Western Notes: Aldridge, Griffin, Williams, Grizzlies
In today's chat, Luke Adams gave the Warriors credit for an aggressive offseason, but also noted that they'll have a tough hill to climb given the competition in the West this season. In his view, the best case scenario for Golden State is to capture the third seed with the bottom being something resembling the Lakers' 2012/13 campaign – lots of injuries and fighting just to squeak into the playoffs. The Warriors' summer saw them add Andre Iguodala, Toney Douglas, Marreese Speights, and Jermaine O'Neal while sending $24MM+ in expiring contracts (Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush) to the Jazz. Here's more from the Western Conference..
- Blazers GM Neil Olshey explored the possibility of a LaMarcus Aldridge-for-Blake Griffin swap with the Clippers this summer, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. However, the talks didn't go anywhere. Olshey, of course, was the Clips' assistant GM when the team drafted Griffin. It's not surprising to hear that Olshey put out feelers for such a deal given the questions surrounding Aldridge's future in Portland.
- Free agent Mo Williams is flying in to meet with the Grizzlies' front office tonight, tweets Chris Vernon of 92.9 ESPN Radio. Late last week we learned that Memphis is the mix for the guard while the Heat are also keeping an eye on him.
- There are plenty of obstacles in the way of a positive return to the NBA for Pelicans target Greg Oden, but as one team official tracking Oden told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, one can't help but get excited about a big man who can move as well as he can. "He's not that far off microfracture [surgery]," a team executive said in regard to the former No. 1 overall pick. "He still has a way to go to getting his knee where it needs to be, but there are possibilities."
Kupchak On Howard, Kobe, 2014 Free Agents
Mitch Kupchak has kept relatively mum this summer, but he agreed to have an in-depth chat on his extremely eventful offseason with Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The conversation covered the loss of Dwight Howard, using the amnesty provision on Metta World Peace, and the additions the club has made to try and fill the void as best they can. Here's a look at some of the highlights..
How disappointed were you to lose Howard in free agency to the Rockets?
It wasn't a surprise. I had a feeling that Houston was a frontrunner, and whenever a player is an unrestricted free agent, anything can happen. Clearly, we wanted to keep him here in Los Angeles, and I felt we did everything we could do within reason to show we did want to keep him here. Until the end, I kept up hope. I think we were as persistent as we could be within reason. I wasn't shocked but I was disappointed.
With Kobe Bryant coming back at an unknown date from a torn Achilles' tendon, is it time to write off next season and play for a top draft pick in 2014?
You know that's not our plan. Our plan was to bring back Dwight Howard and that would have sky-rocketed our payroll. That's never a plan here with our fan base, to throw in the towel before the season begins. We always try to win, and that's what we're going to do this year. We have challenges. There's no doubt. We don't know when Kobe's coming back, and we don't know what level he's going to come back at, although we're optimistic. Everything's good with Steve Nash. Pau Gasol should be fine. We've added some athleticism. We're hopefully putting ourselves in position where we can compete in every game.
Is a five month recovery for Kobe possible or it's really going to be eight or nine or 10?
We just don't know. When he gets back in September, we'll take another look at him, but he hasn't been on a basketball court. It's really premature to try to predict other than try to be optimistic that he'll be ready for opening night or the 15th of November or the 1st of December or the 15th of December.
On the talent-packed 2014 free agent class:
I'm not sure if you'll see that Howard type of player go from team to team, although it is possible. We do feel Los Angeles is a destination spot. We have complete confidence in the organization, the city, our fan base, that we would be considered as a destination for players in the future. So we're hopeful going forward that the flexibility that we have will be beneficial.
On the additions of Chris Kaman, Nick Young, Jordan Farmar and Wesley Johnson for a combined $6.5MM next season:
This off-season if we did one thing, between the small forward and wing spot and backcourt, we got quicker and more athletic, something I think we needed.
Mavs Sign Shane Larkin
The Mavericks announced via press release that they have signed 18th overall pick Shane Larkin. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Mavs acquired the draft rights to the Miami point guard from the Hawks in exchange for Jared Cunningham, the draft rights to No. 44 overall pick Mike Muscala and the draft rights to No. 16 pick Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira. Noguiera, meanwhile, came to the Mavs with two 2014 second rounders from the C's in exchange for the draft rights to No. 13 pick Kelly Olynyk.
