Eastern Notes: Wizards, Bobcats, 76ers, Barbosa
The game that was supposed to kick off the Nets' new era in Brooklyn nearly a month ago will finally take place tonight. Initially scheduled for November 1st, the Knicks' first visit to the Barclays Center was postponed by Superstorm Sandy. Besides being the first time the crosstown rivals will face one another in Brooklyn, the game also has signifigance in the standings, where the 9-3 Knicks and 8-4 Nets are atop the Atlantic Division and trail only the Heat in the Eastern Conference.
As we await the evening's battle of New York, here are a few odds and ends from around the East:
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post explains how the six-year contract Gilbert Arenas signed back in the summer of 2008 continues to affect the Wizards.
- The Wizards' and Bobcats' diverging fortunes this season can be partly attributed to the teams' offseason roster building, according to ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link).
- If the Sixers aren't comfortable committing to a long-term deal for Andrew Bynum next summer in free agency, there will be some alternatives on the free agent market, says John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe spoke to Glen Davis about his time with the Celtics and his role with the rebuilding Magic.
- The Celtics signed Leandro Barbosa this fall to be a scorer off the bench, but the club has been impressed with his defense as well, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
Rockets Recall Scott Machado From D-League
A day after recalling Donatas Motiejunas from their D-League affiliate, the Rockets have brought their other assignee back as well. Houston has recalled Scott Machado from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Machado, who has yet to make his NBA debut with the Rockets, played two games for the Valley Vipers, averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.0 APG, and 5.0 RPG.
You can keep tabs on the latest D-League assignments and recalls with our complete list, which can be found on the right sidebar under "Hoops Rumors Features" at any time.
Kyler On Gasol, Rockets, Celtics, Knicks, Gortat
In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler addresses the Pau Gasol trade rumors that have been floating around recently, and touches on a couple other topics around the league. Let's dive in and round up the highlights….
- From a financial standpoint, the Lakers would love to move Gasol's contract for younger players and smaller deals, says Kyler. However, having explored his market value for the last couple years, the Lakers realize there's not an obvious fit out there. The Lakers aren't actively looking to move Pau — they just need him to play better.
- Although the Rockets have had interest in Gasol in the past, that depended in part on the players they felt they could add around the Spaniard. With those players no longer available, Houston's interest in Gasol has lessened.
- The Celtics have also had previous interest in Gasol, but aren't currently motivated to pursue him, according to Kyler.
- Lakers and Knicks sources both tell Kyler that a Gasol/Amare Stoudemire swap is highly unlikely.
- Following up on news that Marcin Gortat turned down an extension offer from the Suns, Kyler says that sources close to the Suns big man jokingly asked this summer: "If Brook Lopez is worth $62MM, what’s Gortat worth?"
- Despite some indications that Gortat has been frustrated in Phoenix this season, the Suns are far more inclined to try to make him happy and keep him long-term than to trade him.
Jazz Assign Kevin Murphy To D-League
MONDAY, 11:48am: The Jazz have officially assigned Murphy to the Bighorns, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News confirms (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 4:25pm: The Jazz will send rookie Kevin Murphy to the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, on Monday as long as the twisted ankle that knocked Mo Williams out of last night's game with the Kings is not too severe, tweets Jody Genessey of the Deseret News. The assignment would be Utah's first of the season.
The Jazz drafted Murphy, a 6'6" swingman from Tennessee Tech, with the 47th overall pick in the draft. He signed a minimum-salary contract that's partially guaranteed for $200K this year and fully non-guaranteed for 2013/14.
Murphy has played just nine minutes in three games for the Jazz thus far, and Utah's backcourt just got more crowded with last night's return of Earl Watson from injury. When the move becomes official, we'll add it to our list of D-League assignments and recalls from the entire league.
Pacers Recall Plumlee, Johnson From D-League
The Pacers have officially recalled rookies Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson from their D-League assignments, the team announced today in a press release. Indiana had assigned Plumlee and Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants last Wednesday, noting at the time that the duo would be back with the Pacers for this week's road trip.
Both players were productive in their two D-League games over the weekend, with Johnson pouring in 30 points yesterday against the Maine Red Claws. Johnson averaged 22.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG in the two contests, while Plumlee had marks of 14.0 PPG and 9.5 RPG.
Perkins Hopes To Finish Career With Thunder
It's been nearly two years since Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Thunder by the Celtics, and while he took some time to adjust to the change of scenery, the big man is very happy to be in Oklahoma City. Perkins tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he hopes to remain with the Thunder long-term, even beyond when his current contract ends.
"I love it here," Perkins said. "It is a business, so I have to make sure I do my job and we do our job, and that’s trying to win a couple of championships. Then, the rest will take care of itself. But yes, I would love to stay here and finish my career here."
Perkins has three years remaining on his current deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2015. Although Perkins has been mentioned as a possible trade or amnesty candidate, October's trade of James Harden makes it more viable for Oklahoma City to keep the big man on its books, since the team won't be facing a big tax hit for a Harden extension.
When the Celtics sent Perkins to Oklahoma City in February of 2011, he reportedly took the news hard, having spent his entire career in Boston to that point. However, with his second full season in Oklahoma City underway, the 28-year-old has come to feel at home with the Thunder, as he tells Kennedy.
