Nets Rumors: Humphries, Free Agency, Green
The Nets should be one of the most intriguing teams this offseason, as they look ahead to plenty of cap room, their move to Brooklyn, and the looming spectre of a potential Dwight Howard trade. Here's the latest from the team's final days in New Jersey:
- Power forward Kris Humphries is averaging career highs in virtually every major category, and Colin Stephenson of the Star Ledger checks in with the consistent double-double threat who's drawing the admiration of his teammates ahead of his impending free agency.
- The Nets won't wait around for the Dwight Howard saga to be resolved, says Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who examines the team's plans this summer. He reiterates an earlier report that the team may look elsewhere at the power forward position despite Humphries' improvement this year.
- Gerald Green's resurgence this season after a two-year absence from the league is quite a comeback story. Still, it's not as impressive as his ability to make the NBA at all after having half the ring finger on his shooting hand amputated following a freak accident while dunking as a sixth-grader, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Earlier this week, we heard that Green would be willing to give the Nets a hometown discount in free agency this summer.
Odds & Ends: Evans, Lewis, McGee, Bradley
On this day in 1996, the Bulls defeated the Bullets 103-93 to finish the season with a 72-10 record, which eclipsed the 1972 Lakers‘ 69-13 mark. The W also earned Chicago their 33rd road victory, the most ever in a season by an NBA team. Here’s a look at today’s items from around the Association..
- Tyreke Evans‘ agent, Arn Tellem, was in town yesterday for a meeting with Kings president Geoff Petrie and management about his client, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The two sides didn’t talk about a contract extension or a potential trade for Evans but did discuss where he stands with the team going forward.
- Wizards forward Rashard Lewis is a likely candidate to be bought out this summer, but the 32-year-old believes that he has plenty of basketball left in him, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- There are still times when JaVale McGee misses Washington, but the big man is happy to be with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. McGee won’t say much about his impending free agency but says that he wouldn’t mind coming back to Denver.
- Avery Bradley has gone from question mark to future cornerstone for the Celtics’ long-term rebuilding project, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
Cavaliers Sign D.J. Kennedy
The Cavaliers announced that they have signed guard/forward D.J. Kennedy from the D-League for the remainder of the season. In 44 regular season games with the Erie BayHawks, the 22-year-old averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 37.4 minutes per game.
The swingman played four seasons at St. John’s, putting up 11.7 PPG on .436 shooting, 6.1 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30.4 minutes per contest. Kennedy suffered a major setback in last year's NCAA tournament when he tore his ACL in the Red Storm's quarterfinal loss to Syracuse.
Camby Hopes To Stay With Rockets
Marcus Camby will be an unrestricted free agent after this season but the Rockets big man says that he hopes to stay in Houston beyond the 2012 season, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
“I want to stay…From the coaches and from management and my meetings I’ve had with them, I think they enjoy what I’ve been doing with my play and my leadership. I know from talking to my representative that there’s going to be a lot of suitors at the end of the season, but this is where I want to be. It’s something we’ll definitely address at the end of the season," the 38-year-old said.
The Rockets should have enough flexibility to keep Camby as they have just $41MM on the books for 2013. Camby came to Houston in a deadline deal from the Blazers in exchange for Jonny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet, and a second-round pick. In 17 games with his new team, the veteran has averaged 7.5 points and 9.4 rebounds in 24 minutes per contest.
Hoops Links: Nets, Green, Howard, Bobcats, Gasol
On Monday night, the Nets will play their final game in New Jersey when they host the 76ers in Newark. The club will celebrate 35 years in the Garden State with guest appearances from former players including Albert King, Otis Birdsong, Chris Morris, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Kendall Gill, and Kerry Kittles. During their time in New Jersey, the Nets have compiled a .421 winning percentage and reached the playoffs 16 times.
If you have a great basketball blog piece that you think we should feature, send me an email at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's our look at the best of the web this week..
- Nets Are Scorching looks at the future of the Nets-Knicks rivalry.
- RealGM sat down with Gerald Green to discuss his second chance in the Association.
- Hardwood Paroxysm examines Dwight Howard in the clutch.
- Cowbell Kingdom weighs in on the Kings' arena situation.
- Know Hitter says that the Celtics will be a scary team this postseason.
- The Basketball Post applauds the Bobcats' efforts when it comes to tanking.
- Euroleague Adventures wonders why Juan Carlos Navarro made the all-Euroleague team.
- 3 Shades Of Blue makes the case for Marc Gasol being removed from the starting five.
- Basketball Prospectus looks at the Blazers' history of injuries.
- Hoops Addict wonders if a lack of postseason experience could hurt the Pacers.
- Cavs The Blog talks Lester Hudson.
- The Good Point thinks that the Raptors are showing some promise.
- Bucksketball writes that Drew Gooden has been playing out of position this year.
- Stepien Rules caught up with Cavs forward Luke Harangody.
- NBA Playbook took notice of a beautiful play ran by the Wizards.
- Portland Roundball Society was in the Blazers' locker room after their final home game.
- Red's Army looks at which Celtics are headed to the rafters.
- A Wolf Among Wolves applauds J.J. Barea.
- Celtics Hub looks at the C's relationship with the mid-range shot.
- The Hoop Doctors wonders what's next for Deron Williams.
- Basketbawful ran down the worst of Wednesday's action.
