Rockets To Sign Scott Machado
SATURDAY, 11:36am: The contract is structured as a two-year deal with a team option in year three, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.
TUESDAY, 6:58pm: The Rockets will sign undrafted point guard Scott Machado, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Machado was a part of Houston's summer league team in Las Vegas after going undrafted out of Iona this June. The deal will be partially guaranteed and cover three years, and probably won't be for much more than the minimum.
Machado will join a crowded Rockets roster that will include 20 players once the signing becomes official, which most likely will take place on Thursday, Feigen says. The team waived Sean Williams last week, but Houston will have to make more moves before the regular season starts to get down to the 15-player limit. Since Machado's contract includes at least a partial guarantee, he's unlikely to be waived, and by rule he can't be traded until December 15th. He'll compete with Courtney Fortson, Toney Douglas and Shaun Livingston for minutes behind starting point guard Jeremy Lin.
Machado averaged 13.6 points and 9.9 assists for Iona this year, beating out Kendall Marshall's average of 9.7 to lead the nation in assists per game. In five summer league contests for the Rockets, he notched 8.0 PPG and 5.6 PPG, including 20 points in one game and 10 assists in another. Last week, a report indicated he was drawing overseas interest, but it looks like Machado will remain stateside for 2012/13.
Hoops Links: Lakers, Howard, Rockets, Nets
Happy birthday to former NBA swingman Latrell Sprewell, who turns 41 today. Sprewell made four All-Star teams over the course of his 13 year career, but he is best known to some for his clash with Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo during the 1997 season. After being suspended for the rest of the season, the guard/forward would get his chance at redemption when he was traded to the Knicks for John Starks, Chris Mills and Terry Cummings in January of 1999. The Knicks were widely panned for gambling on the volatile Sprewell, but the club would surprise many by finding their way to the finals that season, where they would lose in five games to the Spurs.
If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature in Hoops Links, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Wages of Wins looks at Magic Johnson and his effect on the Lakers.
- Hardwood Paroxysm breaks down the heel turn of Dwight Howard.
- Red94 fills us in on the backup one-guard battle in Houston.
- Nets Are Scorching previews the Nets starting five with some statistical analysis.
- At The Hive wonders where the Hornets point guards rank.
- Hinton's Sports Highlights reflects on Virginia Beach's moment in the NBA sun.
- Bucksketball profiles veteran center Joel Pryzbilla.
- Bright Side Of The Sun previews the 2012/13 season in Phoenix.
- Truth About It continues to rank the top Wizards from across the last five seasons.
- RealGM looks ahead to the NBA's possible labor issues in 2017.
- Secret Rival helps us get familiar with the Belgian Ethas League.
- Bullets Forever thinks the Wizards have a better shot at the playoffs than the Hawks.
- Saving The Skyhook takes an optimistic look at the Raptors.
- Blazer's Edge has Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas as the most influential Blazers of all-time.
- SLC Dunk applies some psychology to the Jazz roster.
- The Hoop Doctors wonders what might have been in Boston.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Mavs, Cavs Interested In Rafael Hettsheimeir
10:26pm: Mavericks President Donnie Nelson, on the night his father was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, said nothing is close to happening with Hettsheimeir, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. The Mavericks roster is full with 15 guaranteed contracts, so a move for Hettsheimeir would necessitate another deal.
8:53am: Around the time the moratorium on free agent signings lifted in early July, we heard a few rumors linking NBA teams to Brazilian big man Rafael Hettsheimeir. The Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, and Hawks were said to be among the teams displaying interest.
Two months later, there's still a chance that Hettsheimeir could begin the season on an NBA roster. A TuBasket.com report (Spanish link) suggests that the Mavs are still interested in the 26-year-old, and the Cavs have interest as well. According to TuBasket, both teams could be willing to offer the CAI Zaragoza center a partially guaranteed, one-year deal.
It's not clear whether it would take more than the rookie minimum (about $473K) to land Hettsheimeir, but if he was seeking a larger deal, it could make Cleveland the favorite — the Cavs still have over $11MM in cap space at their disposal.
In ACB League play in 2011/12, Hettsheimeir averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, with shooting percentages of .512/.339/.745.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Young, Heat, Beyer
It has been a busy day and night for the Lakers on this early-September Friday, which is certainly nothing new considering the influx of material since they landed Dwight Howard. Today they signed their second round pick, finalized their offseason coaching staff overhaul and their GM, Mitch Kupchak, spoke with SI.com's Sam Amick about all things Lakers. In addition to the earlier stories, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles gives his take on three of the small, but meaningful issues facing the team.
