Top Rebounders Still Available In Free Agency
With September fast approaching, most GMs and team executives will tell you they're happy heading into camp with their current rosters at this point. But that doesn't mean there isn't still one particular area of need that a GM wouldn't mind addressing. A team could be targeting a backup point guard, a three-point shooter, a wing defender, or another kind of specialist.
With that in mind, let's consider teams still in need of a rebounder. Elite rebounders like Marcus Camby, Ersan Ilyasova, and Kris Humphries are no longer available, but there are still a handful of players that could grab boards on the cheap.
Listed below are the top 10 remaining free agents by rebounds per 36 minutes. Their RP36 rate for 2011/12 is listed in parentheses. To qualify, they must have averaged at least 10 minutes per game and appeared in at least 20 contests in 2011/12.
- Chris Andersen (11.0)
- Jamaal Magloire (10.9)
- Louis Amundson (10.6)
- Shelden Williams (9.9)
- Ben Wallace (9.9)
- Josh Harrellson (9.6)
- Ivan Johnson (8.7) (restricted)
- Andray Blatche (8.6)
- Matt Barnes (8.6)
- Tony Battie (8.2)
Honorable mention:
- Dominic McGuire (7.9) barely failed to crack the top 10, but played more games and minutes than many players listed above.
- James Singleton's 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes would have put him atop this list, but he only played in 12 games for the Wizards.
- Other available options of note: Darko Milicic (7.4), Troy Murphy (7.2), Josh Childress (7.0), Kenyon Martin (6.9), and D.J. White (6.9).
C.J. Miles Talks Free Agency, Cavs, Expectations
An August free agent signee, C.J. Miles could be on the market again a year from now, considering the two-year deal he signed with the Cavaliers isn't guaranteed for the second season. For now though, Miles is focusing on the 2012/13 campaign, and making the transition to Cleveland from Utah, where he'd spent his entire NBA career. Miles spoke to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld about his decision to sign with the Cavs, his issues in Utah with head coach Tyrone Corbin, and his expectations for the upcoming year. Here are a few of the notable quotes from Miles:
On being an unrestricted free agent for the first time:
"It was different. Seven years in the same place, I pretty much knew where I was going to be every summer coming out. This was the first summer I wasn’t restricted so I kind of had more power as far as going into the decision where I was going to be at. With Cleveland it was just about making the right basketball decision for myself. I felt it wasn’t about money; it wasn’t about anything but basketball. I felt like being able to grow more as a player and being able to find a place where they’re building a young core, to step in, help, and grow myself was a complete deal."
On the similarities between the present-day Cavs and the Thunder circa 2008, when Miles signed an offer sheet with OKC:
"It’s a lot like that, I feel. Honestly, I’m a couple years older, but other than that it’s a similar situation. They have similar types of pieces with Kyrie [Irving] there, drafting Dion [Waiters] this year, and drafting Tyler Zeller, Tristan Thompson, there are a lot of young guys on the team. I’m one of the older guys and I’m 25 so that just lets you know where we stand with that. I think the oldest guy is Anderson [Varejao] and he’s 29."
On his comments about poor communication in Utah under Corbin, and not knowing what was expected of him with the Jazz:
"With the coach Corbin thing the way it happened, I felt like the things I said were taken (out of context), like everything I said wasn’t said. I just felt like they asked me questions and I answered them truthfully with what I thought. I felt like where you have a situation where everyone is young from the head coach all the way down to the players at the end of the bench, there’s going to be times where people are lost and not know what’s going on. They asked me what I felt like could have been different and that’s what I said."
On his expectations for the Cavs this season:
"I feel like we’re one of those teams where obviously we’re not going to be talked about going into it but as far as players and guys in the league know coming into that gym or playing against us, it’s not going to be an easy game. We’re at that step now where we’re going to be able to take a step where we can fight for the seventh, eighth seed and that first or second team is worried about coming in to play us; worried that it could be an upset because we don’t have anything to lose."
Odds & Ends: Collins, Nuggets, Warriors
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:
- Doug Collins tells the Sporting News that he wants to coach four or five more years for the Sixers.
- Derek Page of HoopsWorld has some thoughts from Nuggets coach George Karl, who is pleased with the moves Masai Ujiri's staff has made this summer, most notably the trade for Andre Iguodala.
- The Warriors' plan to build a new arena in San Francisco is progressing. According to a team press release, they have chosen an architectural firm to begin construction on the new facility.
Poll: Will The Lakers Or Thunder Win More Games?
Kevin Durant believes the Lakers have the best team in the NBA on paper, but he also says the Thunder, who won the 2012 Western Conference Finals before losing in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, are still an elite team.
