Odds & Ends: Howard, Ellis, Barnes, Sleepers
The news of the night is that Dwight Howard will make his Lakers debut tonight at the Staples Center against the Kings, tweets Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. The offseason's biggest storyline was rumored to be on track to play tonight, but it is now official. Tip off is just over a half hour away. Here are some other odds and ends from around the league:
- Monta Ellis, who was traded to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut this past season, has a new outlook in Milwaukee, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Ellis is through worrying about personal accolades, he says, and is concentrated only on winning with his new team. Charania says that Ellis and Brandon Jennings are building chemistry, while adding that Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal after the year and Jennings could be a restricted free agent.
- Given the Clippers roster, Matt Barnes didn't seem like the best fit when he signed with the team in September. But Barnes has been raising eyebrows in training camp and preseason, Broderick Turner of the LA Times writes.
- The team of writers at HoopsWorld looks at which NBA team will be this years' biggest sleeper. Believe it or not, all five guys chose different teams. Here is the list: Raptors, Bucks, Nuggets, Warriors and Wizards.
Week In Review: 10/15/12 – 10/21/12
Here is a recap of this week's top stories:
- Ty Lawson is hopeful that he will reach an agreement on a contract extension with the Nuggets.
- The Bulls waived Andre Emmett to get their roster down to 16 players.
- The Suns cut Othyus Jeffers.
- The 76ers and Jrue Holiday have been talking about a contract extension for the point guard throughout the week.
- The Knicks exercised their third year option on Iman Shumpert.
- Timberwolves star Kevin Love broke his hand working out away from the team and will be out up to 8 weeks. The Wolves waived Jermaine Taylor. Mike Harris, Chris Johnson and Will Conroy will be battling it out for the team's 15th roster spot.
- The Hawks waived Carldell Johnson to get their roster to 16.
- The Kings picked up the options on third year players DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette after waiving Cyril Awere.
- The Raptors picked up the fourth year option on Ed Davis, keeping him in a Toronto uniform through 2013-14.
- The Sixers released Dan Gadzuric. Their roster stands at 15, though they're likely to cut it to Devin Searcy before October 31. It appears appears that veteran Damien Wilkins will make the team.
- The Mavs waived Josh Akognon, who was the last player on their roster without a guaranteed contract.
- The Celtics signed Leandro Barbosa for the veterans minimum after waiving Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith.
- The Jazz waived Brian Butch and Trey Gilder. Their roster stands at 17.
- The Bulls waived Kyrlyo Fesenko to get their roster down to 15.
- Executives around the league think that the Lakers may target LeBron James in 2014 should Kobe Bryant retire. Jim Buss contributed to the rumor mill, saying that the Lakers want to make a splash in 2014, though James pleaded ignorance.
- Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined 6 weeks.
- The Wizards exercised up the 2013-14 options for six players: John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton.
- The Cavs picked up the 2013-14 options for sophomores Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.
- After a strong rookie season, the Nets picked up the 2013-14 option on the contract of MarShon Brooks.
- The Lakers waived Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson to get their roster down to 18.
- Similarly, the Heat waived Mickell Gladness and Robert Dozier. Their roster also now stands at 18.
Eastern Notes: Barbosa, Raptors, Pistons,Wilkins
Here's a look around the Eastern Conference on this Sunday afternoon.
- According to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg, Leandro Barbosa had talks with the Lakers before signing with the Celtics.
- The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat writes that the Raptors could have a great second unit this season.
- Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois writes that the speedy pace Pistons coach Lawrence Frank wants to employ this season with his team could be a huge benefit.
- With a slew of veterans on board, the Knicks have a ton of pressure to advance far in the playoffs this season, writes the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's John Mitchell believes veteran forward Damien Wilkins could have a positive influence on the young Sixers roster.
- Chris Vivlamore of AJC.com writes about the Hawks open small forward position.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/15/12 – 10/21/12
Here's a look back at all the original content produced by our team of writers this past week.
- Chuck Myron examined which teams are taking a cap hit in 2012/13 for players not currently on their respective rosters.
- Zach Links gives us his weekly Hoops Links feature.
- Sean Highkin asks which injury will have a greater impact: Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Love?
- Luke Adams takes a look at players with partial guarantees.
- Here's a transcript from our weekly Hoops Rumors chat.
- Luke gives us a list of the longest tenured general managers currently working in the NBA.
- If you're interested in following news and rumors on particular players using Hoops Rumors, here's how to do it.
Heat Waive Gladness, Dozier
The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness and Robert Dozier, according to a tweet from the Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman. For the 6'11" Gladness, this is his second time being waived by the Heat, with the first coming last February. Dozier was the last player selected in the 2009 NBA draft, but he's yet to play a single minute of basketball in the NBA.
Miami's roster now stands at 18, tweets Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Allen, Rondo, Paul
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com wonders whether Nolan Smith's preseason troubles for the Blazers might be due in part to the pressure of the looming October 31st deadline the team has for picking up the third-year option on his rookie contract. Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Haynes he's going to wait as long as possible to make a decision. Stay up to date on this month's rookie-scale option decisions with the Hoops Rumors Rookie Contract Option Tracker, and check out the latest notes from around the league right here.
