Nets Sign Josh Childress
THURSDAY, 12:05pm: The Nets have officially signed Childress, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 4:04pm: The Nets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Josh Childress, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter). Childress, who had been waived by the Suns back in July using the amnesty provision, will receive a non-guaranteed deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
We heard yesterday that Childress was scheduled to meet with Nets GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson, in addition to working out for the team, so it appears both the meeting and workout went well. The Nets had been looking to add another player at small forward, and thought they had a deal with Donte Greene before Greene suffered an ankle fracture.
Since returning to the NBA with the Suns in 2010/11, Childress has been fairly unproductive in limited minutes, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 88 total contests. While his .540 FG% is very solid, Childress seems to have lost his long-range stroke. After shooting 36% from downtown in his first four seasons, he has hit just five of 40 three-point attempts over the last two years.
Still, Childress is only 29 years old and is a former sixth overall pick, so there's hope for a rebound. Between him and Andray Blatche, the Nets will have a pair of bounceback candidates in camp as they look to find this year's Gerald Green.
Mickael Pietrus Close To Signing?
Mickael Pietrus' camp believes that Pietrus is close to a deal with a team, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (via Twitter). While Wolfson isn't sure which club is the frontrunner for Pietrus' services, he says it doesn't appear to be the Timberwolves.
Pietrus' agent said earlier in the offseason that his client wouldn't be signing for the minimum salary, and while that still may be the case, it's hard to imagine the 30-year-old getting too much more than that. Pietrus was said to be interested in returning to the Celtics for the team's bi-annual exception, and the Bucks were also eyeing the Frenchman, though their interest reportedly waned.
Pietrus has been well-traveled in recent years, playing for the Magic, Suns, and Celtics within the last two seasons. In 2011/12 for Boston, the 6'6" wing averaged 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game.
Spurs, Knicks Eyeing Tracy McGrady
In search of a guaranteed deal for the coming season, Tracy McGrady worked out for the Spurs this week, and has a workout scheduled with the Knicks today, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski adds that time may be running out for McGrady to land a guaranteed contract — the seven-time All-Star might have to eventually accept a make-good training camp invite or sign overseas.
McGrady was reportedly drawing some interest from the Bobcats, but we heard a little over a month ago that the 33-year-old would prefer to join a contender. I'm a little surprised that McGrady hasn't received more interest this offseason. He may not be the same player that twice led the NBA in scoring, but he has been fairly productive over the last two years for the Pistons and Hawks, recording a 14.5 PER in 124 total games.
The Spurs have brought a number of players to San Antonio in recent weeks, and are still determining whether or not McGrady will fit into their plans, says Wojnarowski. As for the Knicks, the team has discussed the possibility of adding another perimeter scorer. With Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer currently recovering from injuries, it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Knicks to bring on a veteran like McGrady for depth purposes.
Ryan Gomes To Work Out For Bobcats
Unrestricted free agent Ryan Gomes is expected to work out in Charlotte for the Bobcats next week, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Gomes has seemingly drawn little interest since being amnestied by the Clippers in July, but he'll enter the mix of frontcourt players that could fill out Charlotte's roster, says Bonnell.
After five solid years in Boston and Minnesota to start his career, Gomes saw his production fall off significantly over the past two seasons for the Clippers. Entering his stint with the Clippers with a 13.6 career PER, Gomes recorded an 8.2 mark for the team in 108 games, and is coming off a disastrous 2011/12 campaign in which he averaged just 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.
If Gomes can bounce back this season, he could be an intriguing addition for the Bobcats — the team has reportedly been eyeing power forwards, and could be looking for some outside scoring as well, given their alleged interest in Tracy McGrady. Gomes is slightly undersized for the four, but can play the position, and prior to last season, he was an effective scorer from the outside as well, with a .357 career 3PT%.
The Bobcats currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and are also expected to invite Cory Higgins to training camp.
Latest On LeBron’s Agency Change
As we passed along last night, LeBron James has decided to leave the Creative Artists Agency and join a newly-formed agency led by childhood friend Rich Paul. Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie blog rightly points out that the move won't have a huge effect on LeBron's next contract — he'll get maximum-salary offers no matter who is representing him. However, as Freeman notes, James had been CAA's most prominent NBA client, and if other players follow him away from the agency, the agency's considerable power in the Association could begin to dwindle.
