Anderson Shows Off For Potential Suitors
There's plenty going on in Orlando this winter, with the All-Star game coming to town and the daily Dwight Howard rumors. Much less attention has been paid to power forward Ryan Anderson, whose 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 43% three-point shooting are all career highs. His 74 three-pointers made coming into Friday led the league. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the development of the 6-foot-10 power forward in his fourth season.
He'll be showing off his long-distance shooting in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend, but Schmitz notes how he, at the behest of coach Stan Van Gundy, has become more of an all-around player.
Van Gundy laments not playing him more last season, when Anderson split time with Brandon Bass.
"We didn't have any doubts that he could do what he's doing offensively. He's exceptional," the coach said. "The only other guy in the league that can stretch a defense and grab offensive rebounds like that is Kevin Love. Ryan has some unique abilities."
Anderson, making $2.24MM this season, would be unlikely to accept a qualifying offer of $3.23 million from the Magic this summer. It's more likely the Magic, who opted against signing Anderson to an extension before last month's deadline, will have to shell out significantly more to keep him. According to Basketball Reference, his career numbers coming into the season (which exclude his hot start this year) were similar to those of Al Jefferson, who's making $14MM this year, and Anderson Varejao, who's earning $7.7MM. Love, to whom Van Gundy compared Anderson, recently signed a four-year extension worth a total of more than $60MM.
Regardless of his precise market value, it's clear Anderson will be at or near the top of the list of free-agent power forwards come July.
Lakers Notes: Arenas, Bryant, Lin
The Lakers are in New York tonight for the fifth game of a six-game road trip, their longest of the season. Here are a few dispatches from their travels:
- Kobe Bryant is on board with the possibility of the Lakers signing Gilbert Arenas, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes at the end of his piece today. The Lakers are reportedly considering inking Arenas for the veterans' minimum.
- Nets swingman DeShawn Stevenson says he's seen Gilbert Arenas lately, and says the free-agent point guard "looks great, a lot thinner," tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- L.A. Times beat writer Mike Bresnahan tweets that Knicks rookie Jeremy Lin was on the Lakers' radar before the season began. Lin's family had been given indication that the Lakers would take him with the 58th pick in the 2010 draft, writes Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register, but they went with the recently waived Derrick Caracter instead.
Sam Smith on Rose, Deng, Asik
Derrick Rose, who's been nursing a sore back, is sitting out the Bulls game against the Bobcats tonight. When he's been in the lineup, Rose has been seeing heavy playing time of late, as has Luol Deng and his creaky wrist. Longtime Bulls beat writer Sam Smith of NBA.com answered questions from readers concerned with overuse. Smith says as long as a player is healthy enough to play in the game, he's healthy enough to play a full load of minutes. That's an opinion shared by Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and, according to ESPNChicago.com, GM Gar Forman.
Here are some more highlights from Smith's piece:
- The Bulls are unlikely to sign another shooting guard soon, despite the absense of Richard Hamilton. Relief could come closer to the trade deadline. J.R. Smith would not be a viable option.
- The success the team's been enjoying this year runs counter to the idea that they should blow it up to acquire Dwight Howard. Smith would like for the Bulls to see how far they can go as currently constituted before making a drastic move.
- Omer Asik's minutes are dwindling and he'll be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, but Smith believes there's no reason to consider trading him at this point and hurting the team's depth.
- Don't expect to see Chris Kaman in a Bulls uniform anytime soon. Just as there's no need to mess with success to acquire Howard, Smith says, there's no impetus to break up the team for Kaman.
Trade Candidate: Stephen Jackson
It's been a rough few weeks for the Bucks, who've lost Andrew Bogut for most of the season with a broken ankle and now must deal with doubt surrounding Brandon Jennings' future plans. Plus, there's been debate about whether Stephen Jackson has or hasn't demanded a trade. For the record, Bucks GM John Hammond is declining comment on the issue. Suffice it to say, with Jackson's playing time in flux, there's plenty to suggest Captain Jack will soon be shipping out of Wisconsin.
Jackson, for the moment, seems to have found his way back into the Bucks rotation after Scott Skiles elected not to play him in four out of five games. That doesn't include the one-game suspension he received after missing the team bus. He admitted frustration with his lack of playing time, which isn't uncharacteristic. His tenure in Milwaukee seemed destined for trouble from the start, when the Bucks acquired Jackson from the Bobcats at the draft last year. Jackson said the trade took him by surprise, and insisted the Bucks extend his contract before tamping down his rhetoric.
