Central Links: Bulls, Cavs, McMillan
The Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson spent some time with Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau today, and the coach provided him some insights into the the team's offseason plans–including the signing of the Bucks' Mike Dunleavy.
Of Dunleavy, Thibs said that he complements Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer "extremely well," and "he moves well with the ball. We think he's a great fit" (Twitter link). Speaking of Rose, whom Thibodeau gushed about last month, the Bulls coach continued to praise his star's progress to Johnson via Twitter. According to Thibs, the summer has given Rose even more time to build his confidence and his leg strength, finally adding "He looks great."
Johnson's conversation with Thibodeau failed to touch on the relationship between Bulls general manager Gar Forman (Twitter link) and former assistant Ron Adams, who the Celtics may be looking to add to their bench.
Here's what else is happening around the Central division tonight…
- Racine Journal Times columnist Gery Woelfel relays the same Thibodeau thoughts on Dunleavy and adds, via Twitter, that the Bulls got a strong endorsement for Dunleavy from his former college coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
- The Cavs appeared to have an excess of front court players after drafting Anthony Bennett with the number one pick and signing Andrew Bynum. That's the roster question the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer answers in her Saturday night mailbag.
- Cavs GM Chris Grant says he's been high on free agent signee Jarrett Jack ever since the guard came out of college. That's when Grant, then a member of the Hawks’ front office, was part of an unsuccessful effort to trade up to select Jack. Bob Finnan of the News-Herald provides details via Sulia.
- Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines that the Cavs’ recent draft picks and free agent signings allow them more flexibility and options.
- Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star suggests the Pacers’ biggest off-season move may have been hiring Nate McMillan as an assistant coach.
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Mavs, Asik, Lin
The Rockets made a big splash signing Dwight Howard this summer, but now they're left to figure out what to do with Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, who they offered as part of a sign-and-trade for Josh Smith before he signed with the Pistons.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that Asik and Lin are "going to be here.” Morey has repeatedly said he doesn't want to move Lin and Asik, but he gave a more detailed reason why to Feigen today:
"The reality is James (Harden) and Dwight (Howard) want to play with Jeremy and Omer,” Morey stated. “I’ve been kicked down to assistant GM. They’re going to be here."
Here's more on the Rockets including an update on Asik's summer plans and updates from the Mavericks…
- Feigen also tweets that Asik is in Turkey for national team workouts and will not be with the Rockets for at least a month. He also answers a cap question, via Twitter, that the Rockets have the smaller "room" exception, instead of the full MLE.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Knicks don’t think they’re getting Brandan Wright because he’s close to re-signing with the Mavericks.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks are nearing a deal for free agent big man Samuel Dalembert.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Odom, Kings
Metta World Peace was officially amnestied by the Lakers on Thursday, and remains on amnesty waivers, rather than regular waivers–instead of claiming his entire salary, teams can now place partial bids for his services, with the highest bid winning out. Here's the full explanation of the amnesty provision, and this year's amnesty primer.
Doug Davis, one of a pair of agents for the former Ron Artest, suggested that his client's assertion that he may leave the NBA should be taken with a grain of salt, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. World Peace doesn't want to uproot his family, so the Clippers appear to be his first choice among NBA teams, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is "on alert" in case World Peace clears amnesty waivers.
"There’s a number of definitely positive things about New York," Davis said. "Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to assess them [Sunday] after he clears waivers. It’s a very tense time, this 48-hour period. We want him to be in control of his own destiny."
Here's what else is happening around the Pacific Division on this Saturday in the midst of amnesty week:
- The Clippers continue to eye free agent big men Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison, but sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the team is taking it slow as it determines the best fit (Twitter link).
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times examines whether the Lakers should attempt to avoid paying the luxury tax this season.
- The Kings have renounced their rights to Toney Douglas, who already has an agreement in place with the Warriors, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Kings also renounced their rights to Cole Aldrich.
- And the Kings officially announced in a press release that rookie Ben McLemore had been signed: "The Sacramento Kings today signed first-round draft pick Ben McLemore to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Sacramento selected McLemore with the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed."
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Jeff Teague Signs Offer Sheet With Bucks
SATURDAY, 4:27pm: Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times is hearing continued chatter that the Hawks won't match the offer sheet (Twitter link). The deadline is tonight.
WEDNESDAY, 11:37pm: It appears the Bucks need only to renounce their rights to Joel Przybilla to fit Teague's offer sheet under the cap, Stein tweets. If Teague has already signed the offer sheet, I'd presume the they've already renounced Przybilla, but we'll see if that's the case.
