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Eastern Notes: Garnett, LeBron, Cavs

November 23rd, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Prior to last night’s 111-81 loss to the T’Wolves, Nets forward Kevin Garnett told reporters that he’s not ready to discuss his future beyond this season.  “I focus on what’s happening [now],” Garnett said after the Nets’ shootaround. “There is a lot of emotions that come with this building. … But, obviously, different time, different personnel, different times.”  Last night, coach Jason Kidd said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was KG’s last time on the hardwood in Minnesota.  Here’s more out of the East..

  • The other potential summer suitors for Heat star LeBron James aren’t looking so hot right now, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.  The Cavs have been atrocious to start the year and things aren’t much better with the Knicks, who are perpetually linked to James despite not having the cap flexibility necessary.  The Lakers should have the cash needed to make a run at LeBron and the other top free agents in the class, but things are pretty dysfunctional in L.A. as well.
  • Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld isn’t sure what to make of the Cavs‘ situation.  Nearly everyone on the Cleveland roster has disappointed offensively, including banged-up offseason-acquisition Andrew Bynum and first overall pick Anthony Bennett.
  • Pacers center Roy Hibbert is confident that Jeff Green can be the Celtics‘ go-to guy, despite his inconsistencies, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.  Hibbert added that with Danny Ainge at the helm, the C’s are sure to put quality talent around Green in the years to come.
  • in today’s mailbag, Winderman writes that the Heat are working on grooming Quincy Douby, currently with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, strengthening his point guard skills.  The Rutgers product is known for his tremendous range and scoring ability, but has never been much of a passer.
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Poll: Should Mavericks Consider Dealing Dirk?

November 23rd, 2013 at 9:05am CST by Zachary Links

Not only is Dirk Nowitzki the heart and soul of the Mavericks, he is one of four players in the league today holding a no-trade clause.  It’s certainly not likely that the Mavericks will be moving the 35-year-old big man, but in a league where some called for the Lakers to use the amnesty clause on Kobe Bryant, nothing can be ruled out.  Yesterday, Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters that Rockets GM Daryl Morey inquired about Dirk this summer after signing Dwight Howard.  While Cuban suspects that it may have been a little bit of smack talk from Houston after they beat out their intra-state rivals for the summer’s top free agent, there could have been some legitimacy behind the request.  The Lakers have also come calling about Dirk, though no offer was made in that instance either.

So far, everything is looking up in Dallas this season.  The Mavs are 9-4 and offseason pickup Monta Ellis is arguably playing the best basketball of his life..  Franchise cornerstone Nowitzki is faring pretty well himself, averaging 20.4 PPG though 13 games while shooting 47.8% from the floor, a number that is consistent with his career average.  Still, the 35-year-old Nowitzki is in the final year of his contract and earning $22.7MM this season.  One has to imagine that he’ll take a pay cut to stay with the Mavericks, the only NBA team he’s ever known, but that’s not an absolute given.  While the veteran is playing well, should Dallas open up the phone lines and give some thought to trading Dirk?

 

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Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad App

November 22nd, 2013 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app is now for sale in the iTunes store!  For just a one-time fee of $2.99, less than the price of a cup of coffee, here’s what you get:

  • Custom push notifications: pick your favorite players and teams and receive alerts when they are involved in rumors, trades, or signings.
  • Read Hoops Rumors posts in an ad-free, iPhone/iPad-friendly format.
  • Filter headlines to show rumors for a specific team.
  • Read and create comments through Disqus.

Check out the Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app today!

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D-League Notes: Kelly, Harris, Heat, Expansion

November 21st, 2013 at 9:57pm CST by Charlie Adams

The D-League’s regular season is underway, and the D-League website features a list of young prospects to follow during the 2013/14 season. Some of the young players on the list currently have their rights held by NBA squads, but many are training camp invitees that didn’t make an opening night roster. There’s no telling when the next Jeremy Lin might unexpectedly emerge so it’s definitely worth monitoring the young talent found in the NBA’s official minor league organization.

