Warriors Rumors: Bogut, Tyler, Bazemore, Lee
Andrew Bogut said today that he doesn't think he'll miss the season, but indicated that it could be awhile before he returns, as Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group reports. "The season's five to six months before the playoffs, which we have a great chance of making," Bogut said. "I don't think it's going to be five to six months. I hope it won't be. It would be a massive setback if it was. I'm not going to say a month or two months or three months, but I definitely think I'll be back." His comments came in a joint press conference held by Bogut and the Warriors to confirm that the two sides are on the same page as he recovers from left ankle surgery. There's more from that press conference and other Warriors news this evening, and we'll round it up here.
- Bogut explained that he's exhausting all options as he attempts to return, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I’ve almost resorted to Voodoo doctors," Bogut said. "I’ve seen everyone under the hat to try and get this ankle right."
- We heard earlier this morning that the microfracture aspect of Bogut's surgery in April wasn't a major part of the procedure, but Steward notes that Bogut said today that the entire procedure significantly lengthened the recovery time for the fractured ankle, which he first hurt in January. Without the surgery, Bogut said he might have been ready in July.
- Even if rookie Festus Ezeli emerges as a force inside, the Warriors aren't going to trade Bogut, tweets fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Marcus Thompson II.
- Coach Mark Jackson mentioned Jeremy Tyler and Kent Bazemore by name when he spoke about the team's desire to shuttle young players back and forth between the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, as Steward also noted.
- David Lee applauds the Warriors front office for acquiring Bogut last season as well as the others the team picked up during the summer, and thinks Golden State's turnover problems this season will improve as everyone on the team becomes more familiar with each other, as he tells HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram.
Raptors Seeking SF, Considering Mickael Pietrus
8:16pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that if the Raptors sign Pietrus, the team would let go of either Dominic McGuire or Alan Anderson. Wolstat also notes the Raptors nearly signed Pietrus last year, but were turned off by the results of a physical, since he was recovering from an injury at the time (Twitter link).
5:55pm: The Raptors are "strongly considering" free agent swingman Mickael Pietrus as they look to fill holes created by injury, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team is in the market for a small forward, with Landry Fields and Alan Anderson out up to a month, according to Stein (Twitter link). Any deal would have to be for the minimum salary, since the team used its room exception to sign Aaron Gray over the summer.
Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, said in July that his client wouldn't sign for the minimum, and it seems he's stuck to that assertion. It's unclear whether there's mutual interest between Pietrus and the Raptors. The team was reportedly considering him earlier this month as well, but nothing came to fruition. Pietrus also reportedly turned down an offer this month from the Spurs, though there was confusion about whether any offer was made. The Lakers have recently expressed interest in him, too.
Toronto has a full roster, with 15 players all on fully guaranteed deals, as Stein points out, so someone would have to go, with the team still on the hook for his salary. The team's three smallest salary commitments are to wing players Dominic McGuire, Quincy Acy and Anderson, so letting one of them go wouldn't do much to address their depth. The team is only paying Anderson the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389 on a one-year deal, so he'd seemingly be the most likely of that group to go, since he's on the shelf. John Lucas III has the next lowest salary, making $1.5MM this year with a team option for next season.
If the Raptors don't sign Pietrus, the alternative free agent small forwards aren't quiet as enticing, with Damion James and Terrence Williams probably the most appealing options. Check out our complete list of remaining free agents here.
Derek Fisher Expected To Sign Soon
7:58pm: A report 10 days ago by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News said the Mavs weren't interested in Fisher, but Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders if they might be, since the team is exploring "tweaks" to its roster and coach Rick Carlisle has expressed admiration of Fisher in the past.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe believes the Celtics may have a pressing need for a point guard if Rajon Rondo is given a lengthy suspension for his involvement in a fight during tonight's game against the Nets (Twitter link).
6:48pm: Derek Fisher is expected to sign with a team in the next several days, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who says the point guard is considering three teams and will likely make a decision by Thursday. Fisher hasn't been seriously linked to any teams since training camps began, though he's been working out with the Lakers. While it was initially thought Fisher couldn't sign with the Lakers, since they traded him away last year, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last month that they can ink him to a deal, since he didn't exercise the 2012/13 player option on his contract before the Rockets bought him out in March.
The Lakers have been playing with third-stringer Darius Morris as the starting point guard with Steve Nash and Steve Blake sidelined, though Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game hears Nash could be back in seven to 10 days (Sulia link). Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets news that Blake will miss two more weeks, with Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times believing that he won't be back for nearly another month.
Fisher could only get a minimum-salary deal from the Lakers, who would have to waive someone else to fit him on the roster. This year's second-round picks, Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom, both of whom are currently assigned to the D-League, are on non-guaranteed deals.