But there are 29 other teams in the NBA, so let us round up some of the odds and ends from around the Association here tonight:
- Chauncey Billups is way ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left Achilles injury, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times. Billups hasn't set a target return date yet, but said, "When my body feels right, that's when I'll be back. That being said, I'm far ahead of schedule. It's not even like I had a summer. I've been on the whole time, doing rehabbing and other work every day. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing and being with the guys and resuming my normal life as a player."
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld, via USA Today, writes that with the moves that the Knicks made – getting older and wiser – the team should be better equipped to compete and that the window to win is now. One interested tidbit from Beer – there are only five active NBA players over the age of 38 and the Knicks acquired three of them this offseason in Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News evaluates the chances of the Mavericks ending up with Kevin Martin and/or Josh Smith next summer, both of whom are free agents. After striking out this summer in free agency, the Mavericks should be in position to try again in a year with a similar level of financial flexibility.
- Dei Lynam of CSN Philly is doing a player by player breakdown of the revamped 76ers roster, and today she tackles swingman Thaddeus Young. The small forward position is much less crowded in Philadelphia after the departure of Andre Iguodala, and Young has made it an offseason goal to slide into that position as a starter.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside says that while the D-League has been increasingly effective as an NBA farm system, there is additional room for growth. He uses Andre Drummond as an example of a guy who would never be a D-League candidate, but for his development's sake, should be.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses a few questions about the world champion Heat, including his thoughts on what roles of Rashard Lewis and Udonis Haslem may play on the Miami bench.
- The NBA coaching carousel continues as the Warriors have reportedly hired Bob Beyer as an assistant coach, who spent the last five years in Orlando on Stan Van Gundy's staff, says Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. Beyer will replace Wes Unseld Jr., who joined Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
Poll: Who Will Dallas Land Next Summer?
The Heat are the champs and the Lakers are sure to be a popular pick to challenge them next June. What do those two teams have in common? They are absolutely loaded with superstar, franchise-changing talent. In today's NBA, where star players seem to be able to dictate their destination at will, collecting that level of talent is what it takes to build a legitimate contender and teams are desperate to do it.
The Mavericks are perhaps the best example. A year after winning it all, some say the Dallas front office sacrificed their title defense for an opportunity to hit it big in free agency this past summer. But they swung and missed. Deron Williams re-upped in Brooklyn and they couldn't figure out a way to land Dwight Howard. And now, they're already looking to next offseason, when they should again have ample cap room to sign at least one big-time free agent.
Eddie Sefko at the Dallas Morning News has put together a five-part preview of next summer's free agent crop, including analysis of what it will take for Dallas to sign each player(s). His targets include Dwight Howard (link), Chris Paul (link), Andrew Bynum (link), Al Jefferson (link) and a package of Kevin Martin and Josh Smith (link). It is highly unlikely that all of these guys hit free agency, but several of them should. That said, which free agent(s) will Dallas end up with next summer?
Which Free Agent Will Dallas Land Next Summer?
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None, they will strike out again 39% (220)
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Al Jefferson 22% (126)
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Kevin Martin and Josh Smith 20% (115)
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Andrew Bynum 7% (42)
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Dwight Howard 6% (36)
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Chris Paul 5% (30)
Total votes: 569
Lakers Sign Robert Sacre
The Lakers have announced that they have signed second-round pick Robert Sacre, reports Mike Trudell of Lakers.com via Twitter. As we detailed earlier this week, Sacre was one of six players taken in the second round that remained unsigned. Sacre averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG on the Lakers summer league squad, raising some front office eyebrows in the process.
Dave McMenamin from ESPN Los Angeles tweets that because the Lakers view Earl Clark as more of a small or power forward, that Sacre stands a decent chance at making the opening roster as big man insurance. The 7-foot Canadian center was the 60th and final pick in June's draft, after averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his senior year at Gonzaga. He was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. The terms of the contract are not yet known.
Lakers Finalize Coaching Staff Overhaul
We heard several weeks ago that Mike Brown and the Lakers planned to bring Eddie Jordan, Bernie Bickerstaff and Steve Clifford on board as assistant coaches this season. Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets that the team made it official today. Here is the press release from the Lakers, who also announced that former assistant John Kuester has been reassigned as an Advanced NBA Scout based on the East Coast.
According to Trudell, Kuester worked extensively with the offense last year, which was his first with the Lakers after coaching the Pistons for two seasons. Trudell fully expects those responsibilities to now fall to Jordan, who is known for his expertise with the Princeton offense. He also says Chuck Person and Darvin Ham are expected to remain on staff as assistants. In addition to the reassignment of Kuester, the new trio will also be replacing Quin Snyder and Ettore Messina who left the team this summer to coach for CSKA Moscow.