Larkin led the Hurricanes to the ACC regular season and postseason championships last season en route to being named the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, Lute Olsen National Player of the Year, and Second Team All-American by Associated Press. The sophomore averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 36 games.
Larkin did not participate with the Mavericks at the Las Vegas Summer League after sustaining an injury to his right ankle in practice. Larkin underwent ankle surgery on July 16th, putting him in line for a comeback right around the start of the regular season.
Latest On Sixers’ Coaching Search
As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier this afternoon, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool became the latest candidate to interview for the Sixers' head coaching opening, meeting with the team today in Philadelphia. According to Wojnarowski, Vanterpool has emerged as a "serious candidate" for the job.
The Sixers' search has lasted about three and a half months so far, with GM Sam Hinkie moving deliberately and interviewing several potential candidates. However, Vanterpool appears to be receiving legitimate consideration, alongside other contenders like Spurs assistant Brett Brown, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and Sixers assistant Michael Curry. Wojnarowski writes that Brown and Larranaga have made "strong impressions" on the Sixers during the process.
A report earlier in July suggested that Philadelphia will likely choose between Brown and Curry, leading to speculation that perhaps the team's extended search is simply a means of gaining intel on rival teams. However, if Vanterpool is being seriously considered for the job, it would appear Hinkie and the Sixers aren't simply going through the motions.
Jazz Sign Ian Clark
JULY 29TH: The Jazz have officially signed Clark, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 24TH: The Jazz have agreed to sign Las Vegas Summer League title game MVP Ian Clark, agent Bill Duffy tells USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link). It's a two-year deal with a team option on the final season. Zillgitt reported yesterday that the Jazz, as well as the Warriors and Trail Blazers, had their eye on Clark after his 33-point performance for Golden State in Monday's Vegas summer league championship game.
Clark averaged 12.4 points on 48.5% shooting from behind the arc for the Warriors in Las Vegas, while putting up 16.4 PPG and 42.9% three-point shooting for the Heat's team in the Orlando Summer League. The Heat wanted to have him on their Vegas team, too, but the Warriors scooped him up, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).
The accuracy was no fluke for the 6'3" shooting guard, who knocked down 42.6% of his three-point attempts in four years at Belmont. Still, he went undrafted, and he used the summer leagues to boost his stock. Clark probably won't earn much more than the minimum, but the Jazz still have some cap space available, so perhaps they simply outbid his other suitors.
Sixers To Interview David Vanterpool
MONDAY, 1:56pm: Vanterpool's interview is happening in Philadelphia today, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 4:23pm: As their search for a new head coach extends into its fourth month, the Sixers have requested and received permission to speak to Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It appears to be the first time Vanterpool has been linked to a head coaching opening this offseason.
Spurs assistant Brett Brown and Sixers assistant Michael Curry have long been cited as the frontrunners for Philadelphia's vacancy, but the team's search has been extensive. In addition to Brown, Curry, and Vanterpool, the team has also been linked to Heat assistant David Fizdale, Bulls assistants Ed Pinckney and Adrian Griffin, Hawks assistants Kenny Atkinson and Quin Snyder, Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt, and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga.
The 76ers will be the last team to name a new head coach during an offseason in which nearly half of the NBA's clubs made changes. When they officially make a decision, the Sixers will become the 13th team to hire a new head coach since the season ended.
Odds & Ends: Childress, Lakers, Cooley, NBPA
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are both considered decent bets to hit free agency next summer, if only to re-sign new long-term deals with their current teams. However, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld notes, both players would have the chance to hit the market in the summer of 2015 as well, if they opted in for 2014/15. With Dwyane Wade's long-term health uncertain, and the Knicks' books looking fairly empty beyond '15, it may benefit both LeBron and Carmelo to hold off on their free agent decisions for an additional year, rather than locking themselves into new long-term contracts next summer. Here's more from around the NBA on a Monday:
- Josh Childress turned down a "lucrative offer" from Greek powerhouse Olympiacos earlier this offseason in hopes of securing a deal with an NBA team instead, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. According to Charania, Childress is receiving interest from three teams on a potential minimum-salary contract.
- The Lakers have officially hired a pair of assistant coaches, Kurt Rambis and Johnny Davis, the team announced today in a press release.
