Jazz Tell Raja Bell To Stay Away From Camp
The Jazz announced Friday that they have told Raja Bell, who is under contract with the team, that it would be best if he did not attend training camp next week. General Manager Dennis Lindsey issued the following statement:
“I have spoken with Raja and his representative, Herb Rudoy, and we have mutually agreed that although Raja remains under contract, it is in the best interest of all parties that he not re-join the team next week when the Jazz begins training camp. We will now move forward focusing on Jazz basketball and our preparation for the upcoming season. We will have no further comment on this matter.”
There has been plenty of buzz lately around Bell's situation in Utah, and many assumed that it would result in a trade or buy out before the start of camp. Bell was in Salt Lake City on Monday for a physical, but as of yesterday had not heard from the team, says Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
The 35-year-old Bell is set to make $3.5MM in his final season with the Jazz. His playing time drastically fell last season as he reportedly butted heads with head coach Tyrone Corbin, but Bell could probably still be a valuable role player on the right team.
Jerry Zgoda, of the Star Tribune, tweets that the Timberwolves valued Bell's defense before which indicates they may be a fit once again. While I can't imagine the Jazz agreeing to send Bell to a division rival, if Zgoda is right it could explain part of their hesitation to simply part ways with the guard.
2012 NBA Free Agent Tracker
If you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' 2012 Free Agent Tracker. Using our tracker, you can quickly browse the offseason's contract agreements, sorting by team, position, contract length, total salary, and a handful of other variables.
For instance, if you want to see all the Celtics' summer signings, you can sort by team and find all of Boston's free agent additions listed here. If you're curious to see how many players signed five-year contracts, you can sort by contract length and bring up that list right here.
A couple additional notes on the tracker:
- A number of rumored signings have yet to be finalized, and won't be found in the tracker yet. For instance, despite today's reports that the Knicks are expected to sign Rasheed Wallace and that the Clippers will sign Marqus Blakely, those transactions aren't official yet, and aren't in the tracker.
- Contract amounts are based on what's been reported to date, and aren't necessarily fully guaranteed. This is especially true for players on summer contracts, many of whom will be cut before earning their non-guaranteed salaries. You can use our list of 2012/13 non-guaranteed contracts to cross-reference.
Our Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar under "Hoops Rumors Features" and is a good resource for checking out which players have been added to teams' training camp rosters, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
T-Wolves Sign Six To Finalize Camp Roster
The Timberwolves formally announced today that they have signed six players to fill out their roster for training camp. Besides Will Conroy and Seth Tarver, whose signings had been previously reported, Minnesota has also added Jermaine Taylor, Mike Harris, Chris Johnson, and Phil Jones, according to the team (Twitter link).
Of the four additions that we're hearing about for the first time, Taylor, Harris, and Johnson all have previous NBA experience, though only Johnson logged NBA minutes in 2011/12. Taylor, the 32nd overall pick in 2009 appeared in 65 games for the Rockets and Kings, while the undrafted Harris played for the Rockets and Wizards in parts of three seasons. Jones, meanwhile, played his college ball for the Charlotte 49ers, where his senior year was cut short in 2011 after he was ruled academically ineligible for the second half.
Conroy has a small guarantee on his contract, which should give him a slight advantage over the other five players for the T-Wolves' 15th and final roster spot. However, I expect the team would be happy to eat the $100K owed to Conroy if one of the other non-guaranteed players excels in training camp and preseason action.
With Minnesota's roster now at 20 players, it appears the T-Wolves are officially out of the running for Sean Williams, Hassan Whiteside, and various other big men that have been linked to the team in recent weeks.
Odds & Ends: Dentmon, Curry, Williams, Wright
Here are a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association, with opening night just over a month away:
- After we rounded up a few highlights from the Celtics' media day earlier this afternoon, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com adds a few more, courtesy of Kevin Garnett's podium appearance. KG discussed Ray Allen, the Heat, and his decision to re-sign with the Celtics, among other topics.
