Melvin Ely To Join Grizzlies For Camp
THURSDAY, 9:44am: Agent Byron Irvin has confirmed to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that Ely will be accepting a camp invite from the Grizzlies (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:42am: Veteran big man Melvin Ely hasn't appeared in the NBA since before the lockout, but it looks like he'll at least get a chance at some preseason action this year. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that Ely may be headed to training camp with the Grizzlies.
Ely was a 2002 lottery pick, and spent eight seasons in the NBA with the Clippers, Bobcats, Spurs, Hornets, and Nuggets before playing overseas and in the D-League the last two years. The 35-year-old was reasonably productive in his first four NBA seasons, recording an 11.9 PER, but that number slipped to 7.5 over his next four years. At this point, it would be surprising if he were even able to crack an NBA roster as a 15th man.
With 13 guaranteed contracts on their books, the Grizzlies seem to be adding frontcourt players to compete for one of the remaining two available roster spots. In addition to potentially signing Ely, the team is set to bring Tony Gaffney to camp, and reportedly worked out Derrick Byars last week.
Bulls To Sign D.J. White
Free agent forward D.J. White will join the Bulls for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). While it sounds as if White will be on a non-guaranteed contract, Stein reports that he'll be given a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.
White, 27, appeared in 12 games last season for the Celtics after returning from China, but was included in the blockbuster trade that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. The Nets waived him shortly thereafter, and White was said last month to be mulling another stint in China. Although the former first-rounder didn't see the court much in Boston, he has been reasonably productive in parts of five NBA seasons, recording a career PER of 14.6.
For the Bulls, White will be the 17th player on the camp roster, but only 11 of those 17 guys have fully guaranteed deals. Erik Murphy, who has a $250K guarantee, figures to make the team, but that still leaves as many as three open spots for camp invitees like White, Dexter Pittman, Patrick Christopher, Mike James, and Kalin Lucas. Even if Chicago doesn't carry a full 15-man roster due to tax concerns, at least one – and perhaps two – of those non-guaranteed players should end up on the roster to reach the minimum requirement.
Eastern Notes: Bosh, Wizards, Bucks, George
With the NBA preseason nearly right around the corner, let's catch up on a few miscellaneous items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Chris Bosh tells Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he's better equipped to handle free agency now than he was back in 2010. Bosh will be eligible to opt out of his contract next summer, but the big man suggests that if the Heat win another title next spring, he, LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade probably aren't going anywhere.
- Using the Wizards and Bucks as a couple of case studies, Mark Deeks of SBNation.com explains how not to not rebuild in the NBA.
- Asked by WUSA's Dave Owens whether GM Ernie Grunfeld is "on the hot seat" heading into this season, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was noncommital in his reply (link via the Washington Post). "We’re all on the hot seat," Leonsis said. "I’m on the hot seat. If the ratings aren’t good, you’ll be on the hot seat, too. I mean, we live in very accountable businesses, and we’re all accountable."
- Paul George's max extension will limit the Pacers' flexibility for the next couple seasons, as Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star writes, which doesn't bode well for the odds of Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger remaining in Indiana beyond 2014. Pointer also notes that the fifth year of George's new deal is a player option.
- In a piece for HoopsHype, Charley Rosen considers whether or not George is worth a five-year max extension.
Sixers Notes: White, Wyatt, Turner, Kuester
New 76ers head coach Brett Brown sat down with the media for a 35-minute press conference today. Let's take a look at the reports coming out of Philly a day after they officially signed first round picks Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams:
- Royce White, who the team acquired in July, is officially participating in pre-training camp workouts with the Sixers and is expected to be present for the team's Media Day on Friday, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey. Based on Brown's comments, it sounds like the Sixers plan to try to bring him along slowly, and this news certainly qualifies as a step in the right direction considering his rocky stint with Houston.
- According to Pompey, Brown compared the scoring potential of Temple product Khalif Wyatt to that of Gary Neal, his former pupil in San Antonio. Another thing Wyatt shares with Neal, according to Brown, is a body type for a guard that necessitates a concentration on fitness. Pompey adds that Wyatt's conditioning was called into question in his time at Temple.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com writes that Brown's fixation on conditioning extends far beyond just Wyatt, adding that the new coach believes in the talent of Evan Turner, who is headed into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Brown will count on Turner as a team leader, writes Moore.
- Both Pompey and Moore report that Brown is still searching for another assistant coach. He has already hired Chad Iske, Lloyd Pierce, Greg Foster and Billy Lange. Although Brown implied NBA experience is not an absolute necessity on a team this inexperienced, Moore lists former Sixers assistant and Pistons head coach John Kuester as a candidate due to a previous connection with Brown. Last week there was a report that Kuester was the favorite to be hired as Brown's top assistant.
Training Camp Invites: Byars, Gadzuric, Alexander
While we've has plenty of training camp signings today – from Louis Amundson to Dwayne Jones to Sam Young to Renaldo Balkman to Eric Boateng and Darius Johnson-Odom – there is also news of training camp invites that have yet to be accepted. Let's take a look at buzz from around the league that might help us determine who lands where in October:
- The Grizzlies have extended a training camp invite to Memphis-native Derrick Byars, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Byars, 29, has spent most of the time since his Vanderbilt days playing overseas, minus two games with the Spurs in 2011/12 and a handful of D-League stints. With only 13 guaranteed contracts, the Grizz have two potential open roster spots.
