HoopsHype.com Rumors

Monday, September 14

Visit the HoopsHype.com Forums to discuss the latest news and rumors in the NBA / You also can check out rumors from back in the day in the Rumors Archive

The Suns and Pavlovic, acquired from Cleveland in June in the Shaquille O'Neal trade, agreed to a buyout that will save the Suns $500,000 more than they stood to save on simply waiving the guard. Arizona Republic

Phoenix made the O'Neal deal for Pavlovic and Ben Wallace with the potential savings in mind. Wallace stood to make $14 million this season but accepted a $10 million buyout from the Suns and signed with Detroit. Pavlovic had only $1.5 million of this coming season's $4.95 million salary guaranteed him, but has accepted a $1.25 million buyout, giving the Suns an extra $250,000 savings in salary and another $250,000 saved from the luxury tax it would have cost. Pavlovic sought a buyout to explore interest from other teams, which start training camps in two weeks. The buyout is pending league approval. Arizona Republic

Sources told ESPN.com that the Mavericks are actively pursuing two-for-one trades in hopes of easing the roster logjam before training camp starts Sept. 28, with center Nathan Jawai and swingman Shawne Williams among those being made available. But completing such deals, especially this close to camp, is difficult, with many teams having largely completed their offseason business and several teams around the league planning to carry only 13 or 14 players in the midst of a depressed economy. ESPN.com

As I noted Sunday, the roster is overloaded with guaranteed contracts. Mathematics alone make it obvious that Dallas is trying to move The Buck Shot in a deal that would shed the Mavs of two guys in exchange for one, or something along those lines. Remember what Donnie told me not too long ago about wanting to do a “3-for-1 deal’’ somewhere. DallasBasketball.com

A 3-for-1 deal gets the Mavs from 17 to 15. This is no scoop and it’s not especially insightful; again, Donnie has come right out and said it, and why not? It’s simple math. So, of course, is the exercise in adding up who Dallas would like to ship out. DallasBasketball.com

Even without another trade, Dallas' roster number is likely to drop to 16 through the expected release of veteran swingman Greg Buckner, who was acquired from Memphis in the four-team deal that netted Marion in July. Buckner became eligible to be traded again last week, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said publicly that Buckner will be let go to try to find another job before camp -- instead of launching his third stint with Dallas -- if they can't include him in a trade soon. ESPN.com

By the way, I think it’s “nice’’ of the Mavs to consider the possibility of releasing Greg Buckner before his Nov. 30 contract-expiration date so he can increase his chances of playing elsewhere. But I hate “nice.’’ DallasBasketball.com

The Mavericks are set to retain the services of James Singleton, who is expected to accept their qualifying offer and sign his contract today or Tuesday, a pair of NBA sources said. Singleton averaged 5.1 points and 4 rebounds last season, but improved as the year went along as he recovered from serious knee surgery. Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The 6-8 Singleton also played four different positions during the course of the season and showed 3-point shooting range in addition to being a solid rebounder. Singleton had been weighing his options since receiving the Mavericks' qualifying offer, which is for $1.09 million. The league minimum for a player entering his fourth season is $884,000. Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Meanwhile, David Lee is still not signed and neither is Nate Robinson. Knicks media day is in exactly two weeks. Camp opens two weeks from tomorrow. Lee has been working out at the MSG Training Center and Robinson is in Seattle with his girlfriend for the birth of their third child. Newsday

Eddy Curry is back at the MSG Training Center, we're told, after completing an offseason committed to conditioning and nutrition. Curry has been on his own since the start of September because both trainers, Tommy Weatherspoon and Jerry Powell, had contracts with him that expired on Aug. 31. The finished product will be officially unvieled on Sept. 29, the first day of training camp, but teammates are curious to see him run in pre-camp scrimmages. So what will it be at the 5 spot for Mike D'Antoni? Will he try to shoe-horn Curry's lumbering power game into his up-tempo, spread offense? Or will he go with the more natural fit of Darko Milicic? Newsday

Since I want to keep this short and simple, we'll end with this question... Portland Trailblazers still owns your rights, so you must be following them all the time? Petteri Koponen: Of course, I have to keep up with what's going on. With the acquisition of Andre Miller, Portland seems to be improving again. Steve Blake played well but I guess he just wasn't good enough? Let's see what happens to Jerryd Bayless, he had some scoring runs last season but he won't be playing as much the upcoming season. With or without Miller, my situation isn't that much different. Miller is 33 years old and he probably has 2-3 years as a starter left and I have three possible seasons left with Virtus. I just try to develop myself as much as possible and hopefully get to play with the Blazers one day. I have to be ready when the call comes. Blazers Edge

