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Western Notes: Clarkson, Thomas, Wolves

August 9th, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Cray Allred

With a trade looming that will send Kevin Love to Cleveland, the many Western Conference contenders will have a more daunting team to potentially face in the Finals, and the Bulls are set to improve mightily as well. Still, the West features more proven juggernauts like the Spurs and Thunder at this stage. Here’s a look around the stronger conference:

Jordan Clarkson is expected to sign with the Lakers before training camp, reports Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Clarkson was Los Angeles’ 46th pick in this year’s draft.
It appears DeShaun Thomas will play another year overseas, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports the Spurs 2013 second-round pick is close to signing with an Italian team.
John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders says it’s time for Ricky Rubio to take on a leadership role for the Wolves now that Love is departing. Rubio has dazzled as a distributor, but will have to improve as a shooter to help Minnesota recover from the loss of Love, writes Zitzler.
Meanwhile, expectations will be sky high for Andrew Wiggins, whom the Wolves will acquire in the Love deal. Bill Self, who coached Wiggins at Kansas, tells Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune that the wing will be great, but still needs to be pushed. “He absolutely was too nice [before arriving at Kansas],” said Self. “And he’s still too nice. [Wolves coach Flip Saunders] will have to get more of that dog in him. He’s just young.’’

Paul George To Miss Season

August 6th, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 8:04pm: The Pacers will apply for the disabled player exception, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. This confirms that Indiana has ruled George out for the season. The exception requires medical prognosis of a player’s absence for the entire year. If granted the exception, the Pacers will have $5.305MM to spend to replace George through free agency. The exception doesn’t reduce George’s cap hit, meaning Indiana is unlikely to use the full exception and exceed the luxury tax line. Applying for, receiving, or using that exception will not preclude George from returning in 2014/15, should he make an unexpected speedy recovery.

SATURDAY, 8:33am: Sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that doctors believe Pacers swingman Paul George is likely to miss all of next season after suffering a horrific injury to his right leg early in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Team USA intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas. No official prognosis has been given yet.

The injury occurred when George attempted to block a transition layup by James Harden, and George’s leg came down awkwardly and buckled as he knocked into the basket stanchion. George then remained down on the court as trainers, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and members of George’s family who were present rushed to his side. His leg was placed into an air cast and after approximately 15 minutes, George was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and surgery. The scrimmage was then cancelled in light of the devastating turn of events.

In a statement released after surgery was completed, posted by Windhorst, USA Basketball confirmed that George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture and is expected to remain hospitalized for about three days. Windhorst’s sources also informed him that there didn’t appear to be additional damage besides the fractures. Dr. Riley Williams, a Team USA orthopedist who also works with the Nets, was with George, notes Windhorst.

The most recent example of a similar injury and possible recovery time is the leg injury that then Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Ware missed roughly nine months of action, then returned to the court during the 2013/14 season, but after nine games decided to redshirt the remainder of the season to allow the leg to fully heal.

The injury to George has already caused a number of NBA owners and GM’s to rethink their stance on letting their star players participate in international play, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). One GM told Wojnarowski that this would be a “game changer” going forward. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes that the current NBA deal with FIBA states that teams can’t bar players from international competition unless there’s “reasonable medical concern” going in. This was recently demonstrated when the Spurs denied Manu Ginobili permission to participate in the FIBA World Cup due to the recovery time needed for the stress fracture in his leg.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the injury, or the impact on participation in USA Basketball, writes Windhorst. But Colangelo did say, “This is a tough blow, not only for USA basketball but for the Indiana Pacers. And so as an organization we’re just going to let a little time go by here before we address rosters. … It seems so unimportant in the scheme of things. When you have something like this, it puts things in perspective.”

The team had planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players today but put off those plans after George’s injury, notes Windhorst. Coach Krzyzewski said in regards to those plans, “Everything’s on hold, and it should be. It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when there is an injury like this.”

As for the impact on the Pacers, if George is indeed out for the season, then Indiana would be able to apply for a disabled player exception. The exception would be equivalent to the amount of the $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Disabled player exceptions are for either half the player’s salary or the mid-level, whichever is less–which in this case would be the mid-level seeing as George is scheduled to make $15,937,290 during the 2014/15 season. But the Pacers would be unlikely to use the entire disabled player exception due to them being roughly $2MM shy of the tax line.

Spurs Sign JaMychal Green

August 6th, 2014 at 5:22pm CST by Cray Allred

The Spurs have signed forward JaMychal Green per a team announcement. The 24-year-old has been under the radar since signing in France last year, as evidenced by his sparse Hoops Rumors player page.

The deal is partially guaranteed, and runs for two years, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. San Antonio has 14 guaranteed contracts already on the books for 2014/15, and restricted free agent Aron Baynes and summer signee Bryce Cotton have potential to take the last spot. Cotton’s signing is relevant in considering Green’s arrangement, as the former will receive only $50K in guaranteed money if he fails to make the Spurs’ opening night roster. The Spurs extended a qualifying offer to Baynes and are interested in bringing him back.