11:18pm: Teague has signed the offer sheet, Wojnarowski and fellow Yahoo! Sports scribe Marc J. Spears report.
10:32pm: Jeff Teague is set to sign a four-year, $32MM offer sheet with the Bucks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Once he signs and the Hawks are notified, Atlanta will have three days to match the offer. The teams appeared to be pursuing sign-and-trade options, but once Teague puts pen to paper on the offer sheet, that option will disappear.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the Bucks were preparing the offer sheet, and he wondered if that was a tactic designed to spur sign-and-trade negotiations. Either way, it appears the Hawks aren't willing to play along. The Bucks may have to make some maneuvers before Teague can sign the offer sheet, particularly since the team is about to absorb Luke Ridnour's $4.32MM salary via trade. Grantland's Zach Lowe pointed out earlier that the team would likely have to clear some space, pointing to a Drew Gooden amnesty as a possibility. Renouncing the rights to Brandon Jennings could also do the trick, and with Teague, Ridnour and O.J. Mayo set to join the backcourt, I wouldn't be surprised if letting go of Jennings is the way Milwaukee goes. The team has already renounced its rights to Monta Ellis.
Teague will presumably sign the offer sheet Thursday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, leaving little time for the Bucks to make corresponding moves. The danger in letting go of Jennings and Ellis would be the possibility that Atlanta would match the offer sheet, although sources told Lowe that the Hawks have little regard for Teague. The point guard's camp was reportedly growing frustrated by Atlanta's lack of meaningful negotiation.
The ASM Sports client's numbers have gone up across the board in each year since his rookie campaign, and last year he put up 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game with a 16.8 PER. Despite his steady improvement, it looks like he'll fall short of the money many of his peers from the 2009 draft class landed in long-term extensions last fall.
Nuggets Among Teams Eyeing Nate Robinson
4:21pm: The Wizards, Bucks, Mavericks and Lakers have also shown interest in Robinson, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The Lakers and Mavs have signed a few other guards in recent days, prompting Kennedy to wonder if they're still in on Robinson (Twitter link).
2:33pm: The Nuggets are letting it be known that they have "certifiable interest" in Nate Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Robinson, who spent last season on a minimum-salary contract with the Bulls, has been linked to the Knicks, Wolves, Pacers at various points this month. The Bulls, under financial constraints, offered him another minimum-salary deal to return, but it seems clear that won't be happening. Coach Tom Thibodeau would have reservations about bringing him back anyway, as Stein notes in a second tweet.
The explosive 5'9" guard had moments of brilliance in the postseason, scoring 34 points in a game against the Nets, but showed his inconsistency as well, delivering a scoreless, 0-for-12 performance in Game Four of Chicago's series with the Heat. Still, when I examined his free agent stock, I thought the Aaron Goodwin client would merit an annual salary in the range of the the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception.
Denver let go of Andre Iguodala this summer, but with J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye coming aboard, the team still figures to be capped out. That means the team could offer Robinson a part of the larger non-taxpayer's mid-level, though with the Bulls, Knicks and Pacers probably out of the running and limited chatter about the Wolves or other suitors, it could be that the Nuggets wind up with Robinson for little more than the minimum salary. They'd still need to use either the mid-level or the biannual exception to give him that, but they'd preserve flexibility for another addition.
Robinson, a 40.5% three-point shooter last season, would add long-distance shooting to a Denver team that missed that element in 2012/13. He can play either guard position, but his lack of height could be a problem against taller shooting guards, so the team's interest in him lends further credence to the idea that backup point guard Andre Miller is on the trading block.
Kings Sign Ben McLemore
The Kings have signed Ben McLemore, having tweeted a picture of the No. 7 pick putting pen to paper on his rookie-scale contract. He's in line for a first-year salary close to $2.9MM, as our salary chart for first-round picks shows. That would be the standard 120% of his rookie-scale amount.
McLemore was a strong candidate to go as high as No. 2 much of this spring, and seemed to be in the mix for the No. 1 pick within 10 days of the draft. He slipped to Sacramento at No. 7, and it appears the Kings have big plans for him, having parted ways with Tyreke Evans, the incumbent starter at his position.
The shooting guard from Kansas selected Rodney Blackstock as an agent, and controversy surrounded McLemore's camp as the draft approached. McLemore has also shown inconsistency on the court, as Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors pointed out when he examined the two-guard's prospect profile. Still, as a shooter who draws comparisons to Ray Allen and Bradley Beal, there's plenty of upside.
