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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).

Spurs Waive Wesley Witherspoon, JaMychal Green

October 26th, 2012 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have officially waived camp invitees Wesley Witherspoon and JaMychal Green, the team announced today in a press release. The moves reduce San Antonio's roster to 15 players, the maximum number allowed in the regular season.

Witherspoon, signed in late September by the Spurs, played in three preseason games, averaging 8.3 PPG. Green, meanwhile, quietly signed with the team on October 22nd and didn't see any preseason action. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News speculated earlier this week that both players could be released soon to join the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros. I expect that will be the case, especially for Green, whose signing doesn't make a lot of sense otherwise.

With 15 players under contract now, San Antonio may be finished making cuts. If that's the case, it's good news for Josh Powell, who currently represents the 15th man on the team's roster. His contract won't be fully guaranteed until January, so the Spurs could decide to keep him for the first few weeks of the season and release him before they're on the hook for his full salary. DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal also have non-guaranteed contracts, but their roster spots aren't in jeopardy.

Western Notes: Blazers, West, Sacre, Iguodala

October 25th, 2012 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is hoping Nicolas Batum can increase his scoring this season like Eric Gordon did in his third year, when his PPG jumped from 16.9 to 22.3. If Batum can take that sort of step forward, Olshey says he has reason to be optimistic about the Blazers' future.

"I'm not putting a number on Nic, but if Nic can make a jump, if Wes [Matthews] can make a jump, if L.A. [LaMarcus Aldridge] can just be L.A., and Damian [Lillard] can be who we think he has the ability to be, we're not that far away," Olshey said. "And having a lottery pick potentially, and three second [round picks], and having $13MM in room potentially, is a pretty good position to be in eight months from now."

Here are a few more updates from around the Western Conference:

The Mavericks have indefinitely suspended Delonte West again for conduct detrimental to the team, the club announced today in a press release. As Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets, it seems likely this suspension will last longer than West's last one did.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks Mavericks rookie Bernard James, the third pick of the second round this June, could use some D-League seasoning.
Robert Sacre is moving closer to locking up a spot on the Lakers roster, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post believes Andre Iguodala, who can invoke an early termination option for 2013/14, will instead sign a long-term deal with the Nuggets.
Even after waiving Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown, the Spurs won't necessarily keep Josh Powell on their regular season roster, but Powell tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that he thinks he's shown the team enough to warrant consideration.

Southwest Rumors: Martin, Spurs, Aminu, Miller

October 24th, 2012 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Hornets and Rockets, who square off in New Orleans. There's plenty of news out of the division tonight, so let's get right to it.

The Spurs have had interest in Kenyon Martin in the past, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, who wonders whether the team may have interest in signing him later this season. Martin continues to hold out for more than the veteran's minimum.
Of the two players the Spurs waived Tuesday, McDonald thinks Derrick Brown was a more surprising cut than Eddy Curry (Twitter link).
The Hornets have a week left to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on Al-Farouq Aminu's rookie deal, but the eighth pick in the 2010 draft appears unlikely to begin the season as the team's starting small forward, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Lance Thomas, with the team on a non-guaranteed deal, is starting over Aminu for the second straight game.
Darius Miller, unlike other second-round draft selections, has a guaranteed deal for this season, and Hornets coach Monty Williams cites his maturity from four seasons of college ball as reason why he's pleased with this year's 46th overall pick, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com tweets.
Elton Brand feels he has a lot to prove after he was amnestied by the Sixers last season, and wants to do so by fitting into the team concept with the Mavericks, as The Associated Press reports (via the Dallas Morning News). "I don't think there's too many teams with more cap space than right here," Brand said of the Mavs. "So if you want to audition, play right and play the right way."