A handful of reporters have added a few more details to the story, so let's round up a few notes from Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com….
- Paul's new agency will be called the Klutch Sports Group, and he is expected to take some of his clients with him to the new Cleveland-based firm. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tristan Thompson, Eric Bledsoe, and Cory Joseph are among Paul's clients.
- LeBron leaves CAA on good terms, with no hard feelings — the move isn't seen as a breakup, but more as a partnership with Paul, who is already involved in LeBron's marketing through the LRMR marketing group.
- Chris Paul is a CAA client, but is good friends with LeBron and Rich Paul. It's not clear whether he'll consider joining the Klutch group with his free agency a year away.
- LeBron's change of agents wasn't influenced by his 2014 opt-out clause, and shouldn't be interpreted as an indication that he plans to opt out.
LeBron James Leaving CAA
LeBron James is reportedly leaving his agency, CAA, according to a tweet from sportsbusinessjournal.com's Liz Mullen. James will now be represented by childhood friend Rich Paul. He began his career with Aaron Goodwin before signing with Leon Rose in 2005. Rose's agency was purchased by CAA in 2007, and James has been with them ever since.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman notes that James is capable of opting out of his current deal in the 2014 offseason, and a new agency would only collect money if new deal is agreed upon. (Sulia link)
Kevin Ollie Set To Replace Jim Calhoun
Former NBA guard Kevin Ollie is set to replace long time coach Jim Calhoun as head coach of the University of Connecticut basketball team, according to CBSSports.com. A former player under Calhoun, Ollie spent last season as an assistant coach with the team.
According to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder general manager Sam Presti was hoping to groom Ollie as his right hand man. Ollie finished his playing career after signing a one-year deal with the Thunder, retiring from the NBA in 2010.
Hawks Speaking To David Blatt
8:02pm: Drew is not visiting Blatt with any interest of having the coach join his staff in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham. (Twitter)
7:53pm: According to Sportando.net, Hawks head coach Larry Drew is in Israel to speak with Maccabi Tel-Aviv head coach David Blatt, presumably about joining Atlanta's coaching staff in the near future. Blatt has spent the past five years as coach of the Russian national team, and is open to working in the NBA.
Blatt just signed a three-year contract with the Israeli club, but is rumored to have a contentious relationship with team management. As of this moment, he's expected to stay with Maccabi Tel-Aviv for at least the upcoming season.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Higgins, Bogut, Carlisle
On the cusp of an earlier report this week that said most Knicks players were working out together before training camp, New York enters this season as a team with no excuses, writes Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com.
Here are a few other notes from around the league.
- According to a tweet from the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, Cory Higgins will be in Bobcats training camp competing for the team's third point guard spot.
- Warriors center Andrew Bogut is expected to be in uniform and ready to play in the team's season opener against the Suns, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has to deal with five incoming free agents, but unlike most coaches in the league, it shouldn't be a problem for the lead man in Dallas, writes ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett.
- In the midst of rebuilding, the Pistons are loaded with young players that should hopefully grow into a something special given the time they're putting in the gym this offseason, writes Pistons.com's Keith Langlois.
- The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz tweets that the Magic are expected to sign one or two more free agents to fill out their training camp roster.
- The Clippers have added several veterans this offseason, like Grant Hill, Lamar Odom, and Jamal Crawford. NBA.com's Eric Patten writes that if the additions can stay healthy, the Clippers have positioned themselves to make a deep playoff run.
- Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com covers the remaining free agents that have yet to be signed.
- Dwyane Wade believes the Bulls need Derrick Rose at full strength if they want to contend in the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone the NBA championship, writes ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
Manny Harris Signs With Ukranian Team
After getting waived by the Cavaliers in early July, guard Manny Harris has signed on with BC Azovmash of the Ukranian League, according to the team's official website. Harris is only 22 years old, but averaged just 6.7 points on 40% shooting for the Cavs last season.
An inability to play the point guard position combined with low shooting numbers was what probably signaled no major contract offers in the NBA for Harris this offseason. But given his age and the flashes of athleticism he's shown in limited time, if he can become a more efficient player overseas Harris' NBA career should be far from over.