San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Mozgov, Spurs, Calathes, Scott

October 13th, 2014 at 8:40pm CST by Charlie Adams

Teams asked the Nuggets about potential trades for Timofey Mozgov last winter and throughout the summer, writes Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, indicating that the Cavs aren’t the only opposing club interested in the 7-footer. While Mozgov remains in Denver for the time being, the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth might mean the club is willing to ship him away for a lucrative enough return. As we wait and see if Mozgov remains in blue and gold, let’s round up the latest from out west:

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich indicated that camp invitees Bryce Cotton, Josh Davis, and JaMychal Green are likely to remain with the team through the preseason, tweets Jeff McDonald of the Express-News.
Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal doesn’t necessarily see the Grizzlies signing a fourth point guard for depth while Nick Calathes is out with a 13 game suspension. If Memphis does decide to carry a 15th player into the season, however, a one-guard would be the most likely choice. Herrington adds that he’d like to see what Jon Leuer and Jarnell Stokes can do with Kosta Koufos headed towards free agency.
Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report chronicles the events that culminated in the Lakers’ decision to hire new coach Byron Scott. Ding opines that the extensive history Scott has with the franchise will mesh well with Los Angeles’ young cast of players, making him an exceptional hire for the Lakers.

Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Spurs Release John Holland

October 13th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs have waived camp invitee John Holland, the team announced via press release. San Antonio will be stuck with the $20K partial guarantee it committed to him in the likely event that he clears waivers. The former Boston University shooting guard is reportedly close to signing with Besiktas of Turkey, so it appears the Spurs are accommodating that move.

The 6’5″ Holland didn’t appear in either of the preseason games that San Antonio’s played so far, and he faced long odds to remain on the roster come opening night, since the Spurs have 15 fully guaranteed contracts. Holland, who turns 26 next month, appears poised to return to European basketball, where he’s pursued his career since going undrafted in 2011.

Holland’s release leaves the Spurs with 18 players, all of whom have at least partially guaranteed salaries. Still, Bryce Cotton, Josh Davis and JaMychal Green have only $130K in guaranteed salary split between the three of them, so they seem to be the Spurs most likely to hit waivers between now and the October 27th deadline for teams to set their opening-night rosters.

Western Notes: Diaw, ‘Melo, Cuban, Blazers

October 10th, 2014 at 4:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Boris Diaw‘s contract with the Spurs has some creative additions included in it, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com notes (Insider subscription required). Diaw’s deal begins at $7.5MM and decreases by $500K during the second and third years, ensuring San Antonio is paying the premium up front, when Diaw’s performance will be at its peak, notes Elhassan. The contract also includes up to $500K in annual bonuses if Diaw meets certain weight requirements throughout the season. Lastly, Elhassan notes that the final year of the deal has a guarantee date of July 15, 2017. This will give the Spurs flexibility to cut Diaw should his performance no longer befit his pay, and the later guarantee date means the Spurs can enter 2017 free agency without needing to make a decision on Diaw’s status. Diaw’s third year is partially guaranteed, notes Elhassan, and has a guarantee date of June 30th, 2016.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

Carmelo Anthony visited with the Mavs shortly after they acquired former teammate Tyson Chandler, but Chandler tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post that he wasn’t aggressive in his attempts to recruit ‘Melo to Dallas. “It wasn’t strong,” Chandler said. “I didn’t ever think he was coming. I didn’t think Carmelo was ever leaving New York. I talked to him because it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. But I never thought he was going anywhere. I thought if anywhere he was going it was to the Lakers. But when the Lakers didn’t have a strong enough roster to tempt him.”
Darius Morris and Diante Garrett joined the Blazers this summer with the understanding that they’d have legitimate chances to making the opening-night roster even though they aren’t among the 15 on the team with fully guaranteed deals, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman writes. The team would probably waive Victor Claver‘s guaranteed contract if it elected to keep Morris or Garrett, Freeman speculates. Garrett’s $30K partial guarantee gives him a slight edge over Morris, who has no guaranteed money.
Mark Cuban raised the idea of eliminating guaranteed money from contracts in response to Kevin Durant‘s suggestion that the league abolish maximum salaries, but Durant isn’t on board with the Mavs owner’s idea, observes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Boozer, Exum, Spurs, Jones

October 8th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carlos Boozer is looking to revitalize his career with the Lakers, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “Chicago’s in the rear view, they’re off and running, we’re off and running, so that’s all behind us,” Boozer said. “But moving forward, I just love what I’m doing here in LA.” Boozer is playing for his next contract this season and has an opportunity to put up decent numbers on a marginally talented Los Angles team, which could help him secure a larger free agent deal next summer.

