Odds & Ends: Rush, Salaries, Green, Draft
Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! There may be no NBA games scheduled for tonight, but that doesn't mean our coverage will take a break, so thanks for reading. Here are a few odds and ends from a quiet Thursday in the NBA:
- Brandon Rush, who tore his ACL and MCL in the season's second game and figures to undergo surgery in December, spoke to Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times about the injury and his player option for next season. "I was just trying to play the season out first," Rush said. "If we were going to win and make it to the playoffs, that was going to help out a lot during free agency next year — if I was to decline the option."
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld checks in on the salary cap situations for each of the NBA's 30 teams.
- After a year in which he underwent successful heart surgery and later signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Celtics, Jeff Green is "thankful for everything," as he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops submits his early choices for 2013's top 10 draft prospects, with UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad leading the way.
Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Draft, Mavs, Anderson
It's one of the busiest nights of the year on the hardwood in the Association, with a slate of 14 games before the league takes a one-day hiatus for Thanksgiving. There's plenty of off-court news as well, and we've got that covered here.
- Mike D'Antoni will keep all the existing Lakers assistant coaches through the season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. It looks like D'Antoni won't hire Nate McMillan, as he indicated he would do, Shelburne adds.
- Nuggets coach George Karl believes the Wolves' signing of Andrei Kirilenko was a smart move, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune notes.
- Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com breaks down the top 10 draft prospects from this week's Legends Classic tournament.
- Dirk Nowitzki hopes when he comes back that he and O.J. Mayo can develop the same rhythm he had with Jason Terry, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
- James Anderson, brought back by the Spurs today, wants to copy Danny Green's ability to take advantage of a second chance, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News documents.
- Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com checks in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as the pair tries to answer questions about their ability to play together for the Bucks.
- Sean Williams, who was waived by the Rockets over the summer, lasted just one preseason game with the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese league after signing this week, tweets Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall, who translated a Weibo report. The team picked up Shavlik Randolph, a Wizards training-camp invitee this year, to replace him.
Draft Updates: McAdoo, Poythress, Noel
When we unveiled our 2012/13 reverse standings feature last week, a way to track the tentative 2013 NBA draft order, we noted that it was still way too early for most fans to be thinking about the draft. Of course, when you're ESPN.com's Chad Ford or another draft scribe, there's no such thing as "too early." Here's the latest from Ford and others on this year's draft class:
- Reviews for UNC's James Michael McAdoo at the Maui Invitational were poor, with one GM telling Ford: "He looks good in a basketball uniform. But after that, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to like. He’s a pretty good athlete, but he isn’t very skilled and he doesn’t go hard all the time. There’s not one thing he does that really stands out about his game. He certainly hasn’t played like a top-five pick."
- In addition to sharing his observations from the Maui Invitational, Ford fielded questions in a chat with readers this afternoon. Among the highlights: He views Alex Poythress of Kentucky as a darkhorse for the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, and isn't sure any of the top three prospects in this year's class would've cracked the top seven in the 2012 draft.
- Chris Mannix of SI.com spoke to a Western Conference GM, an Eastern Conference scout, and another pair of NBA execs to get their impressions on this year's group of Kentucky freshmen, which includes Poythress and Nerlens Noel.
- We also passed along a set of draft links yesterday.
Draft Notes: Muhammad, Porter, Maui Invitational
College basketball season is officially underway, which means that teams and fans are now starting to look ahead to the 2013 NBA Draft. Here are a few links rounding up the early action:
- Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski writes after UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad made his debut that it's too early to declare him the frontrunner to be the top pick.
- Wojnarowski also notes that teams aren't enamored with this year's crop of talent, and quotes one Western Conference executive as saying the team that receives the first pick could trade down.
- Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com was impressed with Georgetown freshman Otto Porter, saying he may be rising up draft boards after a breakout performance against UCLA.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford has a roundup of the Maui Invitational, and writes that the talent in the draft is leaving general managers wanting more.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Crawford, Heat, Cavaliers
As the Pistons and Wizards hit the road in search of their first wins of the season, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After his time with the Knicks came to an unexpected and disappointing end, Jeremy Lin is building a better relationship with the Rockets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes.
- When he was navigating free agency this summer, Jamal Crawford was advised to take his time and consider all his options. But, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Crawford had his eye on the Clippers from the start: "When I came here, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but they told me I was their first option at lunch. And I told them at the same lunch that they were my first option. My agent didn’t want me to say that, but I was just being honest and we made it happen."
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman fields questions on the possibility of the Heat signing Kenyon Martin and trading Mike Miller.
- If the Cavaliers hope to contend for the playoffs this season, they may need to trade for outside bench help at some point, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Yesterday's trade between the Bobcats and Hornets that sent Matt Carroll to New Orleans wasn't overlooked in Dallas by the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
- Within his NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene speaks to Ian Mahinmi about the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Mavericks to the Pacers.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com discussed the Lakers, Royce White, the 2013 draft, and plenty more in a chat with fans earlier this afternoon.
Tentative 2013 NBA Draft Order
Even for fans of the 0-8 Detroit Pistons, it's probably too early to start to thinking about next year's draft lottery. But for the sake of those draft-crazy Hoops Rumors readers who are already eyeing June 2013, we're bringing back a feature we introduced last season: Our tentative NBA draft order.
