Eastern Notes: Monroe, Knicks, White, Heat
Let's round up a few Wednesday morning items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Pistons big man Greg Monroe tells Ben Golliver of SI.com that any trade speculation or rumors involving him are "foolish."
- Mark Deeks' latest update of Knicks salaries for ShamSports.com includes two interesting notes on J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni. The Knicks will pay Smith half of his salary for this season by November 15th (Twitter links), while Prigioni's third season contains some complicated provisions that could affect the level of guarantee. To check out the full details, hover over Prigioni's name on the ShamSports.com page.
- In addition to having the ability to veto trades, Nazr Mohammed also received a 15% trade kicker on his new deal with the Bulls, tweets Deeks.
- The Sixers have yet to establish a plan to deal with Royce White's fear of flying, GM Sam Hinkie told reporters, including Jason Wolf of USA Today. Philadelphia will have to decide this offseason whether to exercise White's 2014/15 option, so if the team turns down that option, the 2012 first-round pick will become an expiring contract.
- After being released by the Pistons two weeks ago, Kim English is seeking a new NBA deal, and tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that "three or four teams" are showing interest.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explores the possibility of the Heat signing Greg Oden, Marcus Camby, or Mo Williams.
Hawks Expected To Sign Pero Antic
The Hawks have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Macedonian big man Pero Antic, according to his agent Misko Raznatovic (hat tip to Sportando). Raznatovic tweets that his client will sign a deal with the Hawks that will be for one year, with a second-year option. It's not clear yet whether that will be a team or player option, though based on other contracts for international players, I'd guess the former.
Antic, who turns 30 next week, has helped lead Greek powerhouse Olympiacos to back-to-back Euroleague titles in 2012 and 2013. As Wendell Maxey writes at Ridiculous Upside, Antic will bring to Atlanta toughness in the paint and a resume that also includes championships in Serbia, Russia, and Bulgaria.
In 31 Euroleague contests in 2012/13, Antic averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 17.5 minutes of action. He also hoisted up plenty of three-pointers, making about one per game, albeit only at a 26.1% rate.
The Hawks still appear to have some room below the salary cap, so Antic could be in line for more than the minimum salary. Terms of his deal aren't known yet, however.
Odds & Ends: Flopping, Neal, Blazers, Faverani
NBA commissioner David Stern says the league's anti-flopping rules were working well and the competition committee recommended no changes to them, but not everyone is on board. The NBPA is now seeking an arbitration hearing on the matter, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. "We are now in the process of scheduling a case with our arbitrator to determine whether the NBA is allowed to unilaterally impose discipline in an area that exceeds the commissioner's authority without the consent of the union," NBPA interim executive director Ron Klempner said. "It's a subject they need to bargain with us, and we hope that the arbitrator will find that any type of discipline must be collectively bargained." Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Gary Neal wouldn't be an option for the Bobcats without a sign-and-trade with the Spurs, but that scenario hasn't been discussed yet, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com questions whether the amnesty clause and more punitive luxury-tax penalties have really helped level the NBA playing field.
- Mike Tokito of The Oregonian spoke with ex-teammates of new Blazers additions Robin Lopez, Thomas Robinson, Dorell Wright, and Earl Watson.
- The Celtics used $2MM of their mid-level exception on Vitor Faverani and now have $3.15MM left, tweets Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. The Brazilian big man agreed to a two-year, $6.3MM deal that became official yesterday.
Marcus Smart To Enter 2014 Draft
Oklahoma State standout Marcus Smart says that he will enter the 2014 Draft and unlike this year's go-round, he intends to stay in it, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Smart was in the mix for the No. 1 pick in last month's draft, but decided to return for his sophomore season.
The 19-year-old, who averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists during his freshman season, added that he has told athletic department officials that he plans to go to the NBA after this coming season.
"It's safe to say that if, by the grace of God I'm healthy and everything, this will be my last year at Oklahoma State," Smart said. "Nothing will change my mind on that. [Oklahoma State] understands. They didn't figure I was coming back this year. They were just as surprised as everyone else."
While Smart had a shot at being the top pick in this year's shallow draft, he won't be the No. 1 selection in next year's class which will feature Canadian super-prospect Andrew Wiggins, among others. DraftExpress' 2014 mock draft has Smart going No. 5 behind Wiggins, Julius Randle,Dante Exum, and Aaron Gordon.
Poll: Will The Rockets Go To The Finals?
The Rockets are coming off of their biggest offseason in franchise history, headlined by the addition of the summer's No. 1 (or 1A/B) free agent. There's little doubt that the Rockets are poised to take a giant leap forward in 2013/14, but as we learned last season at Dwight Howard's last stop, nothing is guaranteed. But as far as standout small forward Chandler Parsons is concerned, the addition of Howard makes the club "immediate contenders", writes Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld.
“He’s the best center in the NBA, so he’s going to help our defense greatly,” Parsons said of Howard. “And on the other end, just being able to throw the ball into the post to a guy that can create double-teams and get to the line, it’s huge for our offense.”
While the Rockets had to do some amount of roster shuffling and lost promising forward Thomas Robinson and veteran Carlos Delfino in the process, Houston still has a great deal of depth to support their souped up starting five. As much as Omer Asik may hate the idea of getting bumped, he stands as one of the league's best frontcourt players off of the bench. And while the club explored landing a third star like Josh Smith to put alongside Howard and James Harden, one could argue that they already have one in the making in Parsons.
Parsons says that the Rockets are ready to contend right away, but we want to know if the readers of Hoops Rumors see them reaching the Finals right off of the bat.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Miller, Rockets, Grizzlies
Monta Ellis may not be the prized free agent that Mavericks fans wanted this summer, but he already has a spot in club history, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “Possibly the fastest player ever to wear a Mavs uniform,” coach Rick Carlisle said via text message. “Scores, makes plays and is great in transition. We consider him a unique talent and look forward to integrating him into our team.” Here’s more out of the Southwest..