- The root of the hard feelings between Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen stemmed from a phone call Allen made to his then-teammate to get him to lobby against a trade that would have sent the pair to the Suns in 2009 for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and a 2010 draft pick, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reveals.
- Chris Paul was instrumental in recruiting Jamal Crawford and others to the Clippers, and doesn't give the look of someone who wants to leave L.A. as he enters the final season of his deal, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes (Sulia link).
- Marvin Williams is paying early dividends for the Jazz after coming aboard in an offseason trade, as Mike Sorenson of the Deseret News and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune examine.
- Coach Doug Collins pointed to four Sixers whose minutes he wants to limit during the season, and all of them are offseason acquisitions, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com chronicles.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com and Newsday's Al Iannazzone share the opinion that a cyst in Stoudemire's left knee that will keep him out two to three weeks boosts the chances that Knicks non-guaranteed camp invitee Chris Copeland will make the team (Twitter links).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel thinks Garrett Temple, Josh Harrellson and Dexter Pittman will all be on the Heat roster come opening night.
Central Rumors: Bulls, Walsh, Hammond, Pistons
The Bulls figure to have a tough time repeating their success of the past two seasons with Derrick Rose injured and most of their key reserves playing elsewhere. Still, they have the advantage of playing in the NBA's easiest division, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who believes they'll be able to tread water and come up with 46 wins, likely enough for a playoff berth. If Rose is back, a higher seed probably won't want to see Chicago in the first round, but until then, here's the latest on a few teams trying to benefit from the Bulls' misfortune.
- Donnie Walsh is back in familiar surroundings as Pacers president of basketball operations after a stint in the Knicks front office, as Harvey Araton of The New York Times examines in a lengthy feature. Walsh admits his recovery from spinal cord surgery, which forced him to meet with LeBron James unprepared and in a wheelchair, affected the team's pitch for the superstar in 2010, and the 71-year-old doesn't envision himself as a long-term solution for the Pacers.
- Though he's not expected to give Brandon Jennings a long-term extension this month, Bucks GM John Hammond is confident his backcourt of Jennings and Monta Ellis can work, and sees the Pacers and Jazz as small-market models to follow, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe details. "The goal today is not to make trades," Hammond said. "The goal today is to try to find a way to keep some of these young pieces together and build with this young nucleus but continue to keep a fair salary structure that will give us flexibility to change and improve this team."
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press looks at how the Pistons are moving against the small-ball trend.
- The Pistons' rotation is starting to take shape, as Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News examines.
- A more competitive on-court product this season is critical for the business side of the Pistons, argues Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press.
Teams Using Cap Space On Former Players
In the past week, the Cavaliers and Celtics waived players with partially or fully guaranteed contracts, and now that those guys have cleared waivers, the teams are obligated to pay them even though they won't be playing in Cleveland and Boston, respectively. It's a scenario that's likely to play out again between now and opening night of the regular season, when rosters must be trimmed to 15. Several teams have more players with guaranteed deals than they have roster space available, so unless they're able to work out a trade, they'll be on the hook for guys who won't be contributing this year.
Most, if not all, of the players who hit the waiver wire in the next week will have less than $1MM in guaranteed money, but sometimes teams are willing to let go of someone making much more. In the case of Rashard Lewis, whom the Hornets owe $13.7MM this year, the decision to waive him and pay his partially guaranteed amount saved the team an extra $9MM they would have had to shell out if they kept him around at the full amount left on his deal.
Teams can erase the guaranteed portions of a player's salary from their books using the amnesty provision, but they can only do so once, and only on players who signed prior to last year's lockout. We're keeping track of amnesty cuts here, but this list is for players who still count against a team's cap. This list doesn't include cap holds for free agents or unsigned first-round draft picks, all of which count against the cap as well. Otherwise, if you know anyone we've missed, let us know in the comments.
Updated 10-23-12
Hawks
- Jordan Farmar ($1.5MM) — The Hawks bought him out of the final season of his deal, originally worth $4.25, in July.
- Jordan Williams ($762K) — Waived in September, despite a full guarantee.
Celtics
- Keyon Dooling ($854K) — Dooling retired in September, but the team is still on the hook for his minimum-salary deal.
- Dionte Christmas ($237K) — Waived on October 16th despite a guarantee that covered half of his minimum-salary deal.
- Jamar Smith ($25K) — Waived on October 16th despite a partial guarantee.
Cavaliers
- Kelenna Azubuike ($1.07M) — Waived on October 14th despite a full guarantee.
Pistons
- Richard Hamilton ($6.07MM) — Agreed to a buyout in 2011.
Rockets
- *Derek Fisher ($644K) — It's unclear whether he remains on Houston's books. It was widely believed that Fisher had exercised his player option for 2012/13 before he agreed to a buyout from the Rockets in March, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently heard that Fisher did not opt in.