The list is based on this year's "reverse standings" and will be updated every morning for the rest of the season. Draft pick trades have been included via footnotes, and teams who are tied in the standings are marked with asterisks. A lottery team's odds to land the first overall pick are also included in the chart.
Besides the obvious fluctuations that are still to come in the standings, May's draft lottery also figures to shake things up a little at the top of the draft, but our tentative draft order represents how things will look next June 27th if everything holds to form. You can check out the up-to-date list anytime using the link under Hoops Rumors Features on the right sidebar.
Odds & Ends: Muhammad, Brown, Ferry, Jackson
The NCAA declared UCLA shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad ineligible for an unspecified number of games, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. The 6'6" Muhammad is rated the No. 1 draft prospect for 2013 by DraftExpress.com and others, but Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com doesn't think the ruling will affect his draft status, believing he'll be a top three pick regardless of whether he plays this season (Twitter link). Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty has a different reaction, saying via Twitter that the NBA's age limit, which kept him from entering the 2012 draft out of high school, is hurting Muhammad's career. While the NBA seems to be in Muhammad's future regardless, there's plenty more on people who are in the NBA right now, a group that no longer includes former Lakers coach Mike Brown.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders whether Hawks GM Danny Ferry could reunite with Brown, who served as Cavs coach when Ferry was Cleveland's GM (Twitter link).
- A return of Phil Jackson to the Lakers sideline could be a boon for Pau Gasol, but it wouldn't mean he couldn't be traded if the team wants to improve its footspeed, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register (Sulia link).
- Jazz forward Paul Millsap can't envision former coach Jerry Sloan with the Lakers, as Randy Hollis of the Deseret News observes.
- Dwight Howard, who wants the Lakers to hire Jackson, once asked the Magic to pursue the Zen Master, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- A pair of Western Conference teams are keeping tabs on Australian big man Aron Baynes, agent Daniel Moldovan told David Pick of Sportando.
- Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com breaks down the reasons behind each of the deadline extensions for players coming off rookie-scale contracts, concluding that the fear of bloated offer sheets motivated several GMs into the deals.
Odds & Ends: Harden, ’13 Draft, Nuggets, Hudson
As we prepare for a jam-packed night of NBA games, with all but four teams in action, let's round up a few of today's links that have fallen through the cracks until now….
- John Rohde of the Oklahoman calls out James Harden for comments he made to Yahoo! Sports about being disappointed that the Thunder only gave him an hour to consider their final extension offer.
- We're still about seven and a half months from 2013's NBA draft, but that didn't stop Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports from updating his board with his latest mock draft.
- Another draft guru, ESPN.com's Chad Ford, fielded readers' questions about college prospects and NBA storylines in a chat this afternoon.
- Losing three-point threats like Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and Rudy Fernandez could be one factor contributing to the Nuggets' poor start, writes John Hollinger in an Insider piece at ESPN.com.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside examines Troy Hudson's NBA comeback attempt, which sees the 36-year-old headed to camp with the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Odds & Ends: Green, Mohammed, Raptors, Magic
Let's check out a few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- So far this preseason, Jeff Green has been what the Celtics thought they were getting when they acquired him from the Thunder two years ago, says Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says offseason addition Nazr Mohammed came "highly recommended" and that he has lived up to expectations so far, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.
- According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Raptors have made an addition to their pro personnel department, hiring former Hawks assistant GM David Pendergraft, who played a large role in Atlanta's drafts under former GM Rick Sund.
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com wonders if the Magic's plans could be affected by whether or not the Thunder extend James Harden.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford identifies a few of his top prospects for 2013 draft that don't play at major-conference schools.
- Jamar Smith, who was cut from Celtics camp, is drawing interest from multiple clubs in Italy, according to a pair of articles from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Odds & Ends: McGrady, Curry, Spurs, Vujacic
The Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics are considered the most dangerous threats to the Heat this season, but ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh thinks he's put together the team most capable of knocking off the defending champs. In an Insider-only piece, Haberstroh puts together a squad of "Heat Beaters" that adheres to the NBA's salary cap rules by surrounding a pair of superstars (Chris Paul and Dwight Howard) with a number of players on rookie-scale deals, including Serge Ibaka, Taj Gibson, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard.
Here are a few other Thursday links from around the league:
- NBA commissioner David Stern and former teammate Shane Battier are among those applauding Tracy McGrady's decision to sign in China, according to Alastair Himmer of 560 WGAN.
- Though there's no real update on extension talks between Stephen Curry and the Warriors, both sides remain optimistic that a deal will be worked out by Halloween, says Sam Amick of SI.com (Sulia link). Amick adds that Curry's next contract is now being negotiated by Octagon's Jeff Austin after the point guard's previous agent, Lance Young, left Octagon.
- The battle for the Spurs' 15th roster spot is going down to the wire, according to Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News, who breaks down the four candidates for the opening. McCarney believes the Spurs' decision will come down to Eddy Curry and Josh Powell.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford names his top five 2013 draft prospects out of the Big 12.
- Sasha Vujacic says he'll consider returning to the NBA next summer, according to a Sport24.gr report (translation via HoopsHype).
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside previews the NBA D-League draft, which is set to take place on November 2nd.