Green went undrafted in 2012 and spent all of 2012/13 in the D-League. He spent training camp with the Clippers last year, but was cut before the season. He averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG on .496 shooting in the D-League.

Spurs Name Becky Hammon Assistant Coach

August 5th, 2014 at 11:52am CST by Chuck Myron

Becky Hammon has become just the second woman to hold a formal NBA assistant coaching position, as the Spurs announced in a press release today that they’ve hired her for their staff. Lisa Boyer was on the Cavs bench in 2001/02. Natalie Nakase served as an assistant coach in the summer league with the Clippers this year.

“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said in the team’s statement. “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”

Hammon will team with fellow Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, who joined the staff earlier this summer in an unusual, though not unprecedented, jump from overseas. David Blatt became the first coach to go from leading an overseas club to a head coaching position in the NBA when the Cavs hired him in June. The NBA also broke ground this year when the Nets signed Jason Collins, who became the first openly gay male athlete in the NBA, NFL or Major League Baseball.

The Spurs made Hammon an unofficial coaching intern of sorts this past season when she accepted their invitation for her to shadow the coaching staff during games, practices and meetings, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News detailed in February. The 37-year-old Hammon is in her final season as a WNBA player as she wraps up a 16-year career in the league. She’s spent the past eight summers as a member of the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars, who fall under the same ownership umbrella as the Spurs.

Texas Notes: Ginobili, Parker, Nelson

August 2nd, 2014 at 3:42pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Spurs sent Manu Ginobili a letter prohibiting him from participating in the FIBA World Cup, but the veteran guard held out hope that he would be able to join Argentina at the tournament in Spain, writes Dan McCarney of the Express-News. It was only after Ginoboli started experiencing leg pains related to his fracture during workouts that he realized participation in the tournament wasn’t worth the risk of injury. Here’s more from the Lone Star State:

The recently extended Tony Parker is excited to remain a member of the Spurs, and he plans on finishing his career with San Antonio, passes along Jeff McDonald of the Express-News. “I’m very happy and I want to play for the Spurs my whole career and be a Spur for life,” said Parker, who will be 36 when his deal ends, “I love San Antonio and want to live here when my career is over. I love the city, I love the people and our great fans. I couldn’t be happier.”
Jameer Nelson told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that the Mavs’ shot at great success is what drew him to the team. “I’ve dealt with the process of rebuilding, and it’s tough,” said Nelson. “I want to win. I don’t want to sit back and develop anymore.”
Nelson also mentioned to Robbins that he wishes the Mavs could have worked out an agreement with unrestricted free agent Shawn Marion, implying it’s unlikely the two sides come to terms.
When asked if there was any truth that Dwight Howard, Nelson’s former teammate in Orlando, had tried to recruit Nelson to the Rockets, the veteran guard laughed and stopped short of addressing the question.

And-Ones: Parker, Brewer, Melo

August 2nd, 2014 at 12:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The minimum salaries for Khris Middleton and Draymond Green became fully guaranteed at the end of Friday when they remained on the rosters of the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to the salary data that Mark Deeks of ShamSports compiles. Justin Hamilton of the Heat earned a partial guarantee of $408,241 when Miami kept him through Friday, while Cavs power forward Erik Murphy wound up with a partial guarantee of $100K.

Here’s more from around the league:

This has been a whirlwind offseason with numerous players changing teams. Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders looks at five players who will benefit most from their change of scenery.
Brazilian big man Fab Melo is returning home to sign with Paulistano of his native country, the team announced Friday (hat tip to Sportando). The Celtics selected Melo with the 22nd pick in 2012, but the seven footer only played six games in the NBA in 2012/13 and bounced around the D-League last season after failing the make the Mavs roster in training camp.
Former NBA player Darius Johnson-Odom has signed with Acqua Vitasnella Cantù of the Italian League, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Johnson-Odom appeared in three games for the Sixers as well as seeing stints in China and the NBA D-League last season.
Spurs GM R.C. Buford indicated that the team and newly-extended point guard Tony Parker had a mutual interest in an agreement, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links here). “His play warranted the commitment of the organization,” Buford said. “He made a commitment to our organization, too, by doing this now and taking himself out of a free agency opportunity a year from now. It was important to him and us to capitalize off the momentum this year creates and not have to worry about it at a later date.”
The Timberwolves aren’t willing to move Corey Brewer in any deal involving Kevin Love, reports Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Brewer is staying in Minnesota, writes Krawczynski.

Chuck Myron and Alex Lee contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Parker, Fredette, Johnson

August 1st, 2014 at 6:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s a month into free agency, and while the pace has slowed, details are still coming in from July’s rush of signings. There’s also new information on moves that happened just this afternoon, as we detail:

The second year in the deal between the Heat and Williams is non-guaranteed rather than a team option, clarifies Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

Tony Parker‘s extension with the Spurs is without option clauses, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports, and is indeed for the max, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Jimmer Fredette‘s minimum salary with the Pelicans this year is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned.
The one-year deal the Lakers gave Wesley Johnson is fully guaranteed, a source tells Hoops Rumors.
Kings signee Eric Moreland‘s salary for this year is partially guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Shawne Williams‘s contract with the Heat is a two-year arrangement that’s fully guaranteed for this season and features a team option for next year, agent Happy Walters tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Spurs Sign Tony Parker To Extension

August 1st, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:49pm: Wojnarowski, in his full story, pegs the value of the three-year extension at nearly $45MM, so it appears as though Parker is getting the max of $43,335,938.