Here’s more from where the sun sets:

Dante Exum‘s journey to the NBA began last year during Nike’s Hoops Summit, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. Speaking about the first time he saw Exum, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said, “Really, it was my first exposure and it allowed me to go back and take a deeper look. At the Hoops Summit, he played more of a two-guard or a wing spot. Really coming out of that week, I didn’t know that he was the passer he is. It took some more research to realize that he had very good vision for an 18-year-old. But we were impressed by his length, his speed and maybe even most importantly, his makeup.”
In their season preview for the Spurs, the crew at HoopsHype predicts that San Antonio will finish first in the Southwest Division and third overall in the west.
Despite being in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, Dahntay Jones appreciates the opportunity that the Jazz have given him, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays. “I’m here to work,” Jones said. “I’m here to defend, and bring leadership. I’m here to keep the ball moving and to make sure guys are talking on defense and to be a part of this developing team.“
The Grizzlies have hired Elliot Perry as Director of Player Support, the team has announced.
Teams can improve their rosters each season through trades and free agency, but franchises also can get better from within. Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM looks at some players in the Southwest division who could take their games to the next level this season, including Kawhi Leonard, Terrence Jones, and Jae Crowder.

And-Ones: Papanikolaou, Popovich, Warriors

October 5th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets forward Kostas Papanikolaou‘s $4,591,066 salary has become fully-guaranteed today since he is still on Houston’s preseason roster past the October 4th trigger date in the revamped deal he inked. This now gives the team 15 fully guaranteed deals out of the 20 on the Rockets’ preseason roster.

Here’s more from around the league:

The pairing of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan is nearing the end. In the past Popovich has been quoted as saying that he would retire when Duncan did, but that might have changed, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Popovich recently said, “That’s very possible. I always said that [he’d leave with Duncan], because it’s kind of a funny line. It seems pretty logical and smart to do that. I know where my bread is buttered. But I basically made the same commitments to Manu Ginobili and to Tony Parker that when they signed contracts, they wanted to know if I’m going to be here and I tell them I am, so it’s pretty tough to go ahead and leave.” Ginobili is signed through next season and Parker is under contract through 2018, but it’s the emergence of Kawhi Leonard that might be a bigger incentive since it will keep the team’s championship window open, opines Lee.
During his first stint with the Raptors and head coach Dwane Casey, James Johnson had a number of confrontations that eventually led to Johnson being suspended and ultimately dealt to the Kings at the end of the 2011/12 season. Johnson is back in Toronto and under the eye of Casey, but things are much improved between them now, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes. Johnson credits a stint in the D-League as what changed him, saying, “I flourished in the D-League. I am happy to say my career was bumpy but going down to the D-league made the old James Johnson not exist anymore.”
There’s a new regime in Golden State with Steve Kerr replacing Mark Jackson as head coach. Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle profiled the Warriors coaching staff and what each brings to the court and to the locker room for the team.

And-Ones: Boucek, Delfino, Lottery

October 4th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Cray Allred

Dallas doesn’t have any openings on their coaching staff, but that didn’t stopping them from welcoming WNBA coach Jenny Boucek to participate in training camp, reports Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. “With Becky Hammon’s hiring [as a Spurs assistant], [female NBA coaching candidates have] become a reality,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. “And I believe it’s going to become even more of a reality going forward, because there are some women who are qualified and Jenny is one of them. A qualified female could bring a unique perspective and perhaps a different set of communication skills.” Here’s more from around the league:

Free agent Carlos Delfino will miss significant time after having foot surgery, Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reports (on Twitter). Delfino hopes to be recovered by February, but doesn’t have a timetable for his return. Delfino missed all of last year while under contract with the Bucks due to injury, and the Clippers waived his 2014/15 salary under the stretch provision after receiving him in the Jared Dudley trade. That timeline will almost surely prevent Delfino from signing anywhere very soon, and he might become a target for 10-day contract offers if and when he recovers, although that’s just my speculation.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com predicts that one of the proposed changes to the NBA lottery system is sure to get approved, and hopes that the league makes the change speedily for the good of the sport.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes that many of the training camp invites around the league are playing more for a roster spot on a team’s D-League than a regular season role with their NBA club. Pincus notes that players with partial guarantees are likely to be cut and receive D-League invites from their current teams, including Bryce Cotton, JaMychal Green, Josh Davis, and John Holland on the Spurs and Peyton Siva, Seth Curry, Kadeem Batts, and Drew Crawford on the Magic.

Josh Howard Attempting NBA Comeback

October 3rd, 2014 at 5:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NBA All-Star Josh Howard is working out in Las Vegas with hope of being picked up for an NBA training camp, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Howard also indicated that he would be open to returning to the NBA D-League, notes Spears. Howard played for the Pelicans’ entry in the summer league this year, but was unable to secure an invite to New Orleans’ training camp. He only saw the court in three of the team’s five contests, and after scoring 14 points in the opening game, he managed just six points combined over his next two appearances.

His last action in the league came during the 2012/13 campaign when he appeared in just 11 games for the Timberwolves. During his ten year career, Howard has appeared in 507 games and averaged 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His career slash line is .448/.332/.770.