Here’s some D-League news and notes from Thursday night:

  • Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets that the Lakers have recalled Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris from their D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders. Neither have seen much NBA action yet this year, and Eric Pincus of the LA Times tweets that their recall is probably just a formality.
  • Ira Winderman points out (via Twitter) that the D-League affiliate for the Heat is sporting a particularly impressive roster. Although the Heat do not own their rights, it’s worth noting that Miami’s developmental squad houses three former NBA players: Bill Walker, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby.
  • Dan Reed, president of the D-League, envisions his circuit expanding into a 30 team organization where each NBA club has it’s own minor league affiliate. Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports sat down with Reed, who appears confident that his vision will one day become a reality: “If you had asked me this three or four years ago, I would have said it will be a very long time horizon. If you ask me now, that time frame has shortened substantially.” Reed has been the president of the D-League since 2007.
  • To keep up with all the D-League assignments and recalls throughout the year, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors 2013/14 D-League Assignments page.
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Will Mike Woodson Get Fired This Season?

November 21st, 2013 at 8:49pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Knicks have been one of the most discussed teams of the 2013/14 season, and although they’ve only played 11 games thus far, their paltry three win total has created speculation around the league that head coach Mike Woodson might be in danger of losing his job. Although ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian Begley insists that Woodson isn’t afraid of getting shelved, Knicks fans have been vocal about their desire for new leadership. Multiple “fire Woodson” chants have erupted during losses at Madison Square Garden this season, and Ken Berger of CBS Sports suggests there are analysts and executives alike that think firing Woodson and attempting to lure current Kentucky coach John Calipari to New York might be the right course of action.

Most fans would likely agree that it’s unfair to place all the blame on Woodson, especially when key players like Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton have been sidelined. It’s also worth mentioning that Knicks owner James Dolan was a big enough fan of Woodson to pick up his 2014/15 option, even after last year’s disappointing loss in the second round of the playoffs. Still, in a time where George Karl, Lionel Hollins, and Vinny Del Negro lose their jobs after putting together 50 win seasons, can Woodson’s position really be considered safe? Dan Favale of Bleacher Report notes that Dolan is not heralded as a rational decision maker and believes it’s inevitable that Woodson gets ousted eventually.

What do you think? Is Woodson’s position as safe as reported earlier today? Or is it only a matter of time before New York is looking for a new head coach? Vote below, and add your thoughts in the comment section!

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Hoops Rumors On Facebook/Twitter/RSS

November 20th, 2013 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

With trade rumors already swirling around players like Iman Shumpert and Omer Asik, there will be plenty of notable stories to follow on Hoops Rumors throughout the regular season. There are a handful of different ways you can follow us to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors through 2013 and into the new year.

You can Like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. And our RSS feed is located here, if you’d like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

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Free $500 Fantasy Basketball Contest From DraftStreet

November 14th, 2013 at 11:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Put together a squad of eight NBA players, and you’ll have a chance to win part of a $500 prize pool in DraftStreet’s current freeroll! You’ve got nothing to lose by signing up and making your picks, as there’s no entry free. Here’s how it works:

The NBA freeroll begins Friday at 7:00 pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team. You’re given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet. You’ll select eight players — three guards, three forwards, a center, and one utility player. Then you’ll accumulate fantasy points based on how your squad performs in categories like points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and more in Friday night’s games. The 50 teams that rack up the most fantasy points on Friday will split the $500 prize pool.

I’ve put together a balanced squad that features a pair of Trail Blazers, a pair of Pacers, and Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA’s new 16th-leading scorer of all time. Here’s a screenshot of my roster (click for full size):

draftstreet

If you’re interested in trying to top my team and others, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday’s games (7:00 pm eastern time). It’s quick, easy, fun, and this week’s league gives you a free chance to win some of the $500 prize pool. If you enjoy the competition, you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Please note that this post is a paid advertisement by DraftStreet.

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Proration And Partially Guaranteed Contracts

November 13th, 2013 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans officially released Lance Thomas and Arinze Onuaku yesterday in order to create room on their roster to add veteran forwards Louis Amundson and Josh Childress. The decision to cut both Thomas and Onuaku was fairly simple, since they were the only two players on New Orleans’ roster without fully guaranteed contracts. Thomas’ minimum salary deal included a partial guarantee worth $15K, while Onuaku’s minimum salary contract was fully non-guaranteed.

