Week In Review: 8/13/12 – 8/19/12
Here's a look back at all the week's NBA news from the past week.
- Serge Ibaka and the Thunder agreed to terms on a four-year extension.
- The Jazz tried to acquire Ryan Anderson earlier this offseason.
- The Lakers re-signed Devin Ebanks. They also added Jodie Meeks.
- Former Magic assistant coach Steve Clifford will follow Dwight Howard to the Lakers.
- Coming off a devastating knee injury suffered in last year's playoff series against the Heat, Baron Davis hopes to make a return to the NBA at some point this season.
- The Rockets waived Josh Harrellson. They also came to terms on a contract with former Bucks swing man Carlos Delfino.
- After being traded to Philadelphia, Andrew Bynum says he's leaning towards signing a long term contract with the Sixers.
- The Suns waived Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson. They also improved their front court's depth with the official addition of Jermaine O'Neal.
- The Pistons signed Khris Middleton.
- Justin Hamilton signed with a team in Croatia.
- The Magic re-signed Ish Smith.
- The Lakers hired Bernie Bickerstaff and Eddie Jordan to be assistant coaches on their staff.
- The Hornets signed Brian Roberts.
- The Nuggets are looking to sign Andre Iguodala to a long term deal.
- According to his agent, Jeff Green should finally sign his contract with the Celtics this week.
- The Trail Blazers added three assistant coaches to their staff.
- Stephen Curry and the Warriors are expected to discuss an extension soon.
- Vernon Macklin is signing with a Turkish team.
- Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is nearly done hiring a staff.
- The Cavaliers and Alonzo Gee are close to terms on a new deal.
Odds & Ends: Casspi, Tolliver, Leonard, Blatche
According to Fox's John Telich, the Cavaliers may buy out Omri Casspi's contract. (Twitter link) FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico tweets that there have been rumors regarding Casspi's want to play overseas.
Here's a rundown on some of the latest news and notes from around the NBA this weekend:
- According to Hoopshype.com, free agent forward Anthony Tolliver is receiving heavy attention from Greek's Panathinaikos.
- Paul Klee of IlliniHQ.com reports that the Trail Blazers may have been weary of eventual first round draft pick Meyers Leonard's health, performing health checks up until the day he was selected.
- Recent amnesty victim Andray Blatche says he doesn't care where he is next year, as long as he's playing basketball. And that includes the D-League, according to CBSSports.com's Ben Golliver.
- ESPNLA.com's Andy Kamenetzky takes a look at the Nuggets, and how they should stack up against the new look Lakers next season.
- According to ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley, the Knicks should seriously consider playing Carmelo Anthony at the power forward position more and more next season. The move would allow New York's best player to be more explosive offensively, and less of a liability on defense.
- Entering his 13th season in the NBA, Corey Maggette takes a moment to speak with HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham about his role in Detroit and his future plans for his career.
- Royce Young of Daily Thunder writes that the Thunder must now focus their attention on an extension for James Harden, having locked up Serge Ibaka yesterday.
- Sixers head coach Doug Collins talks about what new frontcourt acquisitions Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown bring to the team.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld has a list of remaining free agents who could be value signings, including Lou Amundson, Andray Blatche, Kenyon Martin, and D.J. White.
Poll: How Many Games Will Hornets Win?
After finishing the 2011-12 season with a disappointing 21-45 record, the Hornets look ahead to next year with hopes of making drastic improvements. The team has had a strong offseason thanks to new owner Tom Benson, who has made a strong commitment to making the Hornets as viable as his beloved Saints.
From extending head coach Monty Williams' contract to having a successful draft, the Hornets may be ready to improve upon last year's struggles. The question becomes how many games will the Hornets win next season given the moves they have made during the offseason.
Vernon Macklin Signing With Turkish Team
Former Pistons power forward Vernon Macklin will take his talents abroad next season as he is expected to sign with Gaziantep of Turkey, according to his agent Greg Nunn who spoke with HoopsHype. Macklin, 26 in September, averaged 2.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 23 contests with Detroit during the 2011-12 season.
"Vernon decided to turn down three NBA camp invites," Nunn said. "He feels he needs to play to showcase his talents and return to the NBA next year."
Macklin became an unrestricted free agent earlier this offseason when the Pistons did not extend the former Florida big man a qualifying offer. Since then, Macklin has drawn attention from a variety of NBA teams including the Nets, Suns, Wizards, Bucks and Lakers. The second-year forward thrived during a stint with Fort Wayne as he averaged a double-double in the D-League over the course of 10 games.
Hornets Sign Monty Williams To Contract Extension
The Hornets and head coach Monty Williams agreed to a four-year contract extension over the weekend that will keep him in the Big Easy through 2016, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. The 40-year-old former NBA forward enters his third season with New Orleans after enjoying success in his debut campaign and struggling last year in the wake of Chris Paul being traded to the Clippers. With a series of key moves through the draft, free agency and trades this offseason, Hornets executive Mickey Loomis expressed excitement about Williams' ability to develop the young pieces around him into a championship contender.