1:21pm: The extension covers three seasons, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That takes it through 2017/18.

12:55pm: The Spurs have signed Tony Parker to a multiyear extension, the team announced via press release. It’s the third extension that Parker has signed with San Antonio over the course of his career. He’s set to make $12.5MM this year in the final season under the terms of his most recent extension. It’s not immediately clear just how long or lucrative Parker’s latest deal is.

There’d been no public talk that the extension had been in the works, as is typical with the San Antonio organization. The news of Gregg Popovich‘s extension earlier this month was similarly sudden. Still, the notion that Parker intends to stick around the Spurs for a while longer is certainly no shock, and the same was the case with Popovich. Parker has been confident that he would remain in San Antonio and told close associates that he had no desire to relocate his family, tweets Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News.

Parker’s salary for this season had been only partially guaranteed for $3.5MM, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, but as expected the Spurs kept him past June 30th, when the salary became fully guaranteed. The maximum value of an extension that the Creative Artists Agency client could have signed would be $43,335,938 over three years, as Deeks points out via Twitter. That’s much less than Parker could have received if he signed a new contract as a free agent next summer. Just how much a new contract could have given him won’t be known until the NBA sets its maximum salaries next summer, but based on this year’s max for a player of Parker’s experience, he likely would have been eligible for five years and much more than $100MM.

That helps explain why most veterans don’t sign extensions, but Parker and his Spurs teammates have a long history of hometown discounts. Parker lowered his annual pay with his last extension instead of going for the significant raises for which he was eligible.

The 32-year-old point guard is the youngest of a star trio also composed of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but even Parker is beginning to advance out of his prime years. He, like the other Spurs mainstays, remains a strong producer, even though his 29.4 minutes per game this season were his fewest since he was a rookie. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists this past year, another All-Star season that culminated in San Antonio’s fifth championship in franchise history and fourth with Parker in tow.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Several NBA Teams Eyeing Dahntay Jones

August 1st, 2014 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 1ST: The Wizards were indeed present at the workout, but they don’t have interest in signing Jones, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link).

JULY 30TH: The Kings, Cavs, Spurs, Thunder and Wizards were all in attendance at a workout that Jones held today in Las Vegas, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Between 15 and 20 NBA clubs were set to take a look at him this week, as Kennedy reported earlier this month.

JULY 21ST: Ten-year NBA veteran Dahntay Jones is set to work out for the Knicks and Sixers this week, and in addition to a reported meeting with the Clippers earlier this month, he also worked out for that team, too, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports. The shooting guard and Mark Bartelstein client is close with former Nuggets teammate Carmelo Anthony, though New York’s addition of Jones would only add to a logjam at the two-guard that Knicks GM Steve Mills has already publicly acknowledged.

The Knicks are apparently discussing trades involving J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to clear up that position, as we noted Sunday. New York also worked out Jones this past February, seemingly the closest brush that the now 33-year-old had with the NBA last season after the Bulls waived him early in the preseason. Still, that was before the arrival of Knicks team president Phil Jackson, and what attracts the team to Jones now is his competitiveness and leadership, according to Isola.

The Knicks, now as they were in February, are limited to the minimum salary, and the Clippers are similarly hamstrung. The Sixers have ample cap room to use on Jones, but it’s nonetheless unlikely that he’ll warrant any better than a guaranteed minimum-salary contract. He’s averaged 5.6 points in 16.3 minutes per game over his career, and put up 3.4 PPG in 13.0 MPG in 2012/13, his last NBA season.

Nemanja Dangubic Signs With Serbian Team

July 31st, 2014 at 8:06am CST by Charlie Adams

THURSDAY, 8:06am: The deal is official, the team announced (translation via Carchia). It’s a three-year deal with options that will allow him to jump to the NBA after each season.

WEDNESDAY, 10:55pm: Nemanja Dangubic has chosen to sign with Serbian club KK Crvena Zvezda, reports Emilano Carchia of Sportando. The 54th overall pick in this year’s draft was leaning toward remaining overseas, and he’s reportedly made up his mind and is poised to stick around in Europe for at least one more season.

The Spurs acquired Dangubic’s rights from the Sixers after Philly picked him in the second round, and San Antonio will retain the right to sign the guard until he chooses to come stateside. There wouldn’t be much room in the club’s backcourt for Dangubic if he chose to come over this season anyway, so the move is largely unsurprising.

At just 21-years-old, Dangubic will benefit from the additional playing time he’ll find in the Euroleague next season. He’s the latest in a long line of San Antonio’s “draft-and-stash” players.