San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

HoopsWorld On Best NBA Contracts

November 11th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Sean Highkin

The staff of HoopsWorld.com has posted a new roundtable in which several of their staff writers weighed in on which players have the best contracts in the NBA.

Joel Brigham writes that as the best three-point shooter in NBA history, Ray Allen is a steal for the Heat at $3MM per year.
Bill Ingram believes the Spurs got an excellent value in Tony Parker. Parker is making $12.5MM this season, considerably less than other elite point guards such as Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
Robert Wing calls Kyle Lowry's contract a "complete steal," saying the Raptors got a major upgrade at starting point guard over Jose Calderon for cheap.
Eric Pincus thinks the Knicks were able to take advantage of Raymond Felton's low stock after his poor performance in Portland last season to land the point guard for $14.9MM over four years.
Alex Kennedy points out that Rajon Rondo would be worth much more on the open market than the five-year, $55MM extension he signed with the Celtics in 2009.

Odds & Ends: Hill, Martin, Knicks, Celtics, Belinelli

November 5th, 2012 at 10:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Before the Spurs tipped off against the Pacers, coach Gregg Popovich told reporters, including Dan McCarney of San Antonio Express-News that he still keeps a watchful eye on guard George Hill. “I’ve watched him closely,” Popovich said. “As you very well know, he was a team favorite, a fan favorite, a wonderful community guy. Great competitor. So we’re always pulling for him to be successful. We were jumping out of our seat when he made the shot a couple of games ago to win the game for them. We were thrilled." The Spurs weren't so kind to Hill's squad tonight as they topped Indiana 101-79. Here's more from around the Association..

Kenyon Martin has to take a hard look in the mirror after his desire for a mini mid-level contract has left him still looking for a job in November, writes Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Last night, we learned that Martin has yet to receive even a non-guaranteed offer from a club.
The Knicks have taken some flack for the advanced age of their roster, but Patrick Ewing believes that they can contend for the title, writes Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post.
Offseason acquisition Jason Terry is a big believer in the value of a proper sample size and says that the Celtics bench will step up this season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. The bench also figures to gain a boost in mid-to-late December when Avery Bradley returns to action.
Sharpshooting guard Marco Belinelli now seems to be settling in with the Bulls, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Belinelli signed with Chicago as a part of the club's revamped bench.
Magic guard J.J. Redick was supposed to be trade bait for the rebuilding club, but he has looked stellar early on in 2012/13, notes Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Martin, Jennings, Parker, Gaines

November 5th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has issued its first two warnings for flops, as the league's official site outlines today. The league has formally warned the Timberwolves' J.J. Barea and the Cavs' Donald Sloan about flopping, meaning that if either player commits a second offense, they'll be fined $5K. Let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the Association….

Kenyon Martin may be open to playing for just about any NBA team, but don't expect the Mavericks to make him an offer, says Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
While Brandon Jennings may feel as if he's auditioning for other teams, he certainly remains in the Bucks' long-term plans, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
Within his weekly Morning Tip column at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge looks at the post-James Harden Thunder, talks to Tony Parker about why he's been willing to accept a discount to remain with the Spurs, and conducts a Q&A with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
Italy's Pallacanestro Cantu may have interest in adding Sundiata Gaines, according to a Sportando report. Gaines, who was cut by the Pacers prior to the season, played for the Italian club back in 2008/09.
Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal shares a few of his first impressions of new Grizzlies owner Robert Pera. Meanwhile, Pera and new CEO Jason Levien responded to some questions about how they intend to run the franchise.
Appearing on 98.7 ESPN Radio in New York, commissioner David Stern discussed his decision to retire in February of 2014, and how he feels about the criticisms he's faced (link via Sports Radio Interviews).

Odds & Ends: Warriors, Spurs, Allen, Flynn

November 4th, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Alex Lee

At 2-1, the Warriors have started off what many believe to be a promising season on the right foot, despite losing Brandon Rush to a torn ACL on Friday night. Because it is so early in the season, the Warriors have the good fortune of having some options if they want to replace him, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.

