Gilbert Arenas Plans To Play In China
We heard a week ago that the Clippers may be inviting Gilbert Arenas to training camp, but it doesn't sound like the former All-Star is interested in auditioning for an NBA roster spot. Asked by HipHollywood.com about the Clippers rumor, Arenas denied that he'd be joining the team, indicating instead that he plans to return to China for the coming season.
"I went to go work out at the Clippers facility about two months ago," Arenas said. "I guess I did well enough for them to invite me [to camp], but I want to go to China so I can come home faster…. With China, I get to go and still play and then I can get back home and spend more time with the kids. I get to be home in February and enjoy the family. I don’t need the NBA money, I have enough of it."
This isn't the first time Arenas has expressed a fondness for China's shorter season, which ends not long after the NBA's All-Star weekend. Playing for the Shanghai Sharks earlier in 2013, Arenas indicated that he intended to spend the spring with his family, rather than trying to catch on with an NBA team after returning from China.
"Thirty-two games a year," Arenas said at the time. "Maximum 36 minutes. That’s all I need at this point in my career. So as long as China teams want me, I’ll be here."
As for whether teams in the CBA have interest in Arenas, that remains to be seen. But the 31-year-old played well in 14 games for the Sharks last season, averaging 20.7 PPG and 7.3 RPG, so I'd be surprised if he didn't attract a few suitors.
D’or Fischer Accepts Invite To Wizards Camp
Free agent big man D'or Fischer has accepted an invite to training camp with the Wizards, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Fischer becomes the third player to agree to a camp deal with Washington in the last several days, along with Josh Childress and Xavier Silas.
As Hoops' Rumors international player movement tracker shows, Fischer finished last season with Ukraine's BC Donetsk. appearing in 38 games for the club and averaging 11.0 PPG and 7.4 RPG. The West Virginia product has made a number of overseas stops since his days with the Mountaineers, playing in Spain, Israel, Belgium, Poland, and Germany, as well as in the D-League.
While Fischer, Childress, and Silas will be in camp with the Wizards, it won't be easy for any of them to earn a regular-season roster spot. Washington already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so the club would have to trade or release a player to make room for one of its camp invitees.
Avery Bradley Extension Appears Unlikely
As players like Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins closing in on rookie-scale contract extensions, nothing is imminent between the Celtics and Avery Bradley, GM Danny Ainge tells Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Forsberg tweets that the team is likely to revisit a new contract for Bradley next summer, when the 6'2" guard hits free agency.
The Celtics still have several weeks to negotiate with Bradley and agent Mitchell Butler before the October 31st deadline arrives. And just because a new deal appears unlikely at the moment, it doesn't mean the two sides won't continue talking — according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter), Ainge indicated that discussions may take place in October. For now though, it looks like the C's are willing to let Bradley hit the open market, where the club will have the ability to match any rival offers for the restricted free agent.
Bradley, 22, averaged a career-high 9.2 PPG for Boston last season, but saw his shooting percentages slip to .402/.317/.755, while his PER was just 8.8. Of course, Bradley's contributions on defense make him a valuable asset, but the C's would probably like to see a little more offensive production out of the former first-round pick before committing to him long-term.
When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Bradley as a possible extension candidate earlier this month, he predicted that we're more likely to see a deal next summer than this fall.
Jazz Sign Scott Machado
The Jazz have added another player to their training camp roster, having signed Scott Machado, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (Twitter link). Machado had been waived by the Warriors earlier in the offseason.
Machado, 23, started last season with the Rockets, playing in six games for the team before being released in time for January's guarantee deadline. The Iona product signed with the Warriors late in the season but didn't appear in an NBA contest with Golden State. Machado spent most of the year playing for the two squads that eventually met in the D-League Finals, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Santa Cruz Warriors. In 28 games for the two clubs, he averaged 8.9 PPG and 5.1 APG in 24.0 minutes per contest.
The Jazz currently have 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster, along with a partially guaranteed deal for Ian Clark. Jerel McNeal also has a fully non-guaranteed contract, but it looks like Machado will become the first real camp invitee for the club. I expect more will follow, but with a couple regular-season roster spots potentially open, Machado should have a chance to compete for one in camp.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Hawks, Nuggets, Grizzlies
The league and the NBPA are still far apart on a testing policy for human growth hormone (HGH), sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Stern wanted something in place before the start of the 2013/14 season, but that doesn't seem terribly likely at this point. Officials from the league office and the union met earlier this month to continue discussions on the matter, but a person familiar with the talks told Berger, "Nothing is anywhere near being agreed to." Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Forward Joe Trapani is working out with the Jazz this week, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (on Twitter). The 25-year-old Boston College product has been playing in Italy for the last few years.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sat down with Al Horford of the Hawks for a wide-ranging interview. Atlanta is in a rebuilding phase, but the big man says that he trusts GM Danny Ferry.
- Andre Iguodala feels that he deserves a good amount of credit for the Nuggets' improved defense last season, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.
- The Grizzlies have officially finalized their coaching staff, announcing the hirings of four assistants, including Elston Turner.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Felton, Noel, World Peace
You love the NBA. You watch basketball almost every single night from Halloween into the early part of summer and read Hoops Rumors religiously. But you've always hoped that the NBA could be more like Vince McMahon's failed football league. Finally, the league office has heard your complaints. The NBA may have the Nets and Heat wear "nickname jerseys" for at least one of their four meetings this season, according to the Associated Press. Ray Allen plans to don a "Jesus Shuttlesworth" jersey, LeBron James is expected to go by "King James," and Nets stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will probably wear "KG" and "The Truth," respectively. As you dust off your sweet He Hate Me throwback, check out the latest from the Atlantic..
- Guard Raymond Felton feels that the Knicks were just too old last season, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “We’re a younger team this year,’’ Felton said. “Kurt Thomas, Rasheed [Wallace], love them like brothers. [But] those guys were 38, 39, 40 years old. Once they got injuries, they’re out and it hurt us last year. We’ve added Metta [World Peace], Andrea [Bargnani], Kenyon [Martin] and Amar'e Stoudemire are coming back. Tim Hardaway Jr. looks great by the way. I’ve been most impressed with him. It gives us depth at that big spot and youth. Those guys are younger."
- Best friends Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams are reunited with the Sixers, writes HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy. The youngsters first became friends on the AAU circuit and are anxious to replicate that success at the NBA level. “I’m looking forward to it,” Carter-Williams said. “I know it’s going to be a learning experience. We’re going to have a lot of young guys, but we’re also going to have some veterans so we’re going to learn from them. We’re just going to try to bring everything together as a team and be the best we can.”
- World Peace is back in New York with a fresh perspective on things both on and off the court, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. MWP joined the Knicks after the Lakers used the amnesty clause to get out from under his contract.
Pacific Notes: Redick, Clippers, Barnes, Shaq
Earlier today, Sam Amick of USA Today spoke with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who says that he is a fan of DeMarcus Cousins and hopes to get a new deal hammered out with him in advance of next month's deadline. While Ranadive wouldn't handicap the odds of something getting done, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the two sides are on track to agree to an extension in the coming weeks. Here's more on the Kings and other notes from the Pacific Division..
- J.J. Redick spoke with Eric Patten of NBA.com about the deal that sent him to the Clippers this summer. “I have mixed emotions about [getting traded],” Redick said. “For the most part, you essentially accept the fact that it’s part of the job and you’re getting paid to play basketball. Ultimately, I don’t feel Milwaukee with our team