Eastern Notes: Blatche, Magic, Heat, Green
We rounded up a few items out of the Western Conference earlier this morning, so let's head east and check in on the Nets, Magic, Heat, and a few other teams in the Eastern Conference….
- So far in Brooklyn, Andray Blatche is enjoying being under less pressure than he was with the Wizards, as he tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I have a new beginning, not as much stuff hanging over my head," Blatche said. "I can go out and play, I don’t have to think. It’s just fun."
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com looks into the Magic's $17.8MM trade exception, pointing out that the team could use it to take on a bad contract (along with draft picks) or to land a free agent in a sign-and-trade deal next summer.
- While Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel acknowledges that there may be better candidates for a roster spot than James Jones, he finds it unlikely the Heat will keep Rodney Carney or another player over Jones, given the financial implications. In a separate piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman notes that comments by coach Erik Spoelstra suggest there are two roster spots up for grabs in Miami.
- Gerald Green, who signed a three-year deal with the Pacers this summer, appreciates the opportunity he has to play in the "best league in the world" again after a few years away from the NBA. Conrad Brunner has the story and quotes from Green at ESPN 1070 The Fan.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com poses the question of who the Knicks' 15th man should be.
Aldridge On Extension Candidates
The latest Morning Tip piece from TNT's David Aldridge is up at NBA.com, and focuses on the first round of the 2009 draft class, most of whom are eligible for contract extensions this month. However, Aldridge doesn't expect many new deals to be inked, since the new CBA doesn't give players a ton of incentive to sign early.
"Now (that) you can only give the same amount of years that they can get next summer, the player isn't as interested," one team executive told Aldridge. "Now, you have no advantage. I used to be able to say 'I can give you a year more today than you can get next year. So let's talk about a deal and maybe the number is more realistic.' But they've taken that away."
Here's what Aldridge has heard on a number of extension candidates:
- The Kings will "probably not" be offering Tyreke Evans an extension, Aldridge hears from a source.
- Things are "pretty quiet" on the Brandon Jennings front, and Aldridge isn't expecting him to work out a long-term extension with the Bucks.
- DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors aren't close to a deal, but have been talking for weeks. Aldridge cautions not to rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching an agreement.
- Aldridge does, however, essentially rule out extensions for Austin Daye (Pistons) and James Johnson (Kings).
- Jrue Holiday's agent will touch base with the 76ers later this week about a possible extension.
- Ty Lawson of the Nuggets is the one player that everyone around the league believes will sign a long-term deal by Halloween.
- The Hawks are talking to Jeff Teague about a new deal, but Aldridge thinks it's unlikely the team commits to anything yet when it could have so much cap space available next summer.
- Agent Mark Bartelstein on Taj Gibson and the Bulls: "They've made it clear they'd like to sign Taj. They're making an effort, and so are we… if we can get something done that everybody feels good about, great. If not, I'm sure he'll have a great year."
Western Notes: Jamison, Jazz, Gortat, Stiemsma
In one of only two games on Sunday's preseason schedule, undrafted Spurs rookie Wesley Witherspoon was inserted into the starting lineup and scored a team-high 17 points in a win over Houston. Witherspoon, a camp invitee, is still a long shot to earn a roster spot, but if Sunday's game was his last with the Spurs, at least he went out in style, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Here are a few more notes out of the Western Conference:
- Mike Brown, who coached Antawn Jamison in Cleveland in 2009/10, was one of the main reasons Jamison decided to sign with the Lakers, according to Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Jazz CEO Greg Miller spoke to Jody Genessy of the Desert News about the Jazz's roster changes and the team's expectations for the 2012/13 season.
- Marcin Gortat heads into this season looking to prove that he can be productive without Steve Nash, as Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns writes.
- After signing the first guaranteed contract of his NBA career this summer, Greg Stiemsma is feeling secure with the Timberwolves and isn't looking over his shoulder, says Joan Niesen of FOX Sports North.
- Coach Rick Carlisle isn't expecting just one player to step up and replace Jason Terry as the Mavericks' No. 2 scorer now that Terry is playing in Boston, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
Latest On Negotiations Between Lawson, Nuggets
For much of the offseason, Ty Lawson and the Nuggets have expressed optimism about working out a long-term extension before November. Just over two weeks remain until the October 31st deadline, and Lawson continues to believe he and the Nuggets will reach an agreement, as he tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.
"I’m still confident," Lawson said. "My agent is working with [GM] Masai Ujiri and [president] Josh Kroenke so I feel like in the next couple of weeks something will get done. We’ll see."
According to Koutroupis, the Nuggets' current offer is somewhere in the neighborhood of four years and $44MM, which figures to be a little short of what it'll take to get a deal done. Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post recently wrote that a five-year, $65MM contract could be in play, though I wouldn't be surprised if Lawson signs for slightly less than that. As Koutroupis writes, the two sides seem close enough that an agreement by Halloween looks likely.
Lawson is one of a handful of point guards who will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if they don't work out extensions with their current clubs. Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, and Darren Collison are among the others.
Tracy McGrady Signs In China
OCTOBER 15TH, 8:22am: The Qingdao Double Star Eagles held a press conference over the weekend to formally announce McGrady's signing and present a copy of the contract, complete with T-Mac's signature, says Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
According to Pastuszek, McGrady is expected to arrive in China on October 24th, and Qingdao is hoping to keep the two-time NBA scoring champ on its roster for multiple years.
OCTOBER 9TH, 6:17pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that McGrady has officially signed his contract with Qingdao.