One reason they may not need personnel reinforcements has the been the surprising play of Carl Landry, who has provided scoring (20 points per game) and toughness off the bench in the team’s first three games, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.

Let’s take a look at what else is going on in the NBA on the first Sunday night of November:

As the veteran core of the Spurs ages, the roles of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard will continue to grow. Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation writes that right now, Gregg Popovich has told the two youngsters to “bring the energy.”
Couper Moorhead of Heat.com provides a detailed analysis of the developing offensive dynamic between Ray Allen and LeBron James. Between James’ ability to score efficiently at the hoops and Allen’s lethal stroke from the corner, defenses are forced to make an impossible decision against the Heat, Moorhead says.
The staff of writers at HoopsWorld goes around the horn to discuss which player was the most underrated offseason acquisition. The results: Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison, Andrei Kirilenko, O.J. Mayo, Gerald Green and Nikola Vucevic.
Jonny Flynn, waived by Pistons in October, has agreed to sign with the Melbourne Tigers, an Australian team, says Daniel Eade of the Back Page Lead. The contract with the Tigers is reported to have an out clause should Flynn get an NBA offer.

Northwest Rumors: Harden, Thunder, Layden

November 4th, 2012 at 9:31am CST by Chuck Myron

If it weren't for the Lakers' 0-3 start, the Nuggets, also 0-3, might be getting a lot more attention. A trendy pick this season (Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors has the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals over both the Lakers and the Thunder), Denver has struggled in its early East Coast trip, though the team might have scored a signature win against the Heat last night if not for Ray Allen's heroics. The Nuggets will be the last team to make their home debut this season, doing so Tuesday, so perhaps that will help them right the ship. Here's other weekend news on their Northwest Division rivals.

Several teams reportedly had contact with the Thunder about James Harden prior to last week's trade, but Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears the Rockets, the last team standing, were also the first to get involved in discussions. Amico adds that the Cavs weren't in on the trade talks.
In the same piece, Amico defends Thunder GM Sam Presti for making the trade, and believes the Thunder got just as much out of it as the Rockets did.
Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden isn't upset he wasn't interviewed for the Jazz GM opening this summer, despite strong ties to the Utah organization, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.

Western Notes: Meeks, Tinsley, Roy, Blazers

October 30th, 2012 at 8:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA released its annual report on the growing international presence on its rosters, noting the Spurs have a record eight players from overseas, notes Art Garcia of Fox Sports Southwest, and that includes players from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy points out (Twitter links). The Timberwolves have five of the league's international players from four different countries, according to the team (Twitter link). As the league continues to attract talent from around the world, here's what's going on around the Western Conference.

Jodie Meeks couldn't be more content with his decision to sign with the Lakers, even though the Wizards and Bucks offered him more money this summer, Kennedy reports.
In the same piece, Kennedy also checks in with Jamaal Tinsley, whose deal with the Jazz is non-guaranteed, as we learned last night. The backup point guard is enthusiastic about Utah's veteran offseason additions, but Brad Rock of the Deseret News believes the team's younger players are the key.
Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press looks at how the Timberwolves plan to use Brandon Roy this season, noting that the plan is for him to see 30 to 32 minutes per game, down from his career 35.6 MPG average.
The Blazers hired Chris McGowan as team president last night, but he'll take a hands-off approach to the basketball operations side of the franchise, reports Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis is set to make his debut for the Hornets on Wednesday against the Spurs, and Davis believes he gained much from going against Duncan as the Hornets conducted voluntary scrimmages against the Spurs in the summer, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
The focus is on the present in Memphis, where Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace largely stood pat over the summer with a roster on the fringes of contention amid the ownership transfer from Michael Heisley to Robert Pera, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines.

When Non-Guaranteed Deals Become Guaranteed

October 30th, 2012 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

With the dust having settled on preseason cuts, NBA teams have eliminated most players on summer contracts and non-guaranteed deals from their rosters. However, there are still plenty of players on non-guaranteed contracts who made their respective teams' regular season rosters. Does that means their contracts are now guaranteed for the season? Well, in most cases, no.

