end of the 2018/19 season.

“Signing LaMarcus [Aldridge], I had to make a commitment,” Popovich said. “I couldn’t say, ‘LaMarcus, we would love to sign you, see you later.’ So I committed to those guys and I committed to LaMarcus. So, I’ve got to fulfill my promise.”

Here is more on the Spurs:

Aldridge and Duncan being able to co-exist is the least of the Spurs’ concerns despite the two All-Star forwards having very similar styles, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News details. Both players prefer to occupy similar spaces on offense — the left block and left elbow — and defensively, one of them will have to defend opposing centers, a role neither has been keen to fill in the past, McDonald adds. After speaking with several players on the team, McDonald found that most of the Spurs find it “comical” that the pairing would not work.
Spurs rookie center Boban Marjanovic, who is 7’3″, said he turned down more lucrative offers in Europe to join the Spurs on a one-year deal worth $1.2MM because it was his “childhood dream,” and added that he is fitting in with a new team and totally different culture, McDonald writes in a separate story.