- Justin Dentmon has signed with Fujian Quanzhou in China, agent Bill Neff tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Last year's D-League MVP had brief stints with the Spurs and Raptors in 2011/12.
- Asked once again about his contract situation in a Q&A with Jason McIntyre of Big Lead Sports, Stephen Curry reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Warriors long-term, adding: "I’m an NBA junkie and I know all of the latest news and contract situations. But I won’t base my decision on 'Oh, this guy makes a certain amount, I need to make more' or that kind of thing. It’s about timing in the NBA and the right situation, and winning more than money. But yeah, I know everybody’s contract, that’s common knowledge, but it doesn’t impact my situation."
- The Trail Blazers must decide by October 31st whether to pick up Elliot Williams' $2.37MM option for 2013/14, and with Williams' season over due to a ruptured achilles tendon, he's not sure what the team will do. Either way, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Williams intends to be ready and healthy for the '13/14 season.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders which former D-Leaguers on camp invites have the best odds to earn regular-season NBA roster spots.
- We heard earlier this week that Julian Wright was closing in on a deal with Israel's Maccabi Rishon, but David Pick of Sportando says (via Twitter) Wright may be having second thoughts after agreeing to terms with the club.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered says Joe Dumars' willingness to look overseas to acquire a player like Slava Kravtsov is a good sign for the Pistons.
Cavaliers Sign Kevin Anderson
FRIDAY, 2:32pm: The Cavaliers have formally announced their training camp roster, which includes Anderson, making his signing official.
THURSDAY, 3:25pm: Kevin Anderson will take part in the Cavaliers' training camp, competing to earn a roster spot, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. We had heard earlier this month that Anderson worked out for the Cavs, so the team must have liked what it saw enough to take a flier on the Richmond product.
Anderson, 23, was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as a junior before graduating from Richmond in 2011. After going undrafted, the 6'0" point guard played with SIG Strasbourg in France in 2011/12, averaging 12.5 PPG and 3.5 APG.
When Anderson's deal becomes finalized, he'll become the 19th player under contract for the Cavs, though only 13 of the team's deals are fully guaranteed. Daniel Gibson, Micheal Eric, Kevin Jones, and Samardo Samuels all have partial guarantees, while Anderson figures to join Donald Sloan as the two Cavs with no guaranteed money on their deals.
Hawks Sign Keith Benson, Carldell Johnson
The Hawks have officially announced their training camp roster, and as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes, there are some new names on the list. In additions to signings we'd heard about before, such as James Anderson, Anthony Tolliver, and Damion James, the team has also added Keith Benson and Carldell Johnson to its camp roster.
Benson, 24, was the 48th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but didn't earn a spot on the Hawks' roster. The 6'11" big man ended up playing 20 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG, and also signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors late in the season. He appeared in just three games for Golden State, playing limited minutes.
Johnson, 29, has played over 200 D-League games for the Austin Toros since going undrafted in 2006. The 5'10" point guard known as Squeaky finally made his NBA debut last season for the Hornets, appearing in 15 contests for New Orleans.
Benson and Johnson both figure to be on non-guaranteed deals, and it's unlikely either player will end up on Atlanta's regular season roster. While the team does have at least one open roster spot, with 14 players on fully or partially guaranteed contracts, I'd expect Anderson and James to have a leg up on Benson and Johnson for that final spot.
Celtics Notes: Dooling, Pierce, Garnett, Cap
A week after the Celtics announced his surprise retirement, Keyon Dooling opened up to Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com about his motivations for ending his playing career early. Camerato's piece is extremely engaging, and is worth a read for any NBA enthusiast, Celtics fan or otherwise. Here are the rest of today's Celtics notes from the team's media day in Boston:
- If Kevin Garnett had retired or signed with another team this summer, Paul Pierce would have seriously contemplated retirement, Pierce told the media today (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com). The longtime Celtic says he didn't want to endure another rebuild.
