Magic Sign Chris Johnson
The Magic have signed Chris Johnson, who was waived this weekend by the Clippers, the team announced. Johnson is a 6'6" small forward from Dayton, and is not to be confused with the 6'11" center of the same name who's in camp with the Timberwolves. Johnson is likely joining the Magic on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
Johnson went undrafted this year, though he was ranked 74th among prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford. He played for the Sixers in the summer league this past July, averaging 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game over four contests. He put up 12.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG and shot 39.7% from three-point range in his senior year at Dayton.
The move brings the Magic roster to 20 players, the preseason limit.
Returnees By Team: Eastern Conference
There's been plenty of roster turnover this offseason, and some teams have been significantly more active than others, as usual. Though the Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, most of the players from their championship team last year were under contract for at least one more season, so they bring back a dozen members of last year's squad, more returnees than any other Eastern Conference team.
Success is not necessarily a harbinger of stability, though, with only other Eastern Conference playoff team bringing back more than seven guys. Six lottery teams have eight or more returnees, including the woeful Bobcats, who have eight of the same players from the team that set a record for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history last year.
This list includes players who were under contract with their teams at the end of last season, so Jeff Green, whose deal with the Celtics was voided last year, and Mickell Gladness, who played for the Warriors after the Heat cut him loose, are seen here. We'll follow up soon with the Western Conference list.
- Heat (12) — Joel Anthony, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Terrel Harris, Udonis Haslem, LeBron James, James Jones, Mike Miller, Dexter Pittman, Dwyane Wade
- Bucks (10) — Mike Dunleavy, Monta Ellis, Drew Gooden, Tobias Harris, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, Luc Mbah a Moute, Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh, Beno Udrih
- Cavaliers (10) — Omri Casspi, Alonzo Gee, Daniel Gibson, Luke Harangody, Kyrie Irving, Samardo Samuels, Donald Sloan, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, Luke Walton
- Wizards (10) — Trevor Booker, Brian Cook, Jordan Crawford, Shelvin Mack,Cartier Martin, Nene, Kevin Seraphin, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, John Wall
- Pistons (9) — Will Bynum, Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko, Brandon Knight, Jason Maxiell, Greg Monroe, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva
- Bobcats (8) — Bismack Biyombo, Matt Carroll, DeSagana Diop, Gerald Henderson, Byron Mullens, Tyrus Thomas, Kemba Walker, Reggie Williams
- Pacers (8) — Paul George, Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Jeff Pendergraph, Lance Stephenson, David West
- Raptors (8) — Alan Anderson, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Aaron Gray, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza
- Bulls (7) — Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Richard Hamilton, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose
- Magic (7) — Glen Davis, Justin Harper, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick, Quentin Richardson, Ishmael Smith, Hedo Turkoglu
- Celtics (6) — Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Chris Wilcox
- Knicks (6) — Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Amare Stoudemire
- Nets (6) — Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Deron Williams
- Sixers (5) — Lavoy Allen, Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young
- Hawks (5) — Al Horford, Ivan Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague
Texas Notes: Spurs, Lin, Rockets, Holloway
We rounded up news from the Mavericks earlier today as they continue their European tour, but there's still more from the Lone Star state, where the Spurs, with an 18-to-1 shot, are the most likely of the three Texas teams to win the championship, according to odds released today by the Bovada sports book.
- The Spurs have announced Sean Marks as their new director of basketball operations and GM of the Austin Toros, their D-League affiliate.
- The Rockets' commitment of more than $25MM to Jeremy Lin, a player with a tiny sample size of success whom the Knicks passed on keeping, says much about the team's inability to break out of a cycle of mediocrity, Fran Blinebury of Rockets.com writes.
- With 11 players eligible to be sent down to the D-League at some point this season, Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside examines how the Rio Grande Valley Vipers will play a key role in player development this season for the Rockets, their parent club. Pilato notes Scott Machado and Kyle Fogg have given their blessing to D-League assignments this season if the Rockets want to send them down.
- Fellow Ridiculous Upside scribe Keith Schlosser wonders what's next for former Xavier guard Tu Holloway, a training camp invitee whom the Mavs curiously let go before camp even began.
Southeast Rumors: Martin, Heat, Magic, Webster
The Heat are in China, where Dwyane Wade is hopeful he can return to game action for the first time since the left knee surgery that kept him out of this summer's Olympics, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Wade has extra, endorsement-based incentive to hit the court in China, where his new Li-Ning sneakers will be formally introduced this week. We've got more Tuesday notes from the Southeast Division right here:
- The signing of Rashard Lewis precluded any interest the Heat might have had in Kenyon Martin, Winderman says. Martin, who remains unsigned, is still seeking a deal worth more than the minimum, though he's said he'd make an exception for the right team. His name was mentioned in connection with the Lakers earlier today. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports Jordan Hill is expected to be healthy in time for opening night, so the team may not have as much motivation to add another big man as they would have if Hill were expected to miss time.
- Point guard Armon Johnson, on a non-guaranteed contract with the Magic, is making a case to stick around, tweets John Denton of Magic.com. Johnson faces an uphill battle to make the regular season roster, since the team has 17 players with at least a partial guarantee on their deals.
- Craig Stouffer of The Washington Examiner checks in with Martell Webster, who, along with Trevor Ariza, helps shore up a small forward position that had been a weakness for the Wizards.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Celtics, Leuer, Lakers
In a piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe looks at the different tiers in the Association after a wild offseason. In Lowe's opinion, the real title contenders this year are the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, and Lakers. Further down the list, you'll find the Nets and the Knicks who are classified as having exciting upside but too many questions to be considered real title threats. The Nets, he argues, may not get much bench production outside of C.J. Watson and MarShon Brooks. Meanwhile, most of the Knicks' big name offseason additions strike Lowe as league-average types who won't really make a major difference. Here's more from around the league..