"He knows and we know that he’s here for the long term as we develop a young team into a championship contender," Loomis said. "I’ve been very impressed with Monty since we purchased the team."
The team should have no problem improving upon its 21-45 record from the 2011-12 season thanks to the addition of eight new players including Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Ryan Anderson and a healthy Eric Gordon, who missed most of last season due to injury. Time will tell how playing in the Olympics and spending time with world-class players has positively impacted Davis' development. With a new contract in place and a strong new ownership group, Williams' attention can be completely focused on getting the most out of his players on the basketball court.
"I’m aware of the work ahead of us, but that’s what we all want," Williams said. "But at the same time, to have Mickey and Mr. Benson step up to the plate and just say this is the guy we trust going forward, they will never know how that makes me and my family feel. That’s a pretty profound statement."
Schmitt Boyer On Cavs’ Payroll, Picks
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer has a new mailbag column, touching on several issues relating to the Cavs.
- Schmitt Boyer looks at the Cavs' payroll in the last four years of the LeBron James era, examining the validity of Dan Gilbert's willingness to spend money.
- She does not know whether the Cavs will delay their option to swap first-round picks with the Miami Heat. This right was acquired in the trade for James in 2010.
Latest On Howard, Mavericks, Lakers
Dwight Howard has been a Laker for just over a week, and all signs point to him staying in Los Angeles long-term. However, that has not put an end to the speculation that he may consider signing elsewhere next summer. Here's an update on Howard's situation as well as other notes concerning the Lakers and Mavs:
- Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW takes a look at the Mavs' case to lure Howard away from Los Angeles, noting that acquiring Howard in a trade will be difficult now that he is a Laker but pointing out that Dallas will have the cap room to offer him a max deal next summer.
- Sefko has a separate look at some of the other options the Mavs will have next summer during free agency.
- Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times praises the Lakers' acquisitions of Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison.
Page On Mavs, Lakers, Bulls
Derek Page of HoopsWorld conducted his weekly NBA chat Saturday, where he touched on several relevant topics, including the offseason moves and futures of the Mavs, Bulls, and Lakers, among other teams. Here are the highlights:
- Page thinks it is unlikely that the Mavericks will keep O.J. Mayo beyond this season, because if he plays well, he will command a higher salary than the Mavs would like to give him.
- He believes Antawn Jamison will be a better acquisition for the Lakers than Lamar Odom will be for the Clippers.
- Page doesn't foresee any more moves for the Lakers, who appear to have a set roster.
- It will be difficult for the Thunder to keep James Harden if he hits restricted free agency, writes Page.
- Page is surprised Leandro Barbosa has not been signed yet, pointing to the 29-year-old as a possible value signing.
- Page would like to see the present Bulls roster with a healthy Derrick Rose before weighing in on moves they should make.
Florida Notes: Heat, Magic, Big Three, Harris
Let's take a trip to the Sunshine State to check in on the Heat and Magic..
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at a few college players Magic fans should keep an eye on this season, including Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, Shabazz Muhammad, and James McAdoo.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel looks ahead to the summer of 2014 where the Heat's big three could be the biggest gets on the open market. Winderman sees the Magic as a potential threat to poach Miami's talent as they'll have the cap space to sign two top-tier free agents. The Lakers will also have payroll flexibility once the contracts of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant expire and as unlikely as it seems that they would part with Kobe, Winderman notes that they are the same club that traded Shaquille O'Neal.
- More from Winderman, who is surprised that the Heat have yet to re-sign guard Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old is seeking a contract with some amount of guarantees, but the club may be holding its remaining two spots open for a different combination of players which may include Juwan Howard.
- Undrafted free agent Charlie Westbrook has agreed to a three-year deal with Italian team Tezenis Veronia, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Westbrook, who was in summer league with the Magic, tweeted earlier this week that he would be passing on two training camp opportunities to play overseas.
Ibaka, Thunder Agree To Four-Year Extension
5:38pm: HoopsHype reports that Ibaka's deal is actually guaranteed for $49MM and could pay him as much as $51.5MM based on unspecified individual and team incentives.
11:59am: The Thunder have officially announced Ibaka's extension.
6:38am: Ibaka's deal is worth $48MM over four years, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
2:24am: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Serge Ibaka has agreed to a four-year deal worth at least $40MM to remain with the Thunder. The three-year veteran averaged 9.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and a remarkable 3.7 BPG in 27.2 MPG as Oklahoma City's starting power forward last season. Although Ibaka's rebounding and block averages dipped a bit during this year's playoffs (5.8 RPG/3.0 BPG), it would be somewhat challenging to question the Thunder's decision to ensure an extension for a 22-year-old core player with premier defensive abilities and NBA Finals experience rather than let him test the free agent market after the 2012-13 season.
Wojnarowski adds that with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook playing on maximum contracts (along with $27MM due to Kendrick Perkins over the next three years), Oklahoma City faces a difficult decision with James Harden, who could possibly garner a maximum contract offer next summer as a restricted free agent.
Hoops Rumors' Chuck Myron examined Ibaka's value as an extension candidate earlier this month.