San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Rumors: Azubuike, Carlisle, Diaw

March 23rd, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The defending Southwest Division champs met the defending NBA champs tonight, with the first-place Spurs coming away with a 104-87 win, padding their lead as they seek a second straight division title. Here's more on two of the Southwest's top teams:

Mavs owner Mark Cuban thinks his team's signing of Kelenna Azubuike will be a steal if his knee holds up, according to Mavs.com writer Earl K. Sneed. Cuban isn't sure if Azubuike will help the team this year, but has his eyes on the future, calling the team option for the second year "pretty much a lock" to be exercised (All Twitter links).
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle didn't respond to questions about his future when asked about his contract, which expires at the end of the year, on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s Galloway and Company. While Mavs GM Donnie Nelson indicated that the team intends to retain the coach, Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas cites rumors linking Carlisle to the Blazers and suggests the Knicks and Clippers as possible destinations.
The recent moves the Spurs have made aren't surprising to Carlisle, who's particularly intrigued by the acquisition of Patrick Mills and Boris Diaw, Tim Griffin of the Express-News writes.
Diaw had to wait a week to sign with the Spurs because of visa issues, but he's been waiting much longer to fulfill his childhood dream of playing with fellow frenchman Tony Parker, according to Griffin. Diaw is Parker's best friend in the NBA, but the point guard didn't push the team to sign his buddy.
ESPN's Marc Stein spoke with new Spur Stephen Jackson, who shared some revelations about his time with the Bucks and says he "never should have left" San Antonio after 2003.

Spurs Sign Boris Diaw

March 23rd, 2012 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have signed Boris Diaw, the team announced today. Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Diaw and the Spurs had reached an agreement on a contract for the remainder of the season.

Diaw was bought out by the Bobcats on Wednesday, allowing him to sign with San Antonio in time to be eligible for the postseason. The Spurs will sign Diaw after he clears waivers, allowing them to pay him a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary while the Bobcats foot the rest of his bill. The 6'8" forward has a cap figure of $9MM this season.

In 37 games with Charlotte, Diaw averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game. The 29-year-old had some issues with his fitness and with coach Paul Silas, but remains relatively productive. He'll take San Antonio's last open roster spot.

Southwest Notes: Arenas, Camby, Smith, Mills

March 22nd, 2012 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest out of the Southwest, the only division in the NBA that would send four teams to the playoffs if the season ended today:

Gilbert Arenas, recently signed by the Grizzlies, spoke to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a number of topics in a lengthy interview. Arenas says that in addition to the Grizzlies and Lakers, the Hawks and Nets also had interest in him.
Another new addition, Marcus Camby, brings "a different vibe" to the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets assigned Greg Smith to their D-League affiliate yesterday, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News noticed the Spurs listed a "Mills" as one of their inactive players on the official scoresheet for last night's game, and wonders if the team has finalized its rumored deal with Patrick Mills.

Spurs Pushing For Boris Diaw

March 21st, 2012 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Boris Diaw once he passes through waivers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Diaw was bought out by the Bobcats today and is expected to clear waivers on Friday.

San Antonio is also waiting on visa issues to finalize its deal with Patrick Mills, but the team has two open roster spots, so it wouldn't need to make a move to add both Mills and Diaw. Both players would be eligible for the postseason if they were to sign with the Spurs.

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News wrote earlier today that the Spurs would be interested in signing Diaw. Fellow Frenchman Tony Parker spoke prior to the trade deadline about his desire to have the forward join him in San Antonio. Diaw also has a fan in Steve Nash, but Phoenix will likely pass on the former Sun, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Thunder, Heat Frontrunners For Derek Fisher

March 20th, 2012 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

3:42pm: Fisher is in "advanced negotiations" to sign with the Thunder after he clears waivers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Oklahoma City has the advantage over Miami because the Thunder have more financial flexibility and can offer Fisher a larger role, says Stein.

3:03pm: Sources close to Fisher expect him to sign with the Thunder if he clears waivers, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (Twitter link).

12:48pm: The Spurs are still expecting to sign Mills and don't plan to talk to Fisher, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

12:08pm: The Celtics and Bulls aren't interested in Fisher, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Berger adds that Fisher is expected to discuss "ideas and concepts" with the Spurs, Heat, and Thunder.

8:05am: The Thunder and Heat have emerged as the favorites to sign Derek Fisher, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Fisher, who was bought out by the Rockets, is expected to clear waivers tomorrow.

The Spurs are also believed to have some interest in Fisher, but San Antonio is still hopeful about completing a deal with Patrick Mills. Stein adds that signing with Chicago is something that "strongly interests" Fisher, but the Bulls are focused on signing a big man, possibly Ronny Turiaf.