- Pierce's plan now is to retire when Garnett does, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. That could happen in the summer of 2015, when KG's newly-signed deal expires.
- While GM Danny Ainge says he had some doubts about whether Garnett would be back (Twitter link via A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com), head coach Doc Rivers was skeptical about the big man's retirement talk: "He told me that all year; it was a bunch of crap. I never believed him" (Twitter link via Forsberg).
- Ainge says the Celtics don't have the bi-annual exception available, based on money committed thus far, according to Forsberg (via Twitter). That news is surprising, since it was believe the Celtics signed players using either Bird rights, the mid-level exception, or the minimum-salary exception. Like the Bulls, the Celtics are hard-capped at $74.307MM because they used the non-taxpayer MLE, so perhaps the team is just getting uncomfortably close to that hard cap.
- As we noted earlier today, the Celtics have formally announced the signings of Darko Milicic, Rob Kurz, and Micah Downs.
John Wall Out Eight Weeks With Patella Injury
The Wizards officially announced today that John Wall will be out of action for about eight weeks while he recovers from a patella injury. The team's press release described Wall's diagnosis as the "early stages of a stress injury to his left patella," noting that surgery won't be required for the former first overall pick.
The injury, which figures to keep Wall sidelined for training camp, the preseason, and the first few weeks of the regular season, comes at a poor time for the third-year player. While it's still a lock that the Wizards will exercise his fourth-year option by October 31st, the upcoming season was expected to be a crucial one for Wall, who will be eligible for a contract extension next summer.
"Your third year is a key year," Wall said to the media, including Michael Lee of the Washington Post, earlier today. "It makes or breaks you, what you’re going to be in this league. This is a big year for me."
Although Wall's injury isn't expected to linger too far into the regular season, it may force the Wizards to invite another point guard to training camp. Currently, the team only has Shelvin Mack and A.J. Price under contract as Wall's backups. Nonetheless, GM Ernie Grunfeld doesn't sound like he's expecting to make any major changes as a result of Wall's setback.
"We're all disappointed for John after how hard he worked this summer and how excited he was to begin training camp, but we feel fortunate that we caught the injury early and that he will be able to return with the vast majority of the season still in front of us," said Grunfeld. "In the meantime, we're confident that the versatility and depth of our team will help us move forward and continue the positive momentum that we've seen over the past several months."
Clippers To Sign Marqus Blakely
As the Clippers prepare for training camp, they will sign Marqus Blakely to a contract, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Carchia reported back in August that the Clips had brought Blakely in for a workout and were considering signing him.
Blakely was in camp with the Clippers in 2010 and the Rockets in 2011, but hasn't appeared in any regular-season NBA contests. The undrafted University of Vermont product averaged 15.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and put up a PER of 19.3 over a combined 35 games with the D-League's Iowa Energy and Sioux Falls Skyforce last season. He also spent time in the Philippines, with B-Meg Llamados, posting an impressive 22.4 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.7 SPG, and 2.6 BPG in 22 games.
The Clippers have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so Blakely likely won't receive any guarantee, and will be a long shot to earn a roster spot. When he and Courtney Fortson officially sign with the team, they'll bring the Clippers' total roster count to 17.
Knicks Rumors: Martin, Wallace, Howard
As the Knicks look to fill out their roster with training camp around the corner, let's round up the latest rumblings out of New York….
- Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets that the Knicks aren't currently on Kenyon Martin's radar, due to the situation being too "mercurial."
- On the other hand, it appears more and more likely that Rasheed Wallace will be joining the Knicks. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Wallace took a physical on Thursday, and all the Knicks players expect a signing to become official.
- Even as the Knicks wait on Rasheed's decision, the club continues to keep in touch with Josh Howard's representatives, says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Begley adds that it's possible that the Knicks decide to bring in both players, since they have the space to do so, but it's more likely to be one or the other (Twitter link).