Which of these two teams do you think will finish the 2012/13 regular season with a better record? Or will they tie?
Latest On Durant, Lakers, Magic
Ever since the Lakers traded for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard earlier this offseason, many have been projecting them to reach the 2013 Finals and even win the title. However, this is being taken as a slight by Kevin Durant and the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Here are Durant's thoughts on the newly retooled Lakers, as well as some early speculation about Durant's own free agency:
- Durant told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he understands why the Lakers are receiving the majority of the offseason buzz: "People outside, fans, media, of course they are going to say [the Lakers are the favorites] because on paper they have the best lineup in the league. But you still got to play the games. We respect everybody. We are going to go through the league respecting everybody as well. We already view ourselves as an elite team, but we have to prove it again. Last year is over with."
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel wonders whether the Magic plan to eventually target Durant, who is scheduled to hit free agency following the 2015/16 season.
Dirk Nowitzki Discusses Future
On Sunday, Dirk Nowitzki answered a series of questions from fans on his Twitter page. During this Q&A session, he was asked how long he planned on playing, and responded that he planned to play out the final two years of his contract and then make a decision beyond that.
Nowitzki, 34, signed a four-year, $80MM contract with the Mavericks in 2010. He is scheduled to make $20.9MM in 2012/13 and $22.7MM in 2013/14. He averaged 21.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.2 APG last season.
Poll: Who Wins Rookie Of The Year?
With the upcoming rookie class looking to have a major impact on the 2012/13 season, we at Hoops Rumors are wondering who you think will win Rookie of the Year?
Week In Review: 8/20/12 – 8/26/12
Here's a look at the latest news from around the league this past week.
- The Rockets officially signed Carlos Delfino.
- Morris Almond signed with a team in Serbia.
- The Spurs waived Derrick Byars.
- The Celtics finally signed Jeff Green.
- Rumors of Virginia Beach being a possible destination for the Kings organization were created.
- The Nets signed Donte Greene.
- Grizzlies owner Robert Pera reached an agreement with local investors that will likely keep the team in Memphis.
- The Wizards agreed to terms with Martell Webster.
- The Bobcats hired Dan Lebovitz as an assistant coach.
- Wes Unseld Jr. will become an assistant coach for the Magic.
- Michael Finley joined the Mavericks front office.
- Eduardo Najera retired as a player, and will become a head coach in the D-League.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/20/12 – 8/26/12
Here's a quick look at all the original content produced by our team of writers this past week.
- Zach Links gave us his weekly Hoops Links feature.
- In our extension candidate series, Zach Links takes a look at Eric Maynor.
- In a poll question, we wonder how many games the Thunder will win this season.
- Chuck Myron writes about Gerald Henderson in our extension candidate series.
- Here's a look at how last year's 10-day signees are doing.
- I ask which NBA team is the best "on paper?"
- A transcript of our weekly Hoops Rumors chat.
- A look at the largest pay cuts from last season to this offseason.
- A list of all players expected to become free agents in 2014/15.
- How restricted free agents made out this summer.
- Chuck Myron inspects Jeff Teague in our extension candidate series.
- Here's a list of the highest paid players in the league, by team.
- A detailed exploration into how wins and high pay rolls correlate to spending.
- An updated list of 2013/14 free agents.
- Luke Adams asks if the Mavericks are better off without Deron Williams.
- A look at free agent spending by division.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Charles Oakley, Drew Viney
Today will forever be remembered for Dwight Howard breaking his self-imposed Twitter ban after 127 days. Howard didn't have anything groundbreaking to offer in his first tweet as he merely reminded the rest of the world why living in Los Angeles is hardly a bad thing. Let's take a look at the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league…
- Before Howard made his return to Twitter this morning, LeBron James was up early conducting an impromptu question-and-answer session with his fans, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Topics ranged from James' receding hairline to his love for Ohio State and Florida State football. Winderman believes James hasn't yet adjusted to being back in the United States after spending time in London as well as China.
- Retired big man Charles Oakley says the Magic failed to put Howard in "time-out" and let the young superstar dictate his own future, according to Matt Moore of Pro Basketball Talk. "A lot of guys cry in this league these days. I try not to get caught up in that. The management in Orlando let him get away with it. Most times, they put kids in timeout. They never put him in timeout. He just kept crying and got his way. Now he’s in LA with Kobe so they got a chance to win a couple championships in the next two or three years."
- Heat summer league prospect Drew Viney has signed with Asseco Prokom in Poland according to Euroleague.net, tweets Winderman. The former Loyola Marymount star enjoyed a strong summer with Miami as he averaged 9.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG in four contests.