Hedo Turkoglu Hopes To Finish Career In Turkey
Hedo Turkoglu's short-term future remains up in the air, as he continues to be linked to Dwight Howard trade talks as a contract the Magic would like to move. While his short-term destination may ultimately be out of his hands, Turkoglu has an idea of where he'd like to eventually finish his playing career. The veteran forward told Hurriyet.com.tr (Turkish link) that he'd like to eventually play for a year in Turkey before retiring.
"I have two more years remaining in my current contract," said Turkoglu (translation via HoopsHype). "If my body holds up, I want to play a few more years and plan to retire in Turkey playing my final season in Turkish league."
Turkoglu's contract with the Magic is guaranteed for about $11.82MM this season, and includes an early termination option for 2013/14. Although Turkoglu will likely waive the ETO and opt in to the final year of that deal, the $12MM option is only guaranteed for $6MM, making him a candidate to be waived or traded.
I would expect that when his current deal expires, the 33-year-old will be able to secure at least one more NBA deal. However, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him entertaining international offers from clubs in Turkey or elsewhere in the summer of 2014, when he'll be 35.
Odds & Ends: Bulls, Josh Howard, Deng, Heat
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter) points out that the Bulls are specifically $758,642 below the luxury tax apron and that the league minimum salary for sophomore players is $762,195. This definitely factors into the situation of Malcolm Thomas, who put on a standout performance as a member of their summer league roster and more importantly is entering his second year in the league. Deeks still doesn't think that Chicago is willing pay the tax, adding that the team isn't in any rush to make moves that would incidentally put them over the apron. Here are more of tonight's links from around the NBA…
- Matt Moore of CBS Sports gives the Bobcats a grade of "C" for their work this offseason.
- Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com talks about the plenty of backcourt options that the Mavericks have for the upcoming season.
- Australia's David Andersen hopes that Wednesday's game against Team USA is enough to make an impression as he hopes for an opportunity to return to the NBA, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The 6'11 forward/center played in Italy last year and was a member of the Hornets during the 2010-11 season. Andersen says he will continue to play in Europe if he doesn't receive an offer from an NBA team.
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops examines the top 20 remaining free agents and groups them by position.
- Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Jazz are expected to re-engage in talks with free agent Josh Howard soon.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN LA clarifies that although the Lakers are interested in Jodie Meeks, the shooting guard isn't quite open to signing for the veteran's minimum. Also, Kamenetzky notes that while the team has placed a priority on adding a backcourt or wing player, they won't use their mini-mid level exception to overpay for a player they feel isn't worth that much. Earlier today, Brian joined his brother Andy to discuss some names in free agency that are worth considering, including Carlos Delfino, Tracy McGrady, and Terrence Williams in addition to Meeks.
Blazers Hire Terry Stotts As Head Coach
8:07pm: Neil Olshey announced that Kaleb Canales will remain on the team as an assistant coach, according to a tweet by Quick.
6:01pm: Jason Quick of The Oregonian tweets that the Trail Blazers have hired Terry Stotts as their new head coach. Stotts had been an assistant on the Mavericks' coaching staff since 2008 after holding head coaching positions with the Bucks from 2005 to 2007 and the Hawks from 2002 to 2004. His best season to date occurred during 2005-06, when he led Milwaukee to 40 wins and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Overall, Stott's record as a head coach stands at 115 wins and 168 losses.
Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge.com relayed an official statement released by GM Neil Olshey (Sulia link):
“Terry is one of the elite offensive minds in the NBA, has extensive experience with multiple organizations and was instrumental in the Dallas Mavericks winning the 2011 NBA Championship…He understands the vision for the future of the franchise, appreciates the process involved and will create an environment on the court that will produce championship habits."
Golliver also noted a statement from Stotts (Sulia link):
"I’m very pleased to be a part of a great franchise in a beautiful city with such a proud history. I look forward to working hard with Neil and our players toward the ultimate goal of bringing another championship to Portland.”
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that Kaleb Canales, the other finalist for the Portland's coaching search, will be retained by the franchise in some capacity (Twitter link). Canales had served as the team's interim head coach last season and was reportedly well-liked by members of the organization.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Atkinson
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston (via Twitter) noted Celtics guard Avery Bradley's thoughts on Ray Allen leaving Boston: "We’re a family before anything… It’s tough, but we all wish him the best."
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Nets GM Billy King and head coach Avery Johnson will be in London this week to attend the Olympics, presumably to watch Deron Williams play.
- According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Tyson Chandler sees the departure of assistant coach Kenny Atkinson to Atlanta as a big loss for the Knicks (Sulia link).
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Nets, Meeks, Blazers
After previously looking at the biggest winners and losers of the NBA offseason, SI.com's Zach Lowe ran down the most intriguing teams of the summer. Among them are the Nets, who have unquestionably upgraded their roster in the short-term, but may have hampered themselves in the long run. The Nets now have roughly $65MM committed annually to four players across the next four years and may not be able to build on their roster if they can't swing a deal for Dwight Howard in January. Here's more from around the Association..
