Magic, Mavs Had Interest In Vorontsevich
Back in June, reports surfaced suggesting that the Thunder may have reached a verbal agreement with Russian forward Andrey Vorontsevich. However, last month, CSKA Moscow announced that Vorontsevich decided not to use his NBA opt-out and would remain in Russia for the coming season.
Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post passes along a story from Basketnews.lt that indicates the Thunder weren't the only team interested in luring Vorontsevich stateside — according to the report, the Magic and Mavs had interest in the 25-year-old as well. Vorontsevich is entering the second year of a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow, so he could consider his NBA options again in the summer of 2014, or even in 2013, if his deal allows him the opportunity to opt out again next summer.
As part of a statement released last month when he made his decision to remain in Russia, the longtime CSKA Moscow forward said: "I am glad to see the interest from NBA clubs but I think it is better for me from professional point of view to stay with CSKA."
Poll: How Many Games Will The Sixers Win?
In what was the summer of reconstruction around the NBA, perhaps no team will enter the 2012-13 season with a fresher look than the Sixers. Of the 13 players under contract, eight are new to Philadelphia, the biggest of which, of course, is Andrew Bynum. Joining Bynum are newcomers Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright, both acquired by trade, along with free agents Nick Young, Kwame Brown, Royal Ivey and Maalik Wayns. Philadelphia also drafted Maurice Harkless and Arnett Moultrie, before moving Harkless in the Bynum deal.
What is most important for Philadelphia, outside of the acquisition of Bynum, is that these newcomers will be joining a solid young core of Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. Should any of those youngsters make the leap into stardom, it's conceivable that Philly, an NBA afterthought for nearly a decade, could rise into a legitimate title contender once again.
The Sixers came within a win of the Eastern Conference finals last season, but the offseason flurry of moves suggests that the front office didn't buy into what many considered a fluky run. With eight new faces on board, what will Philly's win total be this season?
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Harrellson, Playoffs
Here is the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Monday night:
- With Andre Iguodala on board, the new-look Nuggets are drawing plenty of attentions from the fans in Denver. Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com addresses expectations, the projected starting lineup and more in a summer mailbag.
- According to his agent, free agent big man Josh Harrellson will visit three more teams in the next week or two, tweets Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. His agent wouldn't disclose the teams. Harrellson worked out for the Heat last week, but hadn't received an offer from the team as of Friday.
- Chris Bernucca from Sheridan Hoops gives his take on how the Eastern Conference will shake out this season, and puts the Hawks, Bulls, Bucks and Raptors on the playoff bubble. Bernucca provided his Western Conference analysis over the weekend.
Lakers Notes: Howard, Gasol, Bryant, Preseason
It has only been about 24 hours, but as of now over 57 percent of Hoops Rumors readers think that the Lakers will have more wins next season than the reigning Western Conference champion Thunder. We know what Kevin Durant had to say, and as we have learned with the Heat, it takes some time for new pieces to translate into a championship caliber club. Titles are not won on paper. Nevertheless, the Lakers are the talk of the NBA for a reason. Let's round up all the Lakers links on this Monday night:
- Dwight Howard coming to Los Angeles is just one of a number of moves that has transformed the L.A. sports scene into something special, says Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. The cache of Los Angeles has always drawn elite NBA talent, and it appears that effect has begun to overflow outside of just the Lakers.
- Pau Gasol checked in with Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles on a wide variety of topics, including his performance in the Olympics as well as the Dwight Howard trade. Asked what to expect from the Lakers offense this year, he said, "We have to understand that there’s only one basketball to play with and we have a lot of players that can put the ball in the hole, and I’ll try to do my best to be assertive, to be active and be aggressive."
- According to HoopsWorld, Durant claims that Kobe Bryant was extremely confident that the Lakers would end up with Howard a month before the trade went down.
- Mike Trudell, who covers the Lakers for NBA.com, checked in at the new-look Lakers practice facility to see what players have already shown up to work out. According to the team's strength and conditioning coach, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, Jordan Hill, Darius Morris and Metta World Peace have all frequented the facility.
Odds & Ends: Buford, Howard, Rockets, Layden
While it's been widely assumed heading into the 2012/13 campaign that the Nets will take the Magic's spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the rest of the East's lottery teams may be expecting a little more turnover than that. Count Jonas Jerebko of the Pistons among those expecting a shake-up in the Eastern standings — asked about the coming season in Germany recently, Jerebko declared that his Pistons are "going to make the playoffs," as James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press writes.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Undrafted rookie William Buford, out of Ohio State, has signed in Spain with Obradoiro, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes an open letter to Dwight Howard, advising him on how to avoid creating a Dwightmare sequel in Los Angeles.
- Doug Collins believes current Sixers assistant and former Pistons head coach Michael Curry is ready to lead an NBA team again, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes.
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld identifies five young players that will be under pressure to take big steps forward in 2012/13, including three recent signees.
- Despite missing out on Dwight Howard and other impact players this summer, the Rockets still hope to contend for the playoffs, GM Daryl Morey tells Fran Blinebury of NBA.com.
- The Spurs will interview Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden for their assistant GM opening, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
Timberwolves Still Considering Free Agent Bigs
With 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Timberwolves have room to add another player or two if they so choose, and it sounds as if team president David Kahn is considering the possibility. According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kahn and the Wolves are mulling adding another big man, and have "several candidates in mind."