According to Stein, there are a couple factors that could work in the Thunder's favor in the race for Fisher: The veteran point guard now shares an agent with Kevin Durant, and Oklahoma City has a good chance to face Fisher's old team in the Western Conference playoffs. Unlike the Heat, however, the Thunder don't have an open roster spot, so they'd need to waive someone to clear room for Fisher.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that the Rockets allowed Fisher's agent to speak to "about six teams" during buyout negotiations to gauge interest. Knowing there were contending teams interested in bringing him aboard, the 37-year-old felt comfortable giving up the final year of his contract (Twitter links).

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Joseph, Arenas, Grizzlies

March 20th, 2012 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest from the Southwest Division, where the Mavericks' Monday night victory pulled them into a tie with the Grizzlies, four games behind the division-leading Spurs….

Jason Terry isn't expecting the Mavericks to be in on any new free agents like Derek Fisher and J.J. Hickson this week, as he tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "We're not doing anything over here. That's been proven. We're not signing anybody."
The Spurs have re-assigned Cory Joseph to the D-League's Austin Toros, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. Perhaps the move indicates the team is close to officially signing Patrick Mills.
Zach Lowe of SI.com isn't sure whether Gilbert Arenas is the answer for the Grizzlies, but he says it's probably worth a low-cost flier to find out. Memphis made the signing official today.

Latest On Derek Fisher

March 19th, 2012 at 7:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After Derek Fisher and the Rockets reached an agreement on a buyout this weekend, Fisher's business manager Jamie Mior released a statement explaining the decision:

"After much discussion and expressing their desire to welcome Derek to their team this season as well as the 2012-2013 season, the Houston Rockets and Derek have negotiated a buyout. Derek's desire to win a sixth championship is what drives him and will continue to drive him as he moves forward. We thank the Houston Rockets front office for their interest, time and their absolute professionalism. There will be no further comment at this time."

While we wait to see if Fisher clears waivers this Wednesday, rumors about which teams are interested in signing him have already surfaced. Let's round up a few of them….

ESPN.com's John Hollinger (via Twitter) notes that Fisher declining his $3.4MM option for next year means that the Rockets were essentially paid $200K to acquire a first-round pick.
The Blazers aren't interested in Fisher, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
The Rockets' buyout of Fisher paid him for the rest of this season, but he opted out of all $3.4MM next year, a person with knowledge of the deal told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Thunder are deciding whether to make a formal bid for Fisher.
The Clippers aren't interested, says Stein.
Fisher has strong interest in joining the Bulls or Heat, according to Stein, but it's unclear to what extent that interest is reciprocated.
Stein adds that the Spurs have some interest, since their signing of Patrick Mills is being held up — according to Stein, the Blazers have yet to renounce Mills' rights, which is odd, since the team tweeted on Saturday that it was done.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) cautions that there's no guarantee Fisher will play for another club this year. The veteran is weighing the option of re-joining the Lakers in a coaching or front office capacity, tweets Kyler. Fisher, of course, can't re-sign with the Lakers as a player this season.

Teams With Open Roster Spots

March 19th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:

76ers: 14
Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
Jazz: 14
Kings: 14
Lakers: 14
Pacers: 14
Pistons: 14
Raptors: 13
Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
Suns: 13
Warriors: 13
Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.

Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.

Southwest Rumors: Fisher, Mills, Jackson

March 17th, 2012 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Mavs and first-place Spurs, who meet in Dallas. Here's a quick check around the division:

Though reports suggest Houston will buy out Derek Fisher, coach Kevin McHale's comments, as noted by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, seem to suggest he'd like to see the point guard in uniform for the team tonight. Fisher has yet to report to the Rockets.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the Spurs would go after Fisher if his rumored buyout takes place, given the team's need at point guard in the wake of T.J. Ford's sudden retirement this week.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports via Twitter that the Rockets are pursuing former Blazers guard Patrick Mills, who has received FIBA clearance to play in the U.S. after signing with a Chinese team earlier this year. That's further suggestion that the Rockets will let Fisher go, as they also signed guard Courtney Fortson today.
Jason Terry believes San Antonio's trade of Richard Jefferson for Stephen Jackson was a "no brainer," reports Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth. Jackson, scheduled to make his debut tonight according to a tweet from Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, gives them scoring and toughness, Terry says.

Spurs Close To Signing Patrick Mills

March 16th, 2012 at 3:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs are finalizing a contract with former Blazers guard Patrick Mills, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated tweets that it will be a two-year deal.

Amick adds via Twitter that the deal will include a player option in the second year, worth about $1MM. The Blazers renounced Mills' rights this morning, the team confirmed via Twitter.

According to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the Pistons also wanted to sign Mills. The Rockets were interested in the guard, too, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier today. The Spurs were also reportedly interested in Derek Fisher, whom the Rockets are rumored to be buying out. San Antonio was searching for a point guard after the abrupt retirement of T.J. Ford this week, who was subsequently shipped to Golden State for financial reasons in the Stephen Jackson-Richard Jefferson deal. The Warriors have waived Ford, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Mills, a 2009 second-round pick out of St. Mary's College, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in two seasons as a backup in Portland. He signed with a Chinese team earlier this season, but has received FIBA clearance to join an NBA team.