Jackson is not the most attractive asset for the Bucks to dangle at this point in his career. He turns 34 in April, and his 12.4 PPG is his lowest since 2002/03, when he was a part-time starter for a title-winning Spurs team. That's due in part to his decreased playing time, but his rate of points per 36 minutes (14.5) is way down, too. His contract, which pays him $9,256,500 this year and $10,059,750 next season, makes him that much more difficult for the Bucks to unload. It's that long-ago experience with the Spurs, in addition to leadership roles on surprising playoff teams in Golden State and Charlotte, that may convince GMs he's worth still worth taking on.
Dwight Howard has apparently indicated he'd like to have Jackson as a teammate, so that could point to interest from the Magic, who sought Jackson on draft night before the Bucks got him. That means the Nets, Mavericks, Lakers and any other team that's in on the D12 sweepstakes could be after Jackson as well. The Nets, who say they don't want to sign anyone else this year, haven't closed the door on trading for another player, and with recent signee Keith Bogans done for the year, there's an opening for a swingman that Jackson could fill.
The Bulls, who haven't been mentioned in Jackson rumors but are one of the teams linked to Howard, present an intriguing scenario. Jackson could provide insurance if Luol Deng's wrist doesn't hold up and/or Richard Hamilton fails to round into shape. Jackson's contract would mean the Bulls would have to part with some of their depth and young assets, but if they're concerned about having a second scoring option after Derrick Rose and want to woo Howard, they may bite.
Veteran Contract Extensions Under The New CBA
Addressing Dwight Howard's upcoming contract options, Steve Kyler and Larry Coon of HoopsWorld did a good job breaking down the reasons why we won't see many big in-season contract extensions for veterans under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Fourth-year players like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love still have incentive to sign long-term deals, since they'd only be eligible for restricted free agency if they played out the season. While those two players agreed to sign for less money than they may have qualified for, signing in-season extensions didn't restrict the years or raises they could receive.
However, for players no longer on their rookie contracts, signing an extension before the season ends will limit their earning potential. Under the new CBA, a player can extend for only four total years (with 7.5% annual raises), which includes the years remaining on his current deal. So a player in the last year of his contract could extend his deal by three additional seasons.
By comparison, veterans with Bird rights are eligible to sign free agent contracts for up to five years. As such, players like Howard and Deron Williams, who expect to sign max deals, have no reason to sign before they hit free agency, even if they intend to stay with their current teams.
Further restrictions are placed on recently-traded players, which could come into effect for Howard in the coming weeks. During the six-month period after being traded (or until June 30th, whichever comes first), a player can sign an extension for three total years, with 4.5% raises — the same restrictions that apply to extend-and-trade transactions.
For a practical example of the CBA's rules, let's examine the case of Chris Paul, who is under contract through next season after committing to his 2012/13 player option. While we don't know whether Paul will want to remain in Los Angeles long-term, let's assume he wants to be a Clipper for the rest of his career. Here are his options for a max contract extension:
- He could sign an extension before June 15th (six months after his trade) for three total years and 4.5% annual raises, which would add only a single year to his current contract.
- He could sign an extension after June 15th for four total years and 7.5% annual raises. Assuming he waited until the new season begins on July 1st, he could add as many as three extra years to his current deal.
- He could wait until his contract expires at the end of the 2012/13 season, then sign for five new years with 7.5% annual raises.
The limits placed on extensions mean superstars expecting max contracts have little reason not to play out their deals and hit free agency. So don't expect to see Paul, Howard, or Williams signing an extension anytime soon.
Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday
With less than five weeks until the trade deadline, the Magic still hope to avoid dealing their star center, preferring to build around him long-term. We heard as much yesterday from team owner Rich DeVos, who put the odds of Dwight Howard remaining with the Magic at about "50/50." Here are today's updates on Howard:
- The Lakers are still on Howard's list, but he has some serious reservations about following Shaquille O'Neal's path to L.A., says Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "Dwight is very sensitive to people thinking that he is duplicating Shaq," a source tells Berger.
- In ESPN.com's Weekend Dime, Marc Stein explains why most Howard suitors, with the exception of the Lakers, wouldn't mind if the Magic didn't trade D12 this season.
- While they were surprised not to be on Howard's list of preferred destinations, the Bulls remain intrigued by the possibility of acquiring him, says Stein. Chicago prefers to play out this season with their current roster, but could be interested in making a play for Howard in the offseason, should he become more interested in Chicago. Since the Bulls won't have cap space to sign him as a free agent, they'd have to make a trade offer before July 1st.