George Karl on his thoughts about Allen Iverson going to Memphis: “I’m an AI guy, I hope this transformation he will give the opportunity to be a bench player a chance because I think he can become a great… He knows the game, he’s one of the all-time great scorers, little guy being successful; when he came in to this game no one could have predicted the career that he has had. And, now that he’s getting in whatever you want to call it, the twilight of his career, I hope he gives the sixth man, come off the bench, be a scorer off the bench, be a mentor to young players in Memphis, give it an opportunity. And, sometimes ego gets in the way of all of us - we all have at times trouble to realize, you know, we gotta do it this way. I think if AI realizes that he can me a mentor, he can be a great sixth man, Memphis has an interesting basketball team with Randolph, and AI, and some of the changes they made this season. I think they have an opportunity to kinda be a surprise in the western conference.” Sports Radio Interviews

SLAM: It’s funny you mention Bernard King, because he was always so overlooked… MELO: Always! Always overlooked. SLAM: And you get overlooked a lot, too. MELO: Well, I’m back. I’m back. I think the only reason I was being overlooked was because I went to the Playoffs and got eliminated in the first round five straight seasons. And then you see D-Wade win a Championship, then you see LeBron take his team to the Finals, and it’s like, OK, where is Melo? Last year when we got to the Conference Finals, I think people realized, Melo is finally where he’s supposed to be. SLAM: So you feel like you’re back? MELO: I mean, I don’t like saying I’m back, because I didn’t go nowhere. But I’m back, baby. SLAM

Our friends over at InsideHoops.com caught up with Earl recently and he had some pretty interesting things to say. When asked what type of player he expects to become over the next five year, Clark said: “Five years down the road I expect to be an All-Star in this League. I know I’m capable of it. It’s just hard work and determination… If I put my mind to it and I really work hard, the sky’s the limit.” While I appreciate the level of confidence that Clark exudes, it will be interesting to see the state of the Suns over the next five years. While Steve Nash is locked up for another three years in Phoenix, all signs point to Amar’e Stoudemire testing the free agent waters next summer. If he leaves, this could quickly become Clark’s team along with Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa. Dime

Derek Fisher on the storied feud between Kobe and Shaq: “I think some of it was definitely over exaggerated and kinda added on top of the difference in personalities or difference in beliefs, how our team should be playing and run. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye but there was never any feeling on our teams these two guys can’t function together. They weren’t walking in to the locker room, punching each other out, so, it wasn’t as big as it was made out to be, but at the same time, I don’t wanna say that it was nothing either and it was totally made up.” Sports Radio Interviews

Derek Fisher on whether or not Kobe is the kind of person the regular guy would want to hang out with: “He’s definitely that kinda guy but he’s grown in to even more of that kinda guy as he’s gotten older and he’s matured, and just getting a better understanding, like all of us as we age a little bit, and our experiences broaden, and we learn a lot more about how life works and the things that are really important. And, having a wife and two girls and growing with them and learning what really sacrifice means - I mean, basketball sacrifice is one thing but family sacrifice is something else.” Sports Radio Interviews

Derek Fisher on what sparked the book: “I think going through what we went through as a family with our baby girl and the cancer really, it really just shifted my perspective a little bit more. And, I think gave my family a greater appreciation for each day, and it’s important to stop and reflect on things at times - the good things and the bad things - to stop and put your thoughts down, and express yourself a little bit. And, I think that event was really the catalyst to getting this book started about a year and a half ago.” Sports Radio Interviews

Why do you think Jerry Sloan picked you to introduce him into the Hall of Fame? Charles Barkley: “I do not know the answer to that to be honest with you. It’s really one of the greatest honors: First of all, it’s one of the great phone calls that I ever got in my life. It’s a great honor. I was totally shocked and surprised by the phone call. I don’t know but I got to tell you it’s really cool for me. Somebody like Jerry Sloan: You know I was telling you I’ve been doing all these interviews and a guy says ’Everybody respects and likes Jerry Sloan’. For me to get that phone call from him and you know what’s funny, I do these impersonations of Jerry Sloan and Bill Russell. They are men of very few words. Very few. I did this the other day. When Bill Russell a couple of years ago, he has a fantasy camp, this is the way the conversation goes: ‘Charles Barkley, Bill Russell. I am having a fantasy camp in Vegas in three weeks. I need you there. Ok, bye’. And that was it. Sports Radio Interviews