Nuggets Hire Arturas Karnisovas As Assistant GM
The Nuggets have reached an agreement with Rockets director of player personnel Arturas Karnisovas to bring him aboard as assistant GM in Denver, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Karnisovas will join new GM Tim Connelly with the Nuggets, who've overhauled their front office this summer. The Rockets, too, are enduring changes, having already lost executive vice president Sam Hinkie to the Sixers, where he's the new GM.
Karnisovas joined the Rockets as an international scout in 2008 after a playing career that gave him insight on the landscape in North America as well as overseas. The Lithuanian played collegiately for P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall before embarking on a professional career that saw him reach the Euroleague Final Four on three occasions.
The Nuggets lost GM Masai Ujiri to the Raptors this spring, while Pete D'Alessandro, Ujiri's top aide, became the new GM of the Kings. The team also replaced coach George Karl with Pacers assistant Brian Shaw.
Roundup Of International ‘Draft-And-Stash’ Players
The Nets were close to bringing 2011 second-round draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic aboard this summer, but their deal fell through. Still, it seems Bogdanovic is destined to arrive in the NBA at some point, unlike many players like him. The Magic took Spain's Fran Vazquez 10th overall in 2005, at the height of the boom in international draftees. Vazquez hasn't played a minute in the NBA, and the Magic's use of a lottery pick on him represents perhaps the most prominent and unsuccessful example of the so-called "draft-and-stash" strategy in NBA history.
The decision to draft a player from overseas and allow him to develop outside the NBA doesn't always bear fruit, but sometimes teams come away with a gem. That's what happened to the Spurs when they took Manu Ginobili with the next-to-last pick in the 1999 draft and let him play elsewhere for three years. Three championships, two All-Star Games and a Sixth Man of the Year award later, the arrangement appears to have worked out just fine for San Antonio.
Often, teams trade their rights to those "draft-and-stash" players, and sometimes those prospects are sent in lieu of future draft picks to clubs unwilling to take on salary as part of the exchange. That happened at the trade deadline this year, when the Grizzlies sent Ricky Sanchez to the Heat. Teams continue to deal their draft rights to overseas players, with Kostas Papanikolaou heading from the Blazers to the Rockets, and Houston sending Furkan Aldemir to the Sixers in deals that were finalized this week.
NBA teams can keep the draft rights to players in perpetuity, and some prospects who were drafted more than a decade ago still remain tied to NBA teams despite never having played stateside. It's possible that one of those long-unsigned draftees will eventually make it to the NBA, but it certainly doesn't seem likely for anyone taken before 2005, when the the Magic spent a lottery pick on Vazquez. So, we'll use 2005 as the cutoff point on our list of "draft-and-stash" players to whom teams hold rights. They're listed by team, with details on how their NBA clubs acquired their rights, as well as their whereabouts during the 2012/13 season.
76ers
- Furkan Aldemir: Drafted 53rd by the Clippers in 2012; traded to the Rockets on June 29th, 2012. Sixers have an agreement in place to acquire him from the Rockets. Spent 2012/13 with Galatasaray in Turkey.
Bobcats
- None
Bucks
- None
Bulls
- Vladimir Veremeenko: Drafted 48th by the Wizards in 2006; traded to the Bulls on July 8th, 2010. Spent 2012/13 with UNICS Kazan in Russia.
- Nikola Mirotic: Drafted 23rd by the Rockets in 2011; traded to the Timberwolves on June 24th, 2011; traded to the Bulls on June 24th, 2011. Spent 2012/13 with Real Madrid in Spain.
Cavaliers
- Ejike Ugboaja: Drafted 55th by the Cavaliers in 2006. Spent 2012/13 with Juventus in Lithuania.
- Milan Macvan: Drafted 54th by the Cavaliers in 2011. Spent 2012/13 with Galatasaray in Turkey.
Celtics
- None
Clippers
- None
Grizzlies
- None
Hawks
- Cenk Akyol: Drafted 59th by the Hawks in 2005. Spent 2012/13 with Galatasaray in Turkey.
- Sergiy Gladyr: Drafted 49th by the Hawks in 2009. Spent 2012/13 with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in Spain.
Heat
- Ricky Sanchez: Drafted 35th by the Trail Blazers in 2005; traded to the Nuggets on June 28th, 2005; traded to the Sixers on September 10th, 2007; traded to the Grizzlies on March 15th, 2012; traded to the Heat on February 21st, 2013. Split 2012/13 between Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico and Libertad in Argentina.
Jazz
- Ante Tomic: Drafted 44th by the Jazz in 2008. Spent 2012/13 with FC Barcelona Regal in Spain.
Kings
- None
Knicks
- None
Lakers
- None
Magic
- Fran Vazquez: Drafted 11th by the Magic in 2005. Spent 2012/13 with Unicaja Malaga in Spain.