"We have a group of young guys that love hanging around each other," Perkins said. "We’ve built relationships off the court that carry over on the court. It’s like a family. We all got each other’s back and we all support each other at all times. On any night, it can be any guy’s night to have 20 points and we’re happy for the next man because we’re all close."
Marcin Gortat Turned Down Extension Offer
Marcin Gortat is already under contract with the Suns through 2014, but it sounds as if he had the opportunity to extend his stay in Phoenix even longer. Gortat told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he turned down a multiyear contract extension offer from the Suns prior to the season.
"We just said we’re going to wait," Gortat said. "I want to finish this contract, and we’ll see where I go from there. It didn’t even bother me or change anything in my attitude or performance. The thing I’m concentrating is coming back to dominating the game and getting back to being a defensive spark."
While Gortat still has an additional year on his contract after this season, he's eligible for an extension because he signed a five-year deal more than three years ago. Still, because extensions for veteran players are limited to four total years, Gortat could only add two new years to his existing contract. Those two years could also only include 7.5% raises on next year's $7.73MM salary. As such, the Polish big man wouldn't be able to sign for more than about $17.2MM over two new years.
That's not an insignificant amount, but Gortat would be in for a much larger payday if he continues to produce anything close to what he did last season (15.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 21.2 PER). Assuming he doesn't sign an extension this season or next, the Suns center will be 30 years old when he hits unrestricted free agency in July 2014.
Western Notes: Lakers Assistants, Maynor, Watson
Comcast's Ric Bucher tweets that the Lakers are expected to keep their coaching staff intact, as many of the players have personal favorites among the current assistants. A few days ago, head coach Mike D'Antoni spoke favorably of the coaches that had carried over after Mike Brown's firing, telling ESPN LA: "They're good coaches. I know almost all of them anyway. They work extremely hard. We are in a lot. I just felt like, 'They're here, they're good, why change it?" The list includes former interim-head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Steve Clifford, Chuck Person, and most notably Eddie Jordan, who had been originally hired by Brown to install the Princeton offense. Here's the rest of what we're hearing out of the Western Conference tonight:
- Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK focuses on the struggles of Eric Maynor and wonders if it will open up an opportunity for the Thunder's Reggie Jackson at back-up point guard.
- Jazz point guard Earl Watson told reporters that he's been feeling more comfortable and is getting his rhythm back after returning from a seven month recovery following knee surgery (Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune reports). Head coach Tyrone Corbin remains focused on limiting Watson's minutes accordingly.
- In this video from CSNNW.com, Damian Lillard acknowledged that there are "multiple leaders" on the Trail Blazers when asked if he considered himself the leader of the team.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes about how the Spurs have been able to adapt to the league as their core players have gotten older.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times has taken notice of the Lakers' increased production from their second unit led by the emergence of Antawn Jamison.
- While Kelvin Sampson and several Rockets players offered their condolences to Kevin McHale after the tragic passing of his daughter during today's practice, Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets also took note that McHale had been constantly in touch with the team over the last several weeks to check on them and offer his guidance.
- Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld discusses the promise that Donatas Motiejunas has been showing in the with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and writes that Rockets GM Daryl Morey has to make a decision on whether or not the rookie big man is ready to be a contributor in Houston.
Southeast Links: Biyombo, Davis, Nene
- Although Magic forward Glen Davis has been known in years past to be a highly emotional player, A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com hones in on the leadership role that Davis has taken as a co-captain in Orlando and how the forward's experiences with the veteran-laden Celtics helped prepare him for this situation.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today says that while the Wizards have been winless, Nene's return is expected to help steer the team's ship in the right direction.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel thinks that Magic rookies Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson should keep their roles once Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu are healthy enough to return from injury. Harkless has been averaging 16.2 MPG, while Nicholson has been averaging 13 MPG this season.
Odds & Ends: Rubio, Noah, Tucker
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune recently reported that Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio is scheduled to visit with his surgeon on Monday and hopes to be cleared for contact practice by the time the team concludes its road trip on Wednesday night. While GM David Kahn hasn't put a timetable on Rubio's return, Zgoda writes that it doesn't appear too far off based on the vigorous workouts he's seen the young guard participate in recently. Earlier this month, owner Glen Taylor said he expected Rubio to be cleared by mid-December. With that aside, here is where you'll find more of tonight's odds and ends:
- Leandro Barbosa has thrived as a scorer for the Celtics in limited minutes, says A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSNNE.com.
- Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago takes a look at how Joakim Noah's numbers currently stack up against the Eastern Conference's most productive centers at this point. Without a doubt though, Powers writes, Noah is having his best season yet since being drafted by the Bulls in 2007.
- Paul Coro of AZ Central calls P.J. Tucker the Suns' best find since Goran Dragic. With defenses helping off in addition to two straight games with double figure scoring (11 and 15 points respectively), Tucker has begun to shed the label that he's an offensive liability.
- Keith Schlosser or Ridiculous Upside says that Troy Hudson can use his opportunity in the D-League to garner attention from NBA teams the same way Mike James did last year to earn an opportunity with the Bulls.
- Jon Marks of Sheridan Hoops examines how Kevin Martin has seamlessly accepted his role as a complementary player on a Thunder team which Martin believes is on a "championship level."