Last season was spent with the Austin Toros, the Spurs’ D-League affiliate, where Howard made 24 appearances, averaging 14.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG while playing 29.5 minutes per night. Howard’s season came to an end when the Toros released him following an injury, which was another in a string of knee maladies that derailed the now 34-year-old’s career at its peak.

At this juncture it’s unlikely that he’ll be picked up by a team for training camp unless there are a run of injuries. Howard’s best opportunity may in fact be to return to the D-League, prove that he’s healthy enough to contribute, and possibly snag a 10-day contract later in the season and hope he can turn that opportunity into a long-term deal.

Western Notes: Gee, Mills, Nedovic, Ballmer

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

The players union encourages agents to negotiate contract guarantee dates into non-guaranteed deals for their clients in part to help ward off what happened to Alonzo Gee this summer, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Teams played hot potato with Gee’s contract, which was to remain non-guaranteed until the leaguewide guarantee date in January, and the Kings waived him late last month, in time for him to receive no more than another non-guaranteed pact for the minimum salary with the Nuggets. Gee’s agent Happy Walters didn’t represent the small forward when he signed the contract that teams passed around via trade this summer, and vows to Lowe that he’ll never let a player agree to a non-guaranteed deal without a guarantee date, though it’s unclear what guarantee dates, if any, are involved in Gee’s arrangement with Denver. While we wait to see how that dynamic plays out around the league, and whether Gee can crack the Nuggets opening-night roster, here’s more from around the Western Conference:

The Hornets planned to pursue Patrick Mills last summer but backed off when he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff just as free agency was beginning, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Mills re-signed with the Spurs for three years and $11MM.
Agent Misko Raznatovic is skeptical that the Warriors are giving a fair shot to Nemanja Nedovic, the 30th overall pick in 2013, as Raznatovic tells Saša Ozmo of the Serbian website B92 (Ozmo provides an English translation on TwitLonger). “I don’t know if he’s going to get a proper chance,” Raznatovic said. “They’re promising he will, but we’ll see, he’s had a lot of injuries. I hope everything is going to be all right.” A decision on Nedovic’s third-year team option is due by October 31st.
New Clippers owner Steve Ballmer insists he won’t micromanage coach/executive Doc Rivers as he runs the basketball operations for the team and doesn’t agree with the notion that $2 billion was too much to pay for the team, as Ballmer tells USA Today’s Sam Amick. Ballmer also says to Amick that he intends to own the team “until essentially I die.”

And-Ones: Jordan, CBA, Hornets, Bulls

October 2nd, 2014 at 8:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan is entering the final year of his contract this season. Coach Doc Rivers was asked if there was any chance of Jordan inking an extension with the team prior to him hitting free agency, Rivers responded by saying, “He won’t ever accept an extension. Why would he?,” tweets Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Jordan could only add on three years via an extension, but if he waits to hit free agency he could re-sign with L.A. for five years. The 26 year-old Jordan is set to earn $11,440,123 this season, and will most likely seek a salary in the range of $12MM-$15MM per season on his new deal, though that is just my speculation and not something that Jordan has stated publicly.

Here’s more from around the association:

In his weekly chat Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders opined that the NBPA would most likely opt out of the current CBA in 2017. Coon believes their reasoning for doing so would be that the players feel that they made concessions when the last CBA was inked back in 2011, but now that the league has become more profitable they will want a bigger slice of revenues. Coon also notes that the new national TV deals will be going into place by then, and the players will want to reap in some of that cash as well.
Earl Watson and Jason Fraser have joined the Spurs‘ D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, as assistant coaches, the team announced today.
The Hornets depth in their backcourt rivals any team’s in the NBA, Scott Lauer of NBA.com opines. In the article, Lauer relays what each player brings to Charlotte and he believes that if the team gets solid production from the forward positions, it could turn out to be a very successful season for the team.
In his season preview for the Bulls, Adi Joseph of USA Today predicts big things for the franchise. Joseph has the Bulls improving their win total to 57 and snagging the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

And-Ones: Butler, Spurs, Magic

September 30th, 2014 at 10:25pm CST by Alex Lee

Let’s round up the latest news and notes from the Association on Tuesday night:

Jimmy Butler said extension talks between his representatives and the Bulls were going in the right direction, telling reporters that he wants to remain with the team “however long it takes,” writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. The deadline for an extension is October 31st, but Butler could instead re-sign with the team as a restricted free agent next summer.
Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News examines the Spurs roster, reminding us that San Antonio already has 15 guaranteed deals on the books, as shown in our 2014/15 Expanded Roster Counts. If the Spurs do decide they want to keep Bryce Cotton, Josh Davis, JaMychal Green or John Holland, McCarney opines that they might consider eating the $1.063MM salary of Austin Daye.
Orlando’s deals with Peyton Siva, Kadeem Batts, Drew Crawford and Seth Curry all contain partial guarantees, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The Magic have promised Siva $100K, Batts $150K, Crawford $75K and Curry $100K despite having room for only one more fully guaranteed deal on their roster (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.