- Milovan Rakovic: Drafted 60th by the Mavericks in 2007; traded to the Magic on June 28th, 2007. Spent 2012/13 with Bilbao Basket in Spain.
Mavericks
- Petteri Koponen: Drafted 30th by the Sixers in 2007; traded to the Trail Blazers on June 28th, 2007; traded to the Mavericks on June 23rd, 2011. Spent 2012/13 with Khimki BC.
- Renaldas Seibutis: Drafted 50th by the Mavericks in 2007. Spent 2012/13 with Lietuvos Rytas.
- Tadija Dragicevic: Drafted 53rd by the Jazz in 2008; traded to the Mavericks on June 29th, 2012. Spent 2012/13 with Azovmash Mariupol in Ukraine.
Nets
- Bojan Bogdanovic: Drafted 31st by the Heat in 2011; traded to the Timberwolves on June 24th, 2011; traded to the Nets on June 24th, 2011. Spent 2012/13 with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey.
- Ilkan Karaman: Drafted 57th by the Nets in 2012. Spent 2012/13 with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey.
Nuggets
- Chukwudiebere Maduabum: Drafted 56th by the Lakers in 2011; traded to the Nuggets on June 23rd, 2011. Did not play in 2012/13.
- Izzet Turkyilmaz: Drafted 50th by the Nuggets in 2012. Spent 2012/13 with Banvitspor in Turkey.
Pacers
- Stanko Barac: Drafted 39th by the Heat in 2007; traded to the Pacers on June 28th, 2007. Spent 2012/13 with Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
Pelicans
- Edin Bavcic: Drafted 56th by the Raptors in 2006; traded to the Sixers on June 28th, 2006; traded to the Pelicans on July 11th, 2012. Split 2012/13 between KAOD-BC in Greece and CSP Limoges in France.
Pistons
- None
Raptors
- Tomislav Zubcic: Drafted 56th by the Raptors in 2012. Split 2012/13 between Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania and KK Cibona in Croatia.
Rockets
- Axel Hervelle: Drafted 52nd by the Nuggets in 2005; traded to the Rockets on September 22nd, 2009. Spent 2012/13 with Bilbao Basket in Spain.
- Brad Newley: Drafted 54th by the Rockets in 2007. Spent 2012/13 with CB Gran Canaria in Spain.
- Sergio Llull: Drafted 34th by the Nuggets in 2009; traded to the Rockets on June 25th, 2009. Spent 2012/13 with Real Madrid in Spain.
- Kostas Papanikolaou: Drafted 48th by the Knicks in 2012; traded to the Trail Blazers on July 16th, 2012; traded to the Rockets on July 10th, 2013. Spent 2012/13 with Olympiacos in Greece.
Spurs
- Erazem Lorbek: Drafted 46th by the Pacers in 2005; traded to the Spurs on June 23rd, 2011. Spent 2012/13 with FC Barcelona Regal in Spain.
- Ryan Richards: Drafted 49th by the Spurs in 2010. Split 2012/13 between BC Vienna in Austria and Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland.
- Davis Bertans: Drafted 42nd by the Pacers in 2011; traded to the Spurs on June 23rd, 2011. Spent 2012/13 with KK Partizan in Serbia.
- Adam Hanga: Drafted 59th by the Spurs in 2011. Spent 2012/13 with Assignia Manresa in Spain.
Suns
- None
Thunder
- Yotam Halperin: Drafted 53rd by the then-SuperSonics in 2006. Spent 2012/13 with FC Bayern Muenchen in Germany.
- Giorgos Printezis: Drafted 58th by the Spurs in 2007; traded to the Raptors on June 28th, 2007; traded to the Mavericks on January 4th, 2011; traded to the Knicks on December 10th, 2011; traded to the Thunder on February 21st, 2013. Spent 2012/13 with Olympiacos in Greece.
- Tibor Pleiss: Drafted 31st by the Nets in 2010; traded to the Hawks on June 24th, 2010; traded to the Thunder on June 24th, 2010. Spent 2012/13 with Caja Laboral in Spain.
Timberwolves
- Loukas Mavrokefalidis: Drafted 57th by the Timberwolves in 2006. Split 2012/13 between Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia and FC Barcelona Regal in Spain.
- Lior Eliyahu: Drafted 44th by the Hawks in 2006; traded to the Rockets on June 28th, 2006; traded to the Timberwolves on June 26th, 2012. Spent 2012/13 with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
- Henk Norel: Drafted 47th by the Timberwolves in 2009. Spent 2012/13 with CAI Zaragoza in Spain.