- In a piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler and Larry Coon set the record straight on some common misconceptions about Howard's future contract options.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Nets, Novak, Nash
Let's check out the latest notes from around the league, as we prepare for a busy slate of games that includes a Southeast battle in Orlando, the Clippers in Philadelphia, and, of course, Kobe Bryant against Jeremy Lin….
- Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports reports that former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan has been approached by at least six teams trying to lure him back into coaching. Although he wasn't ready yet when those opportunites arose, he's feeling recharged and could return to the NBA next season.
- The Nets will roll with their current roster rather than signing or waiving anyone, despite all the injuries, tweets Ben Couch of NJNets.com. The club wants to retain their Bird-rights players like Damion James in order to build around max contracts this summer, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- In an Insider-only ESPN.com column, John Hollinger examines whether or not the Big Three model is all it's cracked up to be.
- The "Linsanity" surrounding Jeremy Lin is overshadowing Steve Novak's recent success, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Novak, who was claimed off waivers by the Knicks in December, is eligible for unrestricted free agency at season's end.
- Although Steve Nash doesn't appear to be going anywhere before the trade deadline, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle thinks a reunion with the Mavericks could make sense.
Stein’s Latest: Kaman, J.R. Smith, Nash
Marc Stein's latest column at ESPN.com included an update on the Dwight Howard saga, as we discussed earlier. Stein also shared a few other items of note, so let's check those out….
- Because rules had to be amended to adjust for the season's late start, more than 100 players are ineligible to be traded until March. This is one reason trade chatter hasn't picked up much yet. One Eastern Conference executive told Stein that teams are "eager" for March 1st to arrive.
- Although the Hornets say they intend to hold on to Chris Kaman for now, teams still expect him to be traded "sooner rather than later." The Pacers and Rockets are the most interested clubs, with the Hornets thought to be seeking at least one good draft pick or young player.
- The Knicks appear to be the frontrunner for J.R. Smith, who should be eligible to sign an NBA contract in a week or so.
- Sources close to the Steve Nash situation continue to say that the Suns will hold on to their All-Star point guard past the deadline.
Jennings To Explore Options After Rookie Contract
11:55am: Jennings clarified his comments during this morning's shootaround, as Scott Sargent of WFNY writes.
"It really doesn’t matter what market it’s in," Jennings said. "I’m just keeping my options open. That’s just the main thing. I’m not saying I’m unhappy in Milwaukee, Milwaukee has been very good to me. It’s just one of those things, when the time is coming up, you start thinking. You just never know."
8:09am: Brandon Jennings's rookie contract with the Bucks is set to expire after the 2012/13 season, but the 22-year-old doesn't sound like he's ready to sign a long-term extension. Jennings told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that he will seriously entertain the idea of leaving Milwaukee when he becomes eligible for free agency.
While Jennings didn't crack yesterday's list of All-Star reserves, his 18.9 PPG, .426 FG%, and 19.2 PER would all be career-highs. The former tenth overall pick was drafted by the Bucks in 2009, but sounds like he's interested in exploring bigger markets.
"I am going to keep my options open, knowing that the time is coming up,'' Jennings said. "I'm doing my homework on big-market teams…. I'm not saying I won't (sign an extension with the Bucks) and I'm not saying I will. I'm just keeping my options open."
I can't see many big-market teams going to great lengths to clear cap space in order to make a run at Jennings, but at the very least, he'd be one of the top restricted free agents available in 2013. Blake Griffin, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, and Jrue Holiday are among the other players entering the last year of their rookie contracts in 2012/13.
Since the Bucks will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Jennings signs in 2013, the earliest he could become an unrestricted free agent is 2014.
Central Notes: Boykins, Udrih, Bulls, Cavs
Earl Boykins has made stops in plenty of NBA cities over his career, logging minutes with nine different teams since making his debut in 1998. His most recent NBA stint came in Milwaukee, where he played in 57 games with the Bucks last season. Boykins is currently a free agent, but may find an NBA home soon. He told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype he's in discussions with a couple teams and "hopefully something gets done." Here are a few more items out of the Central Division:
- Beno Udrih isn't sure whether he'll exercise his player option and stay with the Bucks next season, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. As frustrated as Udrih is with his reduced role in Milwaukee, I'd be surprised if he passed up a $7MM+ guarantee to hit the open market a year early. You can check out the complete list of players with options for 2012/13 here.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com doesn't expect the Bulls to make a run at J.R. Smith. I had the same thought when I examined potential fits for Smith.
- Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer follows up his report on the Cavaliers' preference to hold on to Anderson Varejao with a discussion of the team's trade possibilities.