- The Rockets are inching up towards the Grizzlies and Thunder in the Mike Miller sweepstakes, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Brandan Wright decided to re-sign in Dallas in part because he wants to keep up the momentum that he has built with the Mavs, MacMahon writes. Wright will return to the Mavs on a two-year, $10MM deal that could pay an additional $1.1MM in incentives.
- Chandler Parsons is confident that the Rockets can contend after adding Dwight Howard in the middle and believes that the team is a perfect fit for the big man, writes Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld.
- Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is working hard to recruit Miller to Memphis and he went so far as to call the veteran and offer “golf on [him] every day”, tweets Stein.
Greg Oden Decision Expected Next Week
6:44pm: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro, and representatives from the Pelicans watched Oden workout today, sources close to the situation told Jeff Goodman and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Oden will put his skills on display again Thursday for Hawks officials before a private meeting with the Pelicans later this week in Las Vegas. One source close to the process told the ESPN.com duo that teams in the Oden hunt are still in the information-gathering stage and no offer has been made yet.
4:14pm: Greg Oden is expected to make a decision next week on where he'll sign for the coming season, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears (via Twitter), the former first overall pick will be choosing from a list of suitors that includes the Heat, Spurs, Pelicans, Kings, Mavericks, and Hawks.
Oden was said to be working out today for a group of teams, including the Pelicans, Kings, and Heat. New Orleans' interest in Oden has seemingly ramped up lately, as multiple reports have indicated the team plans to make him an offer in the $3MM range. It appears as if the Pelicans are out of cap room, so perhaps the offer would be for the $2.65MM room exception, which could be used to hand out about $5.42MM over two years.
Despite the Pelicans' interest, reports continue to suggest that the Heat and Spurs remain the frontrunners for Oden. San Antonio has already used its mid-level exception, and doesn't have its bi-annual exception available this summer, so anything more than a minimum-salary offer is unlikely. Miami, on the other hand, could offer part or all of its taxpayer mid-level exception.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Odom, Lakers, Clippers
DeMarcus Cousins hasn't had the smoothest tenure in Sacramento, but it sounds as though the Kings big man could be turning over a new leaf with the club. The big man told reporters yesterday that the new regime, headed by GM Pete D'Alessandro, is now asking for his input on potential free agents, something that the team never did with him before. We've been hearing talk about Boogie plying his craft elsewhere for quite some time, but he might just have things worked out with the new-look organization. Here's more out of the Pacfiic Division..
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links) heard that free agent Lamar Odom had a productive conversation with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak which could be the first step towards repairing that relationship. There hasn't been any word recently, however, but the Lakers and Clippers remain interested.
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times wonders if the Sixers could help the Lakers get out from under their luxury tax problems. If Philly doesn't have grand plans for their considerable amount of cap space, they could be convinced to take Steve Blake ($4MM) and Jordan Hill ($3.5MM) if they are given enough draft considerations and cash to make it worthwhile.
- Earlier today we learned that Greg Oden is set to make up his mind next week and he'll be choosing from a list of suitors that includes the Kings.
Warriors Sign Jermaine O’Neal
JULY 23RD: The Warriors have officially signed O'Neal, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 9TH: Free agent big man Jermaine O'Neal will sign with the Warriors on a one-year deal, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (Twitter links). We had heard over the weekend that Golden State had interest in the Arn Tellem client, and that he was expected to make a decision soon.
The agreement with O'Neal is the latest move in a busy week for the Warriors. In addition to coming to terms with O'Neal, Golden State agreed to sign Andre Iguodala, Toney Douglas, and Marreese Speights, and will send $24MM+ in expiring contracts to the Jazz.
According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter), O'Neal's contract will be worth $2MM, which exceeds the minimum salary for a veteran with his experience. That means Golden State will either be signing O'Neal using the bi-annual exception or part of the mid-level exception. A sign-and-trade is also a possibility, but appears much less likely.
O'Neal, 34, has had problems staying on the court throughout his NBA career, but was productive in the games he played for the Suns last year. In 55 contests (18.7 MPG), O'Neal averaged 8.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG to go along with a 16.7 PER.
Eastern Notes: Irving, Bulls, 76ers, Wall, Heat
Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas, including Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, Kyrie Irving was dismissive of a recent report suggesting he wants out of Cleveland.
"I’m a Cavalier right now, I’m happy to be a Cavalier," Irving said. "I kind of had a sarcastic approach to [the report] because it was a rumor starter. I don’t think he knows anybody in my camp and I don’t know who the guy is. That type of stuff I don’t pay any attention to. Right now I’m a Cleveland Cavalier and I’m happy to be here."
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Malcolm Thomas' release doesn't necessarily mean the Bulls are clearing room to sign Marcus Camby, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie confirmed to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com (Twitter link) that the first-round pick the team will receive from the Pelicans is top-five protected over the next six drafts, starting in 2014.
- John Wall confirmed to Shams Charania of RealGM.com that his reps and the Wizards have begun discussions on a contract extension, but Wall says he doesn't plan to get too involved in those talks.
- After passing along a few Joe Dumars quotes on the amnesty provision and his team's offseason yesterday, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press has a few more items from the Pistons GM on Rasheed Wallace's new gig as a coach, and the trade that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver five years ago.
- The Magic signed Jason Maxiell in part so he can act as a mentor and leader for the team's younger players, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Ira Winderman's latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel includes questions on a potential Joel Anthony trade and the possibility of the Heat signing Greg Oden. Winderman adds (via Twitter) that Miami was among the teams in attendance at Oden's workout today.