Pacers
- Blake Ahearn ($25K) — Waived October 22nd despite a partial guarantee.
- Sundiata Gaines ($25K) — Waived October 22nd despite a partial guarantee.
Heat
- James Jones ($1.757MM) — Though Jones is with the Heat, he's still receiving money from a contract he signed in 2008 in addition to his current deal. Miami waived Jones in June 2010, on the final day they could do so before the partial guarantees on the three years remaining on his original deal became full guarantees. The move freed up cap space for the team to sign LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others that offseason, and Jones rejoined the team on a smaller deal later that summer.
Timberwolves
- Martell Webster ($600K) — Waived in July despite a partial guarantee.
Hornets
- Rashard Lewis ($13.7MM) — Waived in June despite a partial guarantee for 2012/13.
Knicks
- Renaldo Balkman ($1.675MM) — Waived in February despite a full guarantee for 2012/13.
Magic
- Christian Eyenga ($1.174MM) — Waived October 23rd despite a full guarantee.
Suns
- Brad Miller ($848K) — Waived in August despite a partial guarantee.
Trail Blazers
- Shawne Williams ($2.6MM) — The Blazers bought him out of the final year of his contract, originally worth $3.135MM, in July.
Storytellers Contracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.
Hornets Notes: Demps, Williams, Anderson
The Hornets enter the season as one of the league's most intriguing teams, having drafted No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, re-signed Eric Gordon to a max deal, and pulled off a sign-and-trade for Most Improved Player award-winner Ryan Anderson, among several other moves. Here's what's happening in the Big Easy as the new-look Hornets get ready for their regular season debut.
- Hornets GM Dell Demps was quick to praise the stewardship of commissioner David Stern as he spoke to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune, despite his refusal to allow Demps to trade Chris Paul to the Lakers last year. Still, Demps is glad for the stability new owner Tom Benson brings. "And even last season, a lot of decisions we were making were based along the lines of you wanted to make the team attractive to a new owner," Demps said. "And so we had some short-term and long-term plans in place last year that really set us up for this year."
- Coach Monty Williams said he's been working with Demps as the team rebuilds, as Smith documents in the same piece. "Dell and I talk a lot about the roster and where do we see ourselves in the future," the coach said. "It's been set up in a way that it gives us even more flexibility next summer to spend some money. Then once we spend that money next summer, I'm thinking 'That's our team.'"
- Anderson signed a four-year, $34MM contract this summer, but the new Hornets sharpshooter has struggled in the preseason, as HoopsWorld's Lang Greene examines.
- Greene also checks in with Brian Roberts, a point guard in Hornets camp with a deal that's partially guaranteed for $100K.
Jim Buss On Summer Moves, Kupchak, Analytics
Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss this week revealed the team has arranged almost all of its contracts to end in 2014 so the purple and gold can "make a big splash in the free agent market" that summer. The big fish that year could be LeBron James, just the latest in a star-studded litany of names that have been associated with the Lakers in the past several months. After a second straight playoff exit in the conference semifinals left Buss "very disappointed" in the team at the end of 2011/12, the Lakers appear back in business of contending for titles after the acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Though Buss tells Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register that his father Jim is still "the final hammer" within the organization, GM Mitch Kupchak said the younger Buss is gradually taking over. "It's almost been a complete transition, really," Kupchak said in Ding's report.
Ding sat down with Jim Buss for a lengthy interview, and the Lakers executive shared several intriguing tidbits.
On this summer's moves:
"I've felt the last two years, we had a chance to win the championship. Adding two Hall of Famers, basically, to this squad? To me, you kind of erase that 'we're taking steps' idea. We're here. Do what we're supposed to do."
On the front-office collaboration with Kupchak:
"It's a collective effort on every step. Mitch might have his own thoughts. He might make some phone calls to see if it's even possible. And he'll introduce it to me, and I'll say, 'Give me a day to work out some numbers and see if I think it's a fit.' Basically it's the value part I do. I'm not going to question if he likes a guy. Maybe I'd say, 'Mitch, by my numbers, the guy's a $3MM player. Right now, the market's dictating he's getting six. We just can't do it.'"
On why he says he defers to Kupchak most of the time:
"That's the area that is gray for me. Mitch is fantastic at saying, 'Well, he's a good player, but he doesn't fit our team.' Breaking down a player, you can do so much number-wise. But you need that extra 'does he fit?'"
On his approach to analytics:
"To me, a ridiculous stat is plus-minus. I think it's just useless. I needed to weed out and understand what affects the game of basketball. In the past five years, those applications of numbers came into play where I believe them. It took me years to believe they do have an effect."
On his new point guard:
"The intangible with Steve Nash is he's a winner; he's dedicated. He's just a phenomenal facilitator. My numbers take that all into consideration. I'm not concerned about his defense, because he's the oil to make this whole thing run, and I think the guys will help out defensively. And I don't see as bad of defense as everybody talks about."