Had the Pelicans signed just one of Childress or Amundson, rather than both players, you might assume that Thomas’ partial guarantee would have played a role in the team’s decision on which player to waive — since New Orleans already owed Thomas that money, the team might be more inclined to keep him around rather than Onuaku. In actuality, however, that $15K guarantee become irrelevant extremely early on this season.

NBA players on non-guaranteed deals aren’t assured of their full-season salaries unless they remain under contract beyond January 7th, but any time spent on a roster during the regular season assures a player of at least a pro-rated portion of his salary. NBA seasons are typically composed of 170 days, meaning a player on a non-guaranteed contract earns 1/170th of his salary for each day spent on a roster.

In Thomas’ case, he would have earned a full-season salary of $884,293 had he not been cut by the Pelicans. However, since he only spent 15 days on the roster, he’ll instead earn between 8-9% of that amount, which works out to about $78K. Despite his relatively short stint on the roster, Thomas still earned significantly more than his $15K guarantee. In fact, taking into account what a small percentage of his total salary $15K represents, Thomas would have only had to remain on New Orleans’ roster for three days to exceed that amount, with or without a guarantee.

Of course, Thomas’ $15K represented the smallest partial guarantee in the NBA, so not all of them will be as inconsequential as his was. For instance, Hedo Turkoglu is earning a partial guarantee of $6MM on a $12MM salary this season. The halfway point of the season doesn’t come until after January’s guarantee date, so proration won’t affect Turkoglu. Regardless of whether the Magic waive him today or on January 7th, Turkoglu would earn that $6MM partial guarantee. If, for some reason, Orlando kept him on the roster beyond the guarantee date, he’d earn $12MM this season.

Partial guarantees can inform a team’s preseason decisions — if one player has a contract that’s guaranteed for $300K while another player is on a fully non-guaranteed deal, the club may be more likely to retain the first player, who will get paid either way. However, once the season gets underway, those partial guarantees become less of a factor, especially ones worth less than $100K. Ryan Gomes ($75K), Hollis Thompson ($35K), and Kent Bazemore ($25K) are among the players whose partial guarantees have already been eclipsed by the players’ actual pro-rated earnings.

For a more complete round-up of this season’s non-guaranteed and partially guaranteed contract, check out our full list.

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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

November 12th, 2013 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

If you want to keep tabs on all of Hoops Rumors’ stories and updates, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. However, if you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NBA team, we have you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

Pacific

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

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Extra Year On Midseason Deals Rarely A Factor

November 9th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA teams commonly tack an extra, non-guaranteed year onto a deal when they make a midseason signing, but data from 2012/13 shows most of those players don’t remain under contract as this season begins. Twenty-four players received midseason deals in 2012/13 that covered 2013/14 without a full guarantee. Only five of them are still on on NBA rosters,

Just four players are still with the team that signed them last season. The fifth, James Anderson, remains under contract thanks to the Sixers, who claimed his deal off waivers from the Rockets this summer. Houston also cut fellow midseason signee Tim Ohlbrecht at the same time, and the Sixers claimed him when they picked up Anderson, but Philadelphia put Ohlbrecht back on waivers last month. That’s similar to what happened with Josh Akognon. He signed a deal with the Mavericks in April that included a non-guaranteed season for 2013/14, but Dallas waived him while in a financial squeeze in late July. The Grizzlies claimed the player the Mavericks wished they could have kept, but Memphis waived Akognon in early October, and he hasn’t resurfaced in the NBA since.

Four other players signed to non-guaranteed multiyear deals last season filtered through a second team over the summer by way of trades, but none of them were on an opening-night roster. Two other players landed multiyear deals in the middle of the 2012/13 season that included full guarantees for 2013/14. Aron Baynes remains under contract with the Spurs, but the Timberwolves waived Chris Johnson last month in spite of his guarantee.

Since Baynes and Johnson had full guarantees, they’re not reflected here among the categories of players signed to non-guaranteed multiyear deals after the 2012/13 season began:

Remain with the team that signed them

Claimed off waivers

  • Josh Akognon, Mavericks (Grizzlies claimed him off waivers in August, but put him back on waivers in October).
  • James Anderson, Rockets — (Sixers claimed him off waivers)
  • Tim Ohlbrecht, Rockets — (Sixers claimed him off waivers in July, but put him back on waivers in October).

Waived, became free agents

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