(Host: You were scared to say no.) Jerry calls and said: ‘Charles Barkley, Jerry Sloan. I don’t mean to bother you but it would be my honor to have you introduce me at the Hall of Fame’. I said: ’Mr. Coach Sloan it would be an honor and a pleasure. Ok, bye’. I tell people that these guys are so humble and great people. They don’t say many words. They are like E.F. Hutton but when they speak people listen.” Sports Radio Interviews

Nor has the Phoenix Suns point guard followed the typical script in terms of endorsement deals. Although he’s one of the world’s best basketball players, his off-court profile has been relatively low compared to other star athletes like LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neal, players who seem to have spent as much time on television commercial sets as in the gym. It’s not that Nash wasn’t in demand. It’s just that he had little interest in playing the celebrity shill. “I was kind of the anti-marketer in many ways,” says Nash. “I spent many years feeling uncomfortable about marketing and wanting to spend my time doing other things.” Marketing Mag

Nash, for example, was once excited–even in the early, anti-marketing phase of his career–to simply appear in a Nike ad with former NBA All-Star Gary Payton. “There is a part of you that says, ‘wow, I’m in a commercial,’ so I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t admit to that,” he says. But now, Nash isn’t just appearing in Nike commercials–he’s making them, writing and producing viral pieces for the shoe and apparel giant through the production company, Meathawk Productions, he formed with his cousin Ezra Holland a year and a half ago. “I wanted to get into filmmaking–I’m very passionate about film–so I pitched Nike on doing a viral video,” Nash says, explaining the process that led to the creation of “Training Day,” an online video that showed Nash practising on the basketball court as well as demonstrating his considerable soccer, tennis and skateboarding skills. “I wrote a concept and they gave me $30,000, and I hired a young director and director of photography in New York and we made this viral piece. “It got amazing feedback from people, so that really sparked the bug in me to go to Nike and say, can I do another one?” Marketing Mag

According to Nash, professional sports leagues like the NBA are likely more than a little skittish about the potential dangers of such unfiltered communication. “There’s going to be some growing pains, for sure, but it will be interesting,” Nash says of the challenges leagues face in developing appropriate social media policies for players while harnessing such tools for their own benefit. “Some of their most successful players have garnered a large following [in social media], and that only helps [the league’s] business.” Nash hopes to be a central figure in helping both athletes and leagues handle their evolving social media business. Along with Davis and Bosh, he’s about to introduce Apoko, a company that will specialize in online content management for athletes. “I think that’s going to be a very important service as fans get more excited about that kind of interaction with players and players get more excited about providing that,” says Nash. “We just think it’s a great opportunity for players to take control of their brand and their audience and at the same time not be unguided and without a strategy.” Marketing Mag

Pelletier says Nash, who interned at New York advertising agency Deutsch, is the ideal athlete to take sports and athlete marketing into the new media age. “He’s a true marketer,” says Pelletier. “You sit down with him at the table and he gets it. He speaks the marketing language.” Marketing Mag

One hundred screaming kids, a guest appearance from new Lakers forward Ron Artest, learning, fun and a smiling 7-foot-2 Iranian center as the sponsor. That was the first annual Hamed Haddadi basketball camp that concluded Sunday on the campus of California State University Northridge in the San Fernando Valley. The two-day event was the first-ever sports camp held by an Iranian athlete, one organizers anticipate to be an annual occurrence. The wide-eyed campers were mostly Iranian children between the ages of 6-18, but the event was open to the public. They smiled with glee as they posed for photos with Haddadi and cheered with delight after their athletic hero made a basket. NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol scored 19 points and had eight rebounds Monday to lead world champion Spain over Lithuania 84-70 in the second round of the European basketball championship. Trailing 24-15 at the start of the second quarter, Spain guard Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers hit a 3-pointer to spark a 25-3 run over the next seven minutes that put Spain ahead 40-27. The world champs continued to get out on the fast break, and led by 24 in the fourth quarter before pulling most of their starters. "We played with a very good rhythm today," Gasol said. "We raised our level of intensity and were able to run and play our game. That's more the game that we've been so successful with." AP