There's no word that the Lakers are on Fisher's list of three teams, though they'd fit the profile of a contender, and Windhorst writes that the veteran is looking to sign with a team in the title hunt. Speculation linked him to the Celtics back in September, and while Boston seemingly filled its need for a backup point guard with Leandro Barbosa, the C's do have an open roster spot, as do the Thunder, for whom Fisher played last season. The Clippers and Grizzlies are also underneath the 15-man roster limit, according to our list of NBA roster counts.
Odds & Ends: Billups, Collison, Draft, Raptors
A deep Clippers roster will add even more depth as of tonight, when Chauncey Billups makes his 2012/13 debut against the Timberwolves. Billups tore his Achilles tendon last February, but re-signed with the Clips in the offseason, and will rejoin a backcourt that already includes Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe, and Jamal Crawford, among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends for Wednesday afternoon:
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News has been impressed by Darren Collison so far, but says it's too soon to tell whether Collison is a long-term solution for the Mavericks at point guard.
- Nerlens Noel remains atop the latest version of Chris Mannix's 2013 draft board at SI.com, with Cody Zeller moving up to the No. 2 spot.
- Speaking of the '13 draft, ESPN.com's Chad Ford conducted a chat today in which he answered plenty of draft-related questions, along with a few on possible trade scenarios.
- In a pair of Sulia links, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun submits performance reviews for Raptors coach Dwane Casey and GM Bryan Colangelo, suggesting that the team shouldn't give up either of them, despite Toronto's disappointing start.
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News examines the Spurs' handling of their D-League affiliate, the defending champion Austin Toros.
- In front-office news out of the Northwest Division, the Nuggets announced promotions for two members of their basketball operations department, while Trail Blazers COO Sarah Mensah announced her resignation (link via CSNNW.com).
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside examines some first-round picks that have been assigned to the D-League, and how it affected their respective careers.
Eastern Notes: Calderon, Stackhouse, Cavs
Since Martell Webster dubbed the Wizards' third game of the season, against the Celtics, a "must-win," the team has lost ten more games and now sits at 0-12. With a home contest vs. 6-8 the Trail Blazers on tap tonight, the club has a decent opportunity to finally notch its first victory of the season. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes, things will only get tougher going forward, with four road games against the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Warriors up next.
While we wait to see if Washington can get into the win column, let's check out a few updates from around the Eastern Conference….
- Jose Calderon tells Yahoo! Deportes that his goal next summer in free agency is to sign a multiyear deal (translation via HoopsHype).
- When he signed with the Nets, Jerry Stackhouse expected his role to primarily involve coaching and mentoring, but he's made the most of the playing time he's received, writes Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio fielded primarily Cavaliers-related questions from fans in a chat today, including plenty of inquiries on trade possibilities involving Anderson Varejao.
- Taj Gibson tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Sulia link) that the pressure of living up to the contract extension he signed before the season isn't affecting his play at all.
Lakers Assign Robert Sacre To D-League
The Lakers have assigned a second rookie to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). Robert Sacre will join Darius Johnson-Odom on the Los Angeles D-Fenders in time for the club's home opener tonight.
Sacre, the last player taken in the 2012 draft, has appeared in eight games so far for the Lakers, primarily in blowouts. In approximately 19 total minutes of playing time, he has recorded two points and committed eight fouls. The former Gonzaga center will get a chance to receive increased minutes with the D-Fenders.
The Lakers have already assigned Johnson-Odom to the D-Fenders twice this season, as our list of D-League assignments and recalls shows. For Sacre, it's his first D-League assignment.
Mike D’Antoni Regrets Leaving Suns For Knicks
Five games into his stint as Lakers head coach, Mike D'Antoni is still adjusting to his new club, but seems happy to be coaching in Los Angeles. However, he does have at least one regret when it comes to his career decisions, as he tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The former Suns coach believes he made a mistake leaving Phoenix to become the Knicks head coach.
"I shouldn't have gone to New York," D'Antoni said. "I should have stuck in there and battled. You don't get to coach somebody like [Steve Nash] too many times. It's pretty sacred and you need to take care of it. I didn't."
According to Shelburne, although D'Antoni's departure is generally characterized as a mutual parting, it was the head coach who initiated the move. Under D'Antoni, the Suns posted four straight seasons of 54 wins or more, making the Western Conference Finals but never getting over the hump. D'Antoni points to those postseason defeats as part of the reason he felt compelled to head to New York in the summer of 2008.
"I think we got frustrated and I got frustrated. That's why I left," D'Antoni said. "We were there, it seemed like we deserved it, and then it seemed like something happened all the time. Maybe we weren't good enough either. We have to understand that…. I probably irrationally made a decision right when the season was over. You should take a month to figure it out. I shouldn't have left. That was my fault."