- Nemanja Bjelica: Drafted 35th by the Wizards in 2010; traded to the Timberwolves on June 24, 2010. Spent 2012/13 with Caja Laboral in Spain.
- Paulao Prestes: Drafted 45th by the Timberwolves in 2010. Split 2012/13 between Uniceub-BRB-Brasilia in Brazil and CB Gran Canaria in Spain.
- Tanguy Ngombo: Drafted 57th by the Mavericks in 2011; traded to the Trail Blazers on June 23rd, 2011; traded to the Timberwolves on June 27th, 2011. Did not play in 2012/13.
Trail Blazers
- None
Warriors
- Ognjen Kuzmic: Drafted 52nd by the Warriors in 2012. Spent 2012/13 with FIATC Mutua Joventut in Spain
Wizards
- Tomas Satoransky: Drafted 32nd by the Wizards in 2012. Spent 2012/13 with Cajasol Banca Civica in Spain.
- Emir Preldzic: Drafted 57th by the Suns in 2009; traded to the Cavaliers on June 26th, 2009; traded to the Wizards on February 17th, 2010. Spent 2012/13 with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey.
RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.
Rockets Finalize Deal With Dwight Howard
The Rockets made it official this afternoon, introducing Dwight Howard at a press conference and releasing a statement on their four-year maximum-salary deal with the big man. The move brings an end to nearly two years of questions about the future seven-time All-Star, who pushed for a trade from the Magic in 2012 and wound up quickly souring on his brief tenure with the Lakers. Throughout the process, Howard often appeared indecisive, and his back-and-forth on the night he made he decision to sign with Houston provided a fitting coda to the affair.
The contract is worth a total of $87,591,270 through 2016/17, more than $30MM less than Howard could have earned in a new deal with the Lakers, though the lack of a state income tax in Texas offsets that difference. The pact includes an option for the final season that will give Howard the choice of leaving in the summer of 2016. Agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports was Howard's primary representative as they picked the Rockets over the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks and Hawks, the other four finalists in the mix for the most sought-after free agent of 2013.
"Dwight is the biggest free agent acquisition in the history of the Rockets," owner Leslie Alexander said as part of the team's statement. "His addition puts us in contention. This is good for the city and especially the fans. Fans are going to have a great time this year. This team will be tremendous fun to watch."
Howard's deal is the second maximum contract on the Rockets payroll, with James Harden's five-year extension kicking in this coming season. Together they'll make $34,214,428 this coming season, or about 58.3% of the salary cap. Still, the team appears to be in the hunt for a third star, reportedly dangling Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in an effort to sign-and-trade for Josh Smith before he wound up with the Pistons. Morey has insisted he's not interested in letting them go, reiterating that point to reporters today (Twitter link). In any case, the Rockets will be building around Howard and Harden in the years to come.
Rockets Waive James Anderson, Tim Ohlbrecht
Rockets GM Daryl Morey confirms that the team has waived James Anderson and Tim Ohlbrecht, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team also renounced its rights to Francisco Garcia and Earl Boykins, Feigen notes via Twitter, but that's just a procedural move in Garcia's case. Renouncing Garcia's $9.15MM cap hold clears space necessary for the Rockets to finalize their other moves this summer before they officially re-sign Garcia to the cheaper two-year, $2.6MM deal they've agreed upon.
Anderson and Ohlbrecht were each about to enter the second year of a three-year minimum-salary deal with the Rockets, but the final two seasons were non-guaranteed for both players, so Houston clears them completely off its books. Anderson was the 20th overall pick in the 2010 draft, but the Spurs declined to pick up the third-year option on his rookie-scale contract, making him a free agent last summer. He spent training camp with the Hawks, re-signed with the Spurs early in the season, and wound up with the Rockets in January after San Antonio let him go. Ohlbrecht was undrafted out of Germany, but Houston picked him up in February in the hopes that the 6'11" center could develop into a frontcourt contributor. Neither he nor Anderson played an integral role for the Rockets this past season.
The Rockets declined their $6.4MM team option on Garcia last month, but the team was still stuck with his hefty cap hold until renouncing his rights today. The team could have made that cap hold disappear simply by formalizing the agreement on Garcia's new contract, but perhaps the club intends to use its cap room to bring aboard Dwight Howard and the rest of its free agent bounty first, and squeeze Garcia's deal in using part of the $2.652MM room exception. The $884,293 cap hold for Boykins, who didn't play in the NBA in 2012/13, was simply a placeholder, so it's no surprise the Rockets renounced him.