After signing Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, Alexey Shved, and Greg Stiemsma, the Timberwolves are not only out of cap space, but have no cap exceptions available outside of the minimum salary exception. Even so, it appears a free agent addition is more likely than an acquisition via trade.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio wrote two weeks ago that the T-Wolves had asked around about trading for a big, but that talks never got far; and in his piece today, Walters specifically says Minnesota is eyeing the free agent market. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld adds (via Twitter) that the Wolves are watching unrestricted free agent Hassan Whiteside work out today in Houston.
The T-Wolves have also been mentioned as possible suitors for players like Anthony Tolliver or Mehmet Okur, but both free agents are expected to command more than the veteran's minimum, making them unlikely fits for Minnesota. This morning, I took a look at the top rebounders still on the market — if the Wolves are bargain-hunting, they could do worse than some of the options on that list.
Heat Notes: Riley, Howard, Rotation, Miller
In his list of the top five general managers in the NBA, Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld names Pat Riley the league's "top dog." I'm not sure I totally agree with Brigham's rankings, which place the GMs of all the league's consensus title contenders (Heat, Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, and Celtics) in the top five. Still, Riley has definitely had a successful offseason, adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to a team that's already coming off a title. Let's round up the rest of today's Heat-related updates from around the web….
- Is there a chance that Juwan Howard returns to Miami this season? Here's what Dwyane Wade told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Sulia link) about the possibility: "Obviously, if he comes into camp and we've got open spots, Juwan is a guy who has meant so much to us, we would love him around, no matter what the case may be. If it's around as a player? Yeah. If it's around as part of the coaching staff, we just want him to be here. And hopefully he'll want to stay here and everyone can do whatever they can to make it happen."
- Asked in a mailbag if Miami's roster might be a little heavy on three-point shooters, Winderman argues that there's no such thing as having too many good outside shooters. Winderman expects coach Erik Spoelstra to ride the hot hand among a group that includes Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller, James Jones, and Shane Battier.
- It appears Miller will forgo back surgery, and he says he's healthy, but Winderman believes the veteran shooter's status going forward could be perpetually "day-to-day."
Bobcats Hire Liebovitz, Winters As Assistants
MONDAY, 1:32pm: The Bobcats have officially named Winters as an assistant coach, in addition to Leibovitz, the team announced today in a press release. The pair will join Stephen Silas and Rick Brunson as assistants on head coach Mike Dunlap's staff.
THURSDAY, 4:59pm: The Bobcats have officially announced the addition of Dan Leibovitz to their bench as an assistant coach, tweets The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell. Formerly an assistant coach with the University of Pennsylvania, Leibovitz will assume the role of player development coach on a team that has made that area a priority. He spent the last two seasons at the University of Pennsylvania, but before that served as the head coach at the University of Hartford, and the lead assistant at Temple.
The team is also expected to round out their bench by adding Brian Winters as another assistant coach shortly, tweets Bonnell. Winters brings veteran experience as a former head coach in the NBA, leading the Vancouver Grizzlies when they were an expansion team in 1995, and also being an assistant with the Cavaliers, Hawks, Nuggets, and Warriors.
Hawks To Sign James Anderson
On Friday night, Danny Green tweeted congratulations to former Spurs teammate James Anderson on his "new deal with Atlanta." According to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Hawks have indeed invited Anderson to join the team's camp, as confirmed by GM Danny Ferry. Based on Green's tweet, it seems Anderson has accepted the offer.
According to Cunningham, Anderson is likely to be signed to a summer contract, and figures to receive a non-guaranteed deal for 2012/13 with a strong camp. Anderson's numbers in his two seasons with San Antonio were hardly eye-opening (3.7 PPG in 11.5 MPG in 77 contests), but the 6'6" wing was a standout scorer at Oklahoma State, and is still just 23 years old. If his contract with Atlanta is non-guaranteed and for the minimum salary, it could be a nice bargain for Ferry and the Hawks.
Even after adding Anderson, the Hawks will still have room to add at least one more player before camp begins. Assuming Anderson and second-round pick Mike Scott, whose signing has yet to be announced, are on board, Atlanta would have 14 players under contract.
Mutual Interest Between Anthony Tolliver, Hawks
Anthony Tolliver is still looking for a team to play for in 2012/13, and it appears four options have emerged as potential destinations. Tolliver tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link) that the Hawks, Wizards, Pacers, and Timberwolves are the teams still in "constant contact" with him.
We've heard plenty of rumors over the last month connecting Tolliver to the Wizards and T-Wolves, and the Pacers have been mentioned as a possible suitor as well. The Hawks have only been mentioned in passing a potential fit to date, but Tolliver singled out Atlanta in his conversation with Tomasson (Sulia link), noting that he's intrigued by the possible match: "I don’t think they have a guy on their roster with that skill set with shooting and versatility."
According to Tomasson, the Hawks have "great interest" in Tolliver, who has some history with members of the team's front office — when the forward cracked Cleveland's roster as an undrafted rookie in 2007, current Hawks GM Danny Ferry and assistant GM Wes Wilcox were both with the Cavs.
Still, despite apparent mutual interest between the two sides, Tolliver's agent Larry Fox suggested earlier this month that he doesn't expect his client to sign for a minimum salary. The Hawks are over the cap and have used their full mid-level exception, so if they want to offer more than the minimum, they'd have to use their $1.957MM bi-annual exception.