- The Lakers have invited Dan Gadzuric to training camp, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles. With the additions of Boateng and Johnson-Odom, Gadzuric would make 19 players in camp for the Lakers should he accept. The UCLA product, 35, played in Venezuela last season after a decade in the NBA. The Lakers only have 11 guaranteed deals on their roster, but there will be plenty of competition for the remaining spots.
- Former Bucks first rounder Joe Alexander has received an invitation to training camp from the Warriors, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland. Alexander, the No. 8 pick of the 2008 draft, lasted only two years in the NBA out of West Virginia. With Ognjen Kuzmic's arrival in Oakland reportedly imminent, the Warriors will have two potential regular season roster spots remaining.
Lakers Add Eric Boateng, Darius Johnson-Odom
The Lakers have signed both Eric Boateng and Darius Johnson-Odom to their training camp roster, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Pincus adds that these moves were camp invites, implying the deals didn't involve any sort of guarantee, but there's been no official word on the contract specifications as of yet. Both players were previously linked to the Lakers in a report earlier today.
Boateng has bounced around between Europe and the D-League since going undrafted in 2010 out of Arizona State. He has never made an NBA roster despite coming close with the Nuggets heading into the 2010/11 campaign. Johnson-Odom is a bit more experienced, but not by much. He played in four games for the Lakers last year, spending most of his time with the D-Fenders, their D-League affiliate, where he led them in scoring at 20.6 PPG.
The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 18, but Pincus tweets that general manager Mitch Kupchak suggested that the team may go with 19 or 20 because of injuries and also to limit minutes for their veterans.
Ognjen Kuzmic Close To Joining Warriors
According to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, 2012 second round pick Ognjen Kuzmic is closing in on a buyout with Unicaja Malaga, his team in Spain, that will allow him to sign a guaranteed deal with Golden State for the upcoming 2013/14 season, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. Myers said Kuzmic, who is in town rehabbing an ankle sprain, is expected to be in camp, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
There were reports a month ago that the Bosnian big man might be headed west for the NBA this season, but this is the first we're hearing of it from the Warriors' brass. Thompson also adds, via Twitter, that Myers indicated Kuzmic would be guaranteed a roster spot should the buyout go through. Kuzmic would make 13 rostered players on guaranteed contracts in Golden State, leaving only two spots for Kent Bazemore, DeWayne Dedmon and Seth Curry, all of whom are believed to have partial guarantees on their deals.
Kuzmic, 23, averaged 6.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 27 Spanish League contests for FIATC Joventut Badalona in 2012/13.
Spurs Sign Sam Young
The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent Sam Young, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, citing a league source. We haven't heard much about Young's eventual destination this offseason, but the silver and black of San Antonio seems like a pretty good fit for the defensive-minded Pittsburgh alum. Charania reports that the Kings and Knicks also kicked the tires on the 6-foot-6 swingman.
After being drafted 36th overall by Memphis in 2009, Young was traded to Philadelphia in 2012 and then latched on with the Pacers last year. Young was cut in early January last year by the Pacers in a strategic roster move, but was re-signed to the team less than a month later. He's averaged 5.8 points and 15.9 minutes per game over his four-year career, but is better known for his defensive intangibles than his statistical production.
Jazz Sign Dwayne Jones
The Jazz have signed free agent center Dwayne Jones to a non-guaranteed deal, tweets RealGM's Shams Charania. Jones last appeared in an NBA game in the 2009/10 season with the Suns, however the Saint Joseph's product did close out last year with Golden State before he was cut in July.
The Jazz have been busy of late, waiving Jerel McNeal earlier tonight only a day after signing Scott Machado, who was coincidentally waived by the Warriors along with Jones on July 24. Both would have received partial guarantees had they not been cut prior to August 1. The Jazz have 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster and a partially guaranteed deal for Ian Clark.
Pistons Links: Monroe, Coaching Staff, Cheeks
As the new-look Pistons prepare to get training camp underway next week, let's check in on a few of the latest items out of Detroit….
- Speaking to reporters today, including David Mayo of MLive.com, Greg Monroe cautioned that he doesn't intend to discuss his contract in the coming weeks or months. Monroe will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn't sign an extension before Halloween, and as I wrote earlier today, agent David Falk typically prefers to take his clients to the open market.
- More Monroe on his contract situation: "I have an agent, like everybody else in the NBA. He's going to communicate with the front office. I'm here to play. And that's it. I'm not going to talk about it. If you ask about it, I'm going to tell you I'm not going to talk about it."
- The Pistons finalized their coaching staff today, announcing the hirings of assistants Henry Bibby and Maz Trakh. Rasheed Wallace and Bernard Smith were also named player development coaches.
- When Maurice Cheeks was hired as the Pistons head coach, he expressed a preference for coaching a team that forces turnovers and gets out and runs. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, the team's offseason additions, including Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, should complement Cheeks' preferred coaching style.