8:54am: Qingdao manager Sheng Xishun confirmed the signing and said that it should be made official by tomorrow, writes Yan Weijue of China Daily. Sheng went on to say that the deal was inspired by what Stephon Marbury and his Beijing Ducks accomplished last season, as he led the team to their first league title in two decades.
OCTOBER 8TH, 6:36pm: Two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady is currently finalizing a one-year contract with Qingdao of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. McGrady is expected to complete the deal in the next few days, and will head to China at some point in the next few weeks.
After spending the last few seasons in miniscule roles—relative to where he's been throughout his illustrious career—with the Pistons and Hawks, McGrady tried out for several teams (including the Spurs and Knicks) in the past month, but no franchise could guarantee him a contract. McGrady hasn't averaged double digits in scoring since 2008/09, and was last an All-Star in 2006/07. He is 33 years old.
Eastern Notes: Bobcats, Drummond, Hinrich
- Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com talks about the improvements that the Bobcats are looking to make on offense following a season which saw them last in the league in field goal percentage, three point shooting percentage, and points per game.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld examines the opportunity for Pistons rookie Andre Drummond to earn a significant role in Lawrence Frank's rotation.
- Kirk Hinrich appears to be fitting in well with new Bulls teammates and coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- Mike Wells of IndyStar.com looks at Miles Plumlee's struggles to become comfortable on the court, a problem that Pacers coach Frank Vogel believes can only be cured with time and experience.
- Based on John Henson's four block performance against the Pistons on Saturday, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel writes that the Bucks may have found a player who can significantly improve their rim protection, which had been one of the team's glaring weaknesses last season.
Western Notes: Thunder, Brewer, Sacre
- Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK highlights notable stories from the Thunder's pre-season, including the play of Perry Jones III, Cole Aldrich, and Eric Maynor. In a separate article, Mayberry collaborates with John Rohde to profile seven of the team's new additions brought in from the offseason.
- Aaron J. Lopez takes a look at Nuggets forward Corey Brewer, who four years removed from ACL surgery believes that he is faster and can jump higher today.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times highlights Robert Sacre as the biggest surprise of the Lakers' exhibition season.
- John Reid of NOLA.com examines the battle between Greivis Vasquez and Brian Roberts for minutes at the Hornets point guard rotation.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about the challenge the Timberwolves have faced in terms of trying to integrate all their new pieces amidst some nagging injuries.
- Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation writes that Patrick Mills could return to practice on Monday after sitting out two games with a sprained right ankle.
- O.J. Mayo's hand is healing
properly after he suffered a laceration last week from a fall during the
Mavericks' visit to Barcelona, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Price also tweeted that coach
Rick Carlisle believes Mayo will be fine after a few more days. As for Dirk Nowitzki, Carlisle said that he has been doing well (Price via Twitter).
Hornets Links: Davis, Gordon, Smith
- Anthony Davis returned to practice Sunday after a groin injury sidelined him from Friday's pre-season game against the Rockets, says John Reid of NOLA.com. The Hornets forward appeared to move without limitations during post-up drills but was held out of contact work.
- In another article, Reid mentions that Eric Gordon has continued to rehabilitate his knee, and that Hornets coach Monty Williams hopes to be able to play him in limited minutes before the end of pre-season. Williams added that although he isn't exactly sure if Gordon will be ready between this week and the next, the fifth-year veteran has been participating in drills during practices.
- Both Jason Smith (sore back) and Xavier Henry (sore knee) have sat out the last three pre-season games, but Reid writes that both could be close to returning after taking part in practice today.
- According to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com, one of Gordon's main goals for this season is to make the All-Star game.
- Brian Travis of Hornets.com gathered Al-Farouq Aminu's thoughts on his experiences during the offseason that included being a leader on the Nigerian Olympic basketball team during the summer games in London.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/8/12 – 10/14/12
- Chuck Myron looked at the returning players for each team from the Eastern and Western Conference.
- Updates for our Rookie Contract 2013/14 Option Tracker feature.
- Chuck wondered which fading star is most likely to survive pre-season cuts.
- Luke Adams reviewed the latest updates regarding the NBA's remaining unsigned free agents.
- Thursday's Hoops Rumors chat.
- Here's a list of free agents that are ineligible to sign with specific teams.
- Alex Lee took a poll on how many points Dirk Nowitzki could average this season.
- Zach presented his weekly Hoops Links feature.
- Chuck took note of the guaranteed minimum deals for each team from the Eastern and Western Conference.
- Here is a rundown of players who have signed rookie scale extensions within the last five years.
Hornets Waive Dominique Morrison
SUNDAY, 7:05pm: The Hornets have officially requested waivers on Morrison, who was not present for the team's game against the Magic yesterday in Mexico City.
MONDAY, 11:53am: The Hornets will let go of training camp invitee Dominique Morrison, a source tells Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Morrison, a 6'6" small forward who went undrafted out of Oral Roberts University this year, was on a non-guaranteed deal believed to be for the minimum salary. The move will bring the team's roster down to 16 players.
The Hornets have Solomon Alabi, Chris Wright and Lance Thomas in camp on non-guaranteed deals, while Brian Roberts has a partial guarantee of $100K. It's unclear what level of guarantee Darius Miller, the 46th overall pick this past June, has on his deal. That means only 11 players on the team are certain to have fully guaranteed contracts, leaving the Hornets with plenty of flexibility. The regular season roster limit is 15, but they don't have to carry any more than 13 players.