Mitch Kupchak Talks Lakers, Roster, Bench, D12
SI.com's Sam Amick conducted an extensive Q&A with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak on the team's offseason moves, Dwight Howard's health status, and a handful of other topics. Kupchak had plenty to say, so let's dive right in and round up a few of his more notable quotes:
On where the Lakers stand in the West:
"On paper, we've made what we think are improvements. I think we're going to be in the hunt. I don't know if we'll lead the pack or be second in the pack or be fourth in the pack or fifth, but I think that we'll be in the hunt and we're better than we were a year ago. Is it time to celebrate? Absolutely not. You're going to have to wait a year and see how it all plays out."
On whether he's happy to stand pat with this roster:
"There's been a lot of positive publicity surrounding this team, but I know when you lose three in a row that all of a sudden it's going to be 'Break up the Lakers.' And then you start to worry about injuries, and then you look around at the league and who else has made improvements. So you're never really feeling good about anything that's taken place. You just kind of keep moving ahead and then you always try to figure out what could go wrong."
On whether he has any concerns with the roster as constructed:
"A perfect example is that a lot of people say, 'Hey, Mitch, you've got a great starting five, are you worried about anything or could you possibly wish for anything more?' And the first thing that comes to my mind is, 'Yeah, I wish they were all 25.' That's how I look at things. Yeah, it's a great group, but I wish they were younger."
On the Lakers' new-look bench:
"With trading Lamar [Odom] last year, our bench was not as good as it could have been. Adding Antawn Jamison and signing back Jordan Hill, and then in the [Howard] trade, Chris Duhon and [Earl] Clark came aboard. Then we added a shooter in Jodie Meeks, who I think can do more than just shoot the ball. But if there's one thing he can do, he's got a great knack for making shots and he has to be guarded. I think we've improved our bench in a complementary fashion. But once again, going back to how we started this conversation, it's on paper and we'll know a year from now."
On Howard's recovery from back surgery:
"We had the doctors and the back people obviously examine him and he's on track. He should recover completely. Certainly, we're not going to rush him to play in the first practice or the first preseason game or the first game. It's going to be when he feels and when our people feel he's completely recovered. But our understanding of the rehabilitation is that he's on track to a complete recovery."
Heat Sign Mickell Gladness, Jarvis Varnado
The Heat have signed a pair of bigs to make-good contracts, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Mickell Gladness and Jarvis Varnado have received invitations to the team's training camp, with a chance to earn a spot on the regular-season roster.
Gladness, 26, made his NBA debut in 2011/12, spending time with both the Heat and Warriors in his rookie season. The Alabama A&M product saw very limited minutes in his eight games for the Heat, but is viewed as a low-cost project, and didn't require a guaranteed contract.
Varnado, meanwhile, was the Heat's 41st overall pick in 2010, and has played overseas for the last two seasons. We heard a month ago from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando that Varnado would be leaving his team in Italy to join Miami's training camp, but the Heat didn't make it official until now.
The Heat now have 15 players under contract, but can continue to add players on non-guaranteed deals, up to a total of 20. Miami may not bring that many players to camp, but according to Winderman, the club is expected to offer non-guaranteed contracts to Terrel Harris and Robert Dozier, a 2009 second-rounder. The Heat have also worked out Josh Harrellson and Jerome Dyson this week.
Justin Timberlake Joins Bid For Grizzlies
Actor and musician Justin Timberlake has agreed to join Robert Pera's ownership group in his attempt to buy the Grizzlies, a source tells Adrian Sainz of the Associated Press (link via the Star Tribune). ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported that Pera was recruiting Timberlake, and that the Memphis native intended to make a "meaningful investment" in the franchise.
Since it was first reported that Pera had agreed to buy the Grizzlies from Michael Heisley, Pera's company, Ubiquiti Networks, has seen its stock drop, raising questions about the sale. However, Pera has reportedly recruited a handful of local investors to join his bid for the franchise, and, according to Sainz, "highly strategic national partners" are now on board as well.
The NBA Board of Governors still must approve the sale of the Grizzlies to Pera's group — the vetting process is expected to be completed sometime within the next couple months. If the bid is successful and Timberlake is officially on board, he'll be the latest celebrity to become the minority owner of an NBA franchise. Jay-Z and Will Smith are among the most prominent examples, owning minority stakes in the Nets and 76ers, respectively.