- Hoop Idea writes that NBA officiating is becoming more transparent.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Southwest Links: Rockets, Hornets, Carlisle
With the Spurs, Mavericks and Grizzlies in action tonight, here are a few links regarding the Southwest division:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says that the down-the-stretch pressure was simply too much for the Rockets, who have folded in April essentially closing the door at any hopes for postseason play.
- Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld examines the Rockets' offseason needs, specifically replacing Yao Ming at center. With the futures of Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert uncertain in Houston, Ingram says that Houston could turn to Hornets' potential free agents Chris Kaman and/or Houston-born Emeka Okafor this summer. Kaman is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and while Okafor is under contract, he is considered a viable amnesty candidate.
- Mark Cuban says that he would like to retain head coach Rick Carlisle, tweets the Star-Telegram's Dwain Price. Carlisle's contract is up at the end of the season. In his fourth year with the Mavs, Carlisle has led the team to the playoffs every year, winning the Southwest division in 2009-2010 and the NBA title in 2010-2011.
Odds & Ends: Amnesty, Magic, Pistons, Blazers
With only six games on the schedule on Friday night, lets take a look at what else is going on in the Association:
- Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson flew to Las Vegas to meet with the Kings' ownership in an attempt to revive arena discussions, says the Sacramento Bee. According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com via Twitter, a George Maloof spokesman said the talks were "cordial" but "nothing definitive resulted."
- RealGM has published their helpful "2012 Amnesty 2.0 Primer" which outlines every team's amnesty situation, including which players are eligible as well as which are reasonable candidates. Players are only eligible if they are still under contract with the same team when the CBA was reached.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that Stan Van Gundy has received no indication from GM Otis Smith that the Magic will sign a free agent center to help deal with the loss of Dwight Howard.
- Joel Brigham from Hoopsworld offers a detailed analysis of the Pistons' roster, and their offseason outlook at improving it. Brigham says that while they have some young building blocks, Detroit also has enough overpaid veterans getting enough minutes to impede their progress.
- Dr. Jack Ramsay was on 1080 The Fan in Portland and discussed the Blazers coaching and GM situations as well as their roster. Ramsay was skeptical that they could land a big-time coach and isn't confident that they can improve significantly.
Agent Says Cavs Mishandled Hudson Situation
Lester Hudson's agent, Keith Glass, told the Akron Beacon Journal today that had the Cavaliers guaranteed Hudson's contract for the rest of the year after his initial 10-day deal expired, he would have signed it and would still be in Cleveland. The Cavs instead merely offered Hudson another 10-day pact, despite the guard filling in admirably for an injured Kyrie Irving, and Hudson accepted the deal, played it out and today signed with his hometown Grizzlies.
“If 10 days ago, they had just done what I thought they should’ve done, which was guarantee the rest of the year, he would’ve signed it and been there. The way the league works, the way the world works, the word is leverage. I guess they had the leverage 10 days ago and we had some yesterday," Glass said.
Both teams offered Hudson non-guaranteed contracts for next year, and because Hudson chose Memphis, they will control his rights in the offseason.
Celtics Sign Sean Williams, Waive Jermaine O’Neal
6:36pm: Williams joined his new teammates at shootaround today. The BC product told the Boston Herald that he likes Boston and that he has matured since he was suspended twice in college:
“It’s not about my career – it’s more about my life and getting better in everything. All of your experiences, you take them with you. Hopefully you make the best out of the next step you take, every day.
“I like Boston. In the league you get to know everybody pretty well. I played summer ball with some of the guys, and I played with Keyon (Dooling) in New Jersey. Just try to come in and get to know everybody, get a feel for them, and hopefully they get a feel for you. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and this is a very tight-knit organization led by Doc and KG, and the key is to fall in line and follow those leaders. Then you work hard every day.”
9:38am: The Celtics have officially signed Sean Williams and waived Jermaine O'Neal, the team announced in a press release. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported yesterday that the pair of roster moves was expected.
Williams, 25, spent most of the season with the Mavericks before he was waived to clear a roster spot for Kelenna Azubuike. The Mavs shuttled Williams back and forth between their NBA squad and their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. While the big man appeared in just eight games for Dallas, he played 27 games for the Legends, averaging 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game. Because he was waived prior to the March buyout deadline, Williams will be eligible for the postseason and will provide frontcourt depth for the Celtics.
O'Neal underwent surgery on his left wrist in March, sidelining him for the season. Since he was in the last year of his contract, there was no reason for the Celtics to keep him on the roster. He'll become a free agent and figures to sign with a new team this summer.
Knicks Sign Dan Gadzuric, Waive Bill Walker
6:18pm: Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York gives his take on the Gadzuric signing, saying that the Knicks could have an eye on beefing up for their first round playoff matchup against Chicago or Miami.
4:58pm: The Knicks have made the move official, announcing in a press release that they've signed Gadzuric and waived Walker.
10:15am: The Knicks are planning to sign Dan Gadzuric, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter). To clear a roster spot for Gadzuric, the team would waive Bill Walker.
Gadzuric joined the D-League earlier this season, where he has averaged 12.0 points and 11.3 rebounds in 12 games for the Texas Legends. The 34-year-old has appeared in 525 NBA games, spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Bucks before playing for the Warriors and Nets last season. He'll give the Knicks another option up front with Amare Stoudemire and Jared Jeffries out of action, and will be playoff-eligible since he hasn't played for an NBA team this season.
Walker, meanwhile, is in the final year of his contract, so the Knicks will only be on the hook for the remainder of this season's salary for him. After logging significant minutes in the first half, the 24-year-old underwent elbow surgery and has not been a part of the Knicks' rotation since returning.