- Jack Cooley continues to weigh his options, and it sounds like he has plenty of them. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that the former Notre Dame big man has received training camp invites from more than 10 NBA teams, and has also fielded offers from clubs overseas.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that people around the NBA have been talking for months as if it's a foregone conclusion that former MSG president Steve Mills will eventually be named the new executive director of the players' union.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside speaks to Damion James about the D-League All-Star's quest for an NBA roster spot.
- In this week's edition of his Morning Tip column at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge looks at Team USA, Ian Clark, and the possibility of HGH testing.
Rockets Sign Marcus Camby
MONDAY, 12:50pm: The Rockets have officially signed Camby, the team announced today in a press release.
SUNDAY, 12:23pm: Camby will sign for one year at the minimum salary, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
11:59am: The Rockets will sign Marcus Camby today, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reported just moments earlier that the move was expected to take place (Twitter link). Camby already passed a physical with Rockets team doctors, and agent Rick Kaplan recently told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that the Rockets were at the top of Camby's list of suitors.
Camby, a resident of nearby Pearland, Texas, had a desire to play at home and with a contender, Feigen tweets, giving the Rockets the edge over the Bulls and Heat, the other leading candidates for the 39-year-old. The Bulls appear to be the first runner-up, as talks between Camby and Chicago were reportedly going "extremely well" on Friday. The Heat's interest appeared to be on the wane.
The 17-year veteran will probably receive a minimum-salary deal, though the capped-out Rockets have their full $2.652MM room exception available. Camby has had one prior stint with the Rockets, who acquired him at the trade deadline in 2012 before participating in a sign-and-trade last summer with the Knicks. Camby inked a three-year, $13.151MM contract to go to New York, but injuries kept him from living up to it, limiting him to just 42 points in 24 games this past season.
The Knicks shipped him to the Raptors in the Andrea Bargnani trade this month, and Toronto accepted Camby's request that they buy him out. The Raptors reportedly recouped $2MM of the guaranteed portion of Camby's deal.
Southeast Notes: Hardaway, Hawks, Heat
After helping lead Michigan to the Final Four in April and being drafted by the Knicks in June, Tim Hardaway Jr. is making more headlines than his father this year, but Tim Hardaway Sr. remains involved in the NBA, and is hoping to eventually land a larger role, as he tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. Currently a scout for the Heat, Hardaway says he'd like to become the team's general manager down the road.
"That's my goal," Hardaway said. "That's why I'm here every day…. Everything is realistic. You just got to believe and make connections."
Let's round up a few more items from out of the Southeast division….
- The Hawks' waiver claim of Gustavo Ayon makes it likely that first-round pick Lucas Nogueira will spend the 2013/14 season in Spain, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Second-round pick Mike Muscala will probably play overseas as well, according to Vivlamore.
- In order to create the space necessary to claim Ayon, the Hawks renounced their rights to Ivan Johnson, tweets Jason Walker of Peachtree Hoops. The team can still re-sign Johnson, but no longer holds any form of Bird rights.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that it may make sense for the Heat to hang onto their mini mid-level exception through the summer and into the season.
Bucks Rumors: Ilyasova, Jennings, Sanders
In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler focuses on the Bucks' offseason, attempting to explain the thinking behind their moves this month. Zach Lowe of Grantland wrote last week that many executives around the league were confused by the Bucks' offseason plan, but Kyler makes the case that the roster is deeper and better poised for the long-term than it was before. Here's more from the HoopsWorld scribe:
- The Bucks feel like Ersan Ilyasova is "capable of a big leap" in 2013/14, and made a number of their offseason decisions with an eye on acquiring players who can complement him.
- Milwaukee remains very open to re-signing Brandon Jennings, but the two sides still don't appear to be all that close on a dollar figure. While Jennings continues to seek a deal comparable to those signed by Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry, and Ty Lawson last summer (four years, $44-48MM), the Bucks aren't interested in going that high.
- Sources tell Kyler that Jennings has "strongly considered" accepting the Bucks' one-year qualifying offer. It would pay him about $4.53MM next season, and would make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014.
- The Bucks have started contract extension talks with Larry Sanders. Sanders can avoid becoming a restricted free agent next summer by signing a new deal by October 31st, and there appears to be a "better than average" chance that happens, according to Kyler.