Etan Thomas: I definitely agree with Jermaine O Neal’s comments. In this country when you turn eighteen you are in essence considered a man. You can buy a shotgun, operate a helicopter, vote for the President of The United States, and they definitely don’t have any reservations to sending you overseas to fight in a war, so how could it be deemed lawful to prevent them from playing in the NBA? What they are concerned with their overall well-being and want to protect them from the horrors and the pitfalls that lay ahead of them if they are allowed to play in the NBA? They’re mature enough to make a decision to put their life on the line in a war but playing basketball is way too much responsibility for them to handle? SLAM

Bryant would be willing to consider playing in a Chinese basketball league, he said at a later press event. "I love playing, it's something I'm open to," he said. PC World

Korver on Boozer: "I think he felt like he was going to be somewhere like the next week for sure, and that's why he said the things that he said, I'm guessing. It's a business and we know that. We expect him to come back and play really well and try to be healthy and earn back the respect that whoever people think that he needs to earn it back to." Salt Lake Tribune

There's obviously a lot of speculation about the potential distractions that Boozer's return could pose, but nobody has really considered the effect on other players left to wonder if they'll be included in a Boozer deal, if and when it happens. Williams, though, largely dismissed the notion. "Our team, since I've been here, we've done very little in the middle of a season," he said. "We're not very aggressive during the season. Coach, I think he's one of those coaches who likes to finish with the same team he starts with, for the most part. Maybe tweak it here and there, but nothing too major." Salt Lake Tribune

So is Williams concerned about the distraction issue with Boozer's return? "You know, Ross Siler and Tim Buckley come in, stirring stuff up," Williams said, laughing. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of questions that have to be answered, but a lot of that's from Carlos. I've said I want to be here. I don't have any questions to answer." Salt Lake Tribune

The Jazz are facing luxury-tax penalties this season and drafted and signed a big man in Michigan State's Goran Suton, whose one-year deal is believed to be non-guaranteed, so it seems a longshot that the Collins will return. He averaged 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in a reserve role, though he was highly regarded by Sloan for his work ethic and knowledge of Utah's system. Deseret News

The Jazz are believed to have invited Ronald Dupree to training camp. Dupree is a 6-foot-7 forward who has played in parts of five NBA seasons with Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota and Seattle, averaging 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 154 games. Salt Lake Tribune

How is your contract situation coming along? Lester Hudson: I'm just trying to stay patient and let my play decide my contract. It's up to nobody but me, whether I earn a spot on the team. I'm not worried about it, I'm just out here trying to impress whoever I can... the coaching staff, Danny Ainge, the owners, the weight trainers, the equipment managers, everybody. I'm going to let my play do my talking, and hopefully the contract will work itself out. Celtics Town

How do you feel about being drafted by the Boston Celtics? Lester Hudson: I think I'm in the best position of anybody who was drafted. Danny Green (drafted by Cleveland) is the only other player in a comparable position. First of all, I get a chance to play for the best team in the world. I'm in a great position because I get to play with veteran guys who know how to play the game and are willing to help me out. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis – and I could keep going – those guys are all great players and know what it takes to succeed in this league. Celtics Town

Greg Ostertag, who retired from professional basketball three years ago at the age of 33, wants to play in the NBA again. “I just miss it,” the 7-foot-2 Ostertag said Thursday in an interview with the Journal-World — one in which he made it clear he’s ready to entertain offers from any team in need of a backup center. “Watching the playoffs last year got me excited. My wife said, ‘Why not go try it again?’ One day I said, ‘What the heck. I’ll get in shape and get back on the court and give it a try.’ Lawrence Journal-World

Ostertag, 36, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with wife Heidi and children Cody, Bailey and Shelby, was invited to travel to Portland last week to work out with the Trail Blazers. Portland thus far is the only team to entertain the possibility of letting the 278-pound former Kansas University pivot resume a career that spanned 11 seasons. “I did all right. I’m rusty. I’d not picked up a ball seriously in three years,” said Ostertag, who played for both Utah and Sacramento. “I have some cobwebs. The more I play, the quicker I’ll get it back. Now I’m trying to get in good shape and get stronger. The basketball will come.” Lawrence Journal-World

