In an interesting interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Evan Turner explained how he ended up reaching an agreement with the Trail Blazers earlier today, expressing confidence that he’ll be a great fit in Portland. Turner suggested that he’d “play in Boston every single day of the week” if all other factors were equal, but the Celtics would have only have offered him about half what the Blazers did, and the C’s likely would’ve reduced his role as well.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Hassan Whiteside‘s max salary isn’t set in stone yet, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald, who tweets that the young center would be willing to take a little less if Kevin Durant wants to sign with the Heat.
- Chandler Parsons called his decision to sign with the Grizzlies the toughest of his life, calling Portland “incredible” and citing Memphis’ coaching staff as a major factor in his choice. Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com has the quotes from Parsons.
- Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press is skeptical that the Timberwolves will trade Ricky Rubio this summer, tweeting that head coach Tom Thibodeau wants to work with the point guard. Krawczynski expects Rubio to be on Minnesota’s roster when training camp rolls around.
- Dubbed last week as the favorites to reach a deal with Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, the Nets are are still trying to get a deal done with Rodriguez, but sources tell Mike Mazzeo and Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that an agreement looks “unlikely.”
- The Thunder issued a press release today confirming the hiring of Adrian Griffin as an assistant on Billy Donovan‘s staff, as was reported last month. Vin Bhavnani and former NBA guard Royal Ivey also received promotions and are now assistant coaches, per the team.
Is Turner going to be sixth man? Or are they benching Aminu? Because if that’s so it makes zero giving him that much for a sixth man or benching Aminu who’s better than Turner. It only makes sense to me if they go small ball with Aminu at the 4
I speculated about the fit of Fiz and Parsons playing a role. As I said, Fizdale has done a great job in the past of improving guys on the defensive end, and Parsons has the athleticism to at least be better than he is.
This Evan turner deal is baffling. Even more than the Mozgov deal. I know teams have money but why are bench guys getting 4 year for 70 mil?
b/c its more like $11 or 12 million under the old cap. Turner is a versatile option on both ends of the floor. He has some similarities to Iguodala. Like him, he is going to have to improve that 3 point shot though. In Portland, he pretty much replaces Gerald Henderson
Agreed. Turner can easily start for a team at the 2/3 spot (depending on who is playing at the other spot). Ideally, he is a 6th man (who should get a decent chunk of minutes) that can be a versatile defender and average scoring option with good passing ability. Offensively, he gives the Blazers flexibility because he can come in and handle the ball for the second unit or even play with Lillard/McCollum and continue to be the ball handler allowing those two to play off-ball and not have to be the primary ball handlers each time down the floor.