- A source told HoopsHype (via Twitter) that the Lakers are working out Rashad McCants and 2009 second-round pick Patrick Beverley today. Beverley, 24, was named MVP of the Eurocup last season.
- Jodie Meeks' agent, David Bauman, says that his client won't sign for a minimum contract, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. Bauman added that there are four or five teams looking at Meeks, including the Lakers.
- Even though the Blazers have ushered in a rebuilding period, guard Nolan Smith isn't sold on the perception that Portland will be lottery-bound for the second-straight year, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Smith also supported Kaleb Canales returning as head coach but expects him to stay on with the organization in an important capacity regardless.
- Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com likes the Jazz's hire of Dennis Lindsey as their next General Manager and tip his cap to the organization for conducting a swift and productive search for Kevin O'Connor's replacement.
Amundson Talking With Bobcats, Knicks
The Bobcats and Knicks are looking at free agent forward Louis Amundson, a source close to the forward told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Tomasson’s source also says that it’s unlikely that he would go to Greece, even though Panathinaikos has been mentioned as a possibility. Amundson’s people are concerned about how playing in Greece would affect his game after Josh Childress‘ dropoff.
Amundson, 29, is said to be in the market for a deal in the vicinity of $3MM, which would either be the $3.09MM taxpayer’s mini-midlevel or the $2.575MM room exception. However, the Knicks can only offer the 6’9″ forward a minimum contract. Yesterday, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com reported that Amundson was in discussions with a number of clubs.
Wizards Notes: Tolliver, Singleton, Blatche
The Wizards are looking to round out their roster with low-cost options and Michael Lee of The Washington Post has the latest on the club's top targets..
- While it's probably a longshot, the Wizards are one of a handful of teams who have expressed interest in Josh Childress, a source told Lee (via Twitter).
- Washington continues to pursue forward Anthony Tolliver but the Wizards so far have only offered him a minimum contract. Tolliver's agent Larry Fox confirmed that the interest is mutual but says that his client isn't “in the minimum game.” The Pacers, Bobcats, and Timberwolves are also said to be in talks with the 27-year-old. Fox is certain that Tolliver will get more than that minimum and says that he is in no rush to sign.
- James Singleton shot down the Wizards' offer of a one-year, minimum contract and now says that he is considering four offers from China. No matter where he signs, the forward plans to make it a two-year deal. While Singleton, 31, enjoyed his time in Washington, he says that he expected a more lucrative offer out of the club.
- The Spurs and Heat have both reportedly expressed exploratory interest in former Wizard Andray Blatche but neither club has made a serious pitch to sign him, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Jazz Hire Dennis Lindsey As GM
The Jazz held a press conference this afternoon to formally announce the promotion of longtime General Manager Kevin O'Connor to Executive Vice President of basketball operations and the hiring of Dennis Lindsey as GM. Lindsey previously served as the assistant GM of the Spurs.
At the presser, Jazz President and CEO Randy Rigby told reporters that Lindsey was the club's top choice for the position, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. O'Connor says that he has been pondering the move for some time but wanted to first help guide the club through the lockout-shortened season (Twitter link). The 13-year GM says that he will still have an active role in day-to-day operations but will not be fielding calls from agents, Smith tweets.
Lindsey joined the Spurs in the summer of 2007 after spending the previous eleven years in the Rockets organization. Smith tweets that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave O'Connor a sterling endorsement on Lindsey, saying that he is the person he'd hypothetically appoint as GM if R.C. Buford were to step away.
Spurs Still Looking To Trade DeJuan Blair
On draft day, the Spurs were reportedly looking to find a new home for forward DeJuan Blair. More than a month later, Blair remains in San Antonio but the big man told Douglas Farmer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is still being shopped.
“Hopefully, I stay a Spur, but if it doesn’t happen, life moves on,” Blair said. “They’ve got me on the trade market and they’ll do the best to get me in the greatest situation possible.“
Despite seeing more than 20 minutes per regular season game in his time with the Spurs, Blair has hardly seen the same kind of burn in the playoffs. The forward averaged just 7.6 minutes per game in last year’s playoffs, making him largely expendable for the perennial contenders. The Warriors have been said to have interest in Blair but are unwilling to give San Antonio the first-round pick that they seek in return.
Knicks, Bulls, Pacers Interested In Greene
Free agent forward Donte Greene says that the Knicks, Pacers, and Bulls now make up his “top three” list of potential destinations. In an interview with internet radio show TheCDNetworks.com (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com) the former Kings big man explained that while he is open to other possibilities, those three clubs are the ones that he is working to get a deal done with.
Greene, 24, averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in just under 15 minutes per contest last season. While the Syracuse product has only suited up for the Kings, he was involved in two trades prior to his first NBA game. Shortly after being drafted by the Grizzlies, Greene was sent to the Rockets as a part of a three-team deal. In August, Houston sent Greene to the Kings in a package to land Metta World Peace.
A little over two weeks ago, Greene said that he hoped to sign with Chicago, but the two sides have yet to hammer out an agreement. The 6’11” forward became an unrestricted free agent on June 27th when the Kings declined to extend him a qualifying offer.