Chris Emens, senior director of Octagon Basketball, an agency that represents Ostertag, believes his client can be an asset to the Blazers or any other NBA team. “Greg brings interior defense, rebounding, shot-blocking, playoff and championship-game experience and most importantly for teams in contention, he knows how to win,” Emens said. Lawrence Journal-World

Williams said the season had come up quick the last month-and-a-half after he'd started working out again after resting his sprained ankle much of the summer. Some thoughts from Williams and Korver looking ahead to the start of camp. "We definitely don't want to play like we did how we finished the season and on into the playoffs," Williams said. "We want to definitely be more competitive than that and not have so many ups and downs this year. "We've had a lot of ups and downs over the last couple of years, especially towards the end of the season where we've fallen off and kind of limped into the playoffs when other teams are playing their best basketball." Salt Lake Tribune

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard discussed Friday during an interview the flexibility inherent in the Blazers' roster and whether the team is interested in adding another big man. ... Pritchard: "We want to look for the best player, but specifically somebody who fits with us. So that's No. 1. No. 2, if you look at our depth chart, (forward) LaMarcus Aldridge can move over to the 4, Dante Cunningham can move over to the 4. We can go big with (center) Greg (Oden) and (Joel) Pryzbilla. So, yeah, I feel like we need another big, but you know, quite frankly, (coach) Nate McMillan does such a great job of going small at times. And we played (small forward) Travis (Outlaw) at lot at the 4, and he causes some issues with other teams, and when we do that, it's shown to be very successful. So, another big would be great. But I want two guys to make our team that are great people that put the team first, and that have a chance to help our team whether they play a minute or are starters. " Columbian

How much have you been able to develop your own playbook this summer? Scott Brooks: "I’ve had a lot of time to really reflect on what we did this past year and on some of the things that we really need to improve on. And the list is long. The offensive playbook, our players can handle more now. I wanted to keep it simple (last year). It’s not like this year I’m going to have the biggest offensive playbook in the league. But I’m going to be able to throw more things at the guys. Defensively, we have to get better and we have to improve. We have to hold each other accountable on that end of the floor.” Oklahoman

How do Serge Ibaka and Byron Mullens look, and how much are they ready to contribute? Scott Brooks: "We’re very happy with Serge and Byron. In the short time that we’ve had them, we already see improvement. It remains to be seen what they do come the season as far as playing time. That’s why we have October and the month-long training camp to really evaluate how our players have gotten better, how they’re going to work together and who is going to help us win games. And I think those young, big guys are obviously a big part of our development and our future. That’s not to say that they’re not going to play now. I can’t say who’s going to play and who’s not going to play. But with Byron and Serge I like what they’re doing.” Oklahoman

	Want to follow HoopsHype.com on Twitter too? Click here.

NBA star Kobe Bryant, who is hugely popular in China, shared motivational words with Chinese technology start-ups and other small businesses at a forum in the country on Friday. A range of speakers, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton and executives from Lenovo and Alibaba, two of China's top IT companies, also spoke at the forum for small and medium businesses in Hangzhou, the scenic city where Alibaba is based. Each shared advice on how to succeed. "There are so many metaphors between basketball and life," Bryant said on stage with Jack Ma, the CEO of Alibaba Group, which runs China's top e-commerce Web sites. PC World

The original estimate was $10,000, but it turns out Deron Williams and Kyle Korver will be donating at least $15,000 and possibly as much as $20,000 to The Christmas Box House shelters for children from the charity dodgeball tournament they hosted Saturday. Salt Lake Tribune

Remember the huge John Stockton fan who traveled all the way up from Melbourne, Australia, in hopes of meeting and congratulating his hoops hero? The story has a happy ending. Jake Carroll, who has closely followed the point guard's career since 1990 when he saw the Jazz play on TV, finally caught up with Stockton at an after-party following Friday night's Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony. It turned his $1,000 ticket to the weekend's festivities into a great investment. "I did get to meet John," Carroll wrote in an e-mail. "He was polite like I thought he would be and (I) got some quick snaps, although he was in pretty hot demand throughout the night." Deseret News

Visit the HoopsHype.com Forums to discuss the latest news and rumors in the NBA.

Any rumor missing? E-mail us at hoopshype@hoopshype.com.