- In the wake of Jordan Hill's back injury, Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects the Lakers to sign a veteran big man to a minimum contract, possibly Kenyon Martin. Martin plied his craft at the Staples Center last season with the Clippers and played well despite not lighting up the stat sheet.
- While giving credit to the Celtics' 2008 championship team, point guard Rajon Rondo opined that this year's club is the strongest yet, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. This year's Celtics squad underwent a number of changes, including guard Jason Terry taking the place of Ray Allen.
- After being claimed off of waivers by the Rockets this summer, Jon Leuer is making a strong impression with the Cavs in camp this summer, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. Coach Byron Scott believes that the team needs to help Leuer build confidence after bouncing around between a few clubs at the age of 23.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld believes that Kobe Bryant will have to play beyond 2013/14 if he hopes to capture two more championship rings. Bryant reiterated yesterday that he plans to retire after his current contract expires in two seasons.
Southeast Notes: LeBron, Tolliver, Kidd-Gilchrist
News and notes out of the Southeast Division..
- While Kobe Bryant has alluded to possibly playing overseas after his career in the NBA, Heat star LeBron James says that he has no such plans, writes Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. “Nah. I mean, no. Nope,” James said of playing outside of the NBA late in his career. “This is the best league the world has to offer. And if I'm lucky enough, if I'm able to stay healthy, I would love to finish my career in this league. And that's what I plan on doing.”
- Forward Anthony Tolliver told Chris Vilvamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he planned on returning to the Timberwolves for most of the offseason. Of course, Tolliver wound up hooking on with the Hawks in late September. The 27-year-old will earn the veteran's minimum, a step down from his $2MM salary last season.
- Bobcats coach may employ a small ball lineup at times this season and shift rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist from small forward to power forward, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Mavericks Notes: Deron, Cuban, Nowitzki
Yesterday, Nets guard Deron Williams made waves when he disclosed that Mark Cuban’s absence from his summer meeting with the Mavericks helped shape his decision to stay put. The point guard and his agent had a chance to speak with Mavs brass including coach Rick Carlisle and president Donnie Nelson, but was irked that the club’s owner was busy filming an episode of “Shark Tank” for ABC instead. Here’s Cuban’s response plus more out of Dallas..
- In an email to Howard Beck of the New York Times, Cuban quipped that he was “kind of surprised” by the remarks before adding, “I’m even more surprised that he didn’t say something to the effect of, ‘I am so excited about what the Nets did this summer. It wouldn’t have mattered what Cuban did.’“
- Before entering the NBA draft, Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki flirted with the idea of playing professionally in Spain for FC Barcelona, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Despite that, the big man says that he probably doesn’t see himself playing for Barcelona when his career is through.
- Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram isn’t buying Williams’ excuse for why he chose the Nets over the Mavericks. The point guard was quick to say that Brooklyn’s acquisition of Joe Johnson helped sway him back to the club and doesn’t buy that Cuban’s absence from their meeting had a bigger impact than that.
Odds & Ends: Sullinger, Magic, Maynor, Sixers
Here are a few bits of news and notes from around the league.
- Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger may have a body type that mirrors former Celtic forward Glen Davis, but the two players boast very different games, writes WEEI.com's Paul Flannery.
- AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore writes about how Hawks point guard Jeff Teague needs to become a vocal leader this season.
- NBA.com writer Josh Cohen dives into whether or not the Magic will be active at February's trade deadline.
- Glen Davis says the Magic starters have great chemistry so far, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
- CSNPhilly.com's John Finger asks how the Sixers are going to replace Andre Iguodala's elite perimeter defense.
- CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes introduces fans to Trail Blazers big man guru Kim Hughes, a coach who should be integral to lottery pick Meyers Leonard's development.
- If James Harden re-signs with the Thunder, it will signal the end of Eric Maynor's tenure with the team, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
Central Notes: Waiters, Bucks, Young
Here are a few notes from around the NBA's Central Division.
- Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott has told Dion Waiters—who Cleveland selected with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft—he will have to earn a spot in the team's starting rotation, reports FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico.
- NBA.com's Truman Reed believes that if the Bucks can replicate their defensive performance from two seasons ago, then combine it with their offensive output last year, they'll make the playoffs in 2012/13.
- Mark Montieth from Pacers.com writes that the newly acquired Sam Young could embrace a role on the team as a strong wing defender, especially with a player like LeBron James looming in the playoffs.
Injury Notes: Hill, Lowry, Tolliver, Noah
As training camps are underway, injuries have begun to pop up throughout the league. Here are a few:
- Lakers forward Jordan Hill has a herniated disc in his back. He'll be re-evaluated later this week, according to a tweet from the Orange County Register's Kevin Ding.
- New Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will sit at least another week as he rehabilitates a strained abductor muscle in his left leg, writes The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat.
- After missing practice for the third straight day on Monday for personal reasons, Joakim Noah's status for the Bulls preseason game against Memphis is uncertain, writes ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
- After having offseason surgery on his back, Heat forward Mike Miller expects to experience playing time issues throughout the season, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman.
- Hawks big man Anthony Tolliver suffered a scratched cornea in his team's exhibition game on Sunday against the Heat, writes AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore. Tolliver expects to be out a few days.