The Knicks were undergoing something of a rebuild when they hired D'Antoni, working to clear cap space in advance of the summer of 2010, when LeBron James and other marquee free agents would hit the open market. With the roster constantly in flux, D'Antoni tells Shelburne that he never got comfortable in New York, and that things were "better the other way [in Phoenix]."
After posting a 253-136 record in nearly five seasons in Phoenix, D'Antoni's record with the Knicks was an underwhelming 121-167. So far in Los Angeles, D'Antoni is 2-3, though I'd expect that mark to get above .500 soon and remain there.
James Harden Links: Martin, Thunder, Rockets
One of the most intriguing games on tonight's NBA schedule sees James Harden and the Rockets, coming off a Tuesday win over the Raptors, heading to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. It was just a month ago that the two teams finalized the shocking trade that sent Harden to Houston, so plenty is being written today about that deal and the Sixth Man of the Year's return to OKC. Here are a few stories of note:
- Harden downplayed tonight's contest, calling it "just another game," as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. However, Daequan Cook, who changed teams along with Harden in last month's deal, thinks the Rockets' star cares more than he lets on: "I know this game means a lot to him. He’s going to want to play his best basketball. This game means so much right now to him. You’re going to see a different mindset with him."
- Kevin Martin has been a servicable replacement for Harden in Oklahoma City, but it's not clear how the team plans to replace that production when Martin's contract expires next summer, says ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link). Hollinger's also wonders how the Thunder would have proceeded if Harden had accepted their $54MM extension offer, since even that non-maximum salary would have put the team well into luxury-tax territory next year.
- ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst looks at how the Thunder have adjusted to losing Harden, with Kevin Durant noting that the club's "chemistry is getting better each day."
- While the Thunder have played well without Harden, the team misses his pick-and-roll ability, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Both ESPN.com and The Oklahoman surveyed several writers on burning questions relating to the Harden trade, including whether dealing him was the right move and whether Russell Westbrook or Harden will be the better player in the long-term.
Poll: Should Sixers Have Made Bynum Deal?
When the 76ers acquired Andrew Bynum in a four-way blockbuster back in August, they were praised by most pundits for having secured a player capable of being a franchise cornerstone. Bynum was viewed as the NBA's second-best center, and the trade ensured that the league's best center, Dwight Howard, would no longer be playing in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, the deal has yet to pay dividends in Philadelphia. Bynum's ongoing knee problems have prevented him from making his 2012/13 debut, and the 25-year-old is said to be out "indefinitely." At this point, it's easy to second-guess the summer blockbuster, questioning whether the Sixers could have acquired a more reliable star, rather than one with an injury history, for a package that included Andre Iguodala, Maurice Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, and a future first-round pick.
But it is that simple? It's not as if Bynum's stint with the Sixers can be written off already. He could return later this season, and even if he doesn't, perhaps his health concerns mean Philadelphia will be able to lock him up next summer at a reduced price. Additionally, it didn't seem as if the Iguodala-led Sixers were a legit title contender as constructed. Danny Pommels of CSNPhilly.com wrote yesterday that the Sixers are a better team without AI, and that the deal was still a worthwhile one.
So what do you think? Should the 76ers have stood pat and moved forward this season with Iguodala, hoping that further development from Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner took the team to the next level? Should they have sought out the next-best deal for Iguodala, even if it didn't involve landing a potential franchise player like Bynum? Or do you think, taking into account the previous roster's ceiling and Bynum's long-term upside, that the trade still makes sense for Philadelphia?
Should the Sixers have traded for Andrew Bynum?
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Yes, it was a worthwhile risk. 54% (749)
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No, they should have traded Iguodala in another deal. 30% (421)
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No, they should have kept Iguodala. 16% (223)
Total votes: 1,393
Kyler On Gasol, Redick, Varejao, Lakers, Fredette
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)….
- The Lakers have kicked the tires on Pau Gasol trades in the past and are aware that any move they make would be a downgrade. Kyler notes that if the team falls out of contention, a Lamar Odom-esque salary dump is a possibility, but it's hard to imagine that happening this season.
- Even though J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract, a deal isn't necessarily likely since Redick fits the culture the Magic are trying to establish. Asked specifically about a potential swap with the Timberwolves involving Redick and Derrick Williams, Kyler says the Magic would want to include at least one bad contract in that type of move.
- The Cavaliers continue to say Anderson Varejao isn't available, but Kyler thinks the team will have to cash him in at some point.
- The Hawks still intend to re-sign Josh Smith next summer and build around him.
- Having traded most of their first-round picks in other deals, the Lakers no longer have the draft picks to facilitate a contract dump, so the team will find it difficult to move a point guard like Steve Blake or Chris Duhon.
- The Lakers have talked about the possibility of adding Mickael Pietrus, Delonte West, or Raja Bell, but nothing is close.
- Kyler also reiterates a point he's made before, saying Jimmer Fredette is unhappy with the Kings.