In order for most non-guaranteed contracts to become fully guaranteed for the season, the player must remain on an NBA roster until January 10th. If the player's contract doesn't clear waivers on or before the 10th, his full salary will become guaranteed for the season. Until that date, he'll receive either a prorated portion of his salary, or some other previously-agreed-upon set amount.

However, there are a handful of players whose contracts will become guaranteed before that January 10th date. E'Twaun Moore's minimum-salary deal with the Magic, for instance, stipulates that his contract will become guaranteed if he's not waived by October 30th, which means he looks to be pretty safe.

Per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, here are the other players on non-guaranteed contracts who will see their deals become fully guaranteed prior to January 10th:

Julyan Stone (Nuggets): October 31st*
DeJuan Blair (Spurs): November 1st
P.J. Tucker (Suns): December 1st*
Cory Higgins (Bobcats): December 10th
Nate Robinson (Bulls): January 1st

Notes: Stone's contract becomes guaranteed if he's not waived by "opening night," which is assumed to be the Nuggets' opening night, rather than the NBA's opening night. Tucker's guarantee increases to $400K as of opening night before becoming fully guaranteed on December 1st.

Warriors, Jazz, Others Discussed James Harden

October 29th, 2012 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

10:56am: Suns president Lon Babby confirmed to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that Phoenix had been engaged with the Thunder in trade talks for Harden, though he says that no proposal ever gained serious traction.

"We were engaged in discussions on numerous occasions," Babby said. "We most recently met in person when we played them [on October 19th]. At the end of the day, there wasn’t a deal that was workable for both sides."

8:53am: According to Zach Lowe of Grantland.com, Thunder GM Sam Presti had at least "semi-serious" trade conversations involving James Harden with a number of teams before eventually accepting the Rockets' offer. Lowe says the Warriors, Jazz, Wizards, and Raptors were among the teams that Presti spoke to before sending Harden to Houston. We heard yesterday that the Suns also pursued a trade for Harden.

The Thunder were seeking a sure-thing player who was still in the first year or two of his rookie deal, according to Lowe. That means Presti figures to have inquired on players like Klay Thompson, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Bradley Beal, and Jonas Valanciunas. Lowe adds that the Thunder GM likely started the process by reaching out to the Hornets about Anthony Davis, though I imagine that conversation didn't last too long.

Here are a few more Harden-related links, as reactions continue to pour in on one of the year's most surprising trades:

Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman reports that the Thunder made a last-ditch offer to Harden on Friday, proposing a four-year, $53MM extension. The team gave him a one-hour window to accept it, telling him that if he turned it down, he'd be traded to Houston. According to Tramel's sources, Harden said he needed three days to make a decision, but because the Rockets wanted time to negotiate an extension before Wednesday's deadline, Presti stuck to the one-hour window.
The pieces the Thunder acquired for Harden are the same sort of assets the team used to initially build itself into a perennial contender, opines Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
Members of the Spurs, a team the Thunder eliminated from the playoffs earlier this year, were surprised by the deal, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. "It's kind of weird to look at OKC and think of them without their Big Three," Danny Green said. "Things are different. Obviously they're still going to be a good team."

Spurs Waive Josh Powell

October 26th, 2012 at 11:03pm CST by Michael Pina

After signing him in late September, the Spurs have waived forward Josh Powell, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. Yesterday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News wrote that he believed the team would keep Powell after waiving Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown.

The 29-year-old Powell was trying to latch on with his seventh team in seven seasons. He last played in the NBA in 2010/11, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 54 appearances with the Hawks.

Spurs Pick Up Options For Leonard, Joseph

October 26th, 2012 at 10:45pm CST by Michael Pina

According to a tweet from Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs have picked up the options on Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph's respective contracts. Both moves, especially Leonard's, were expected, as both players have been solid two way players so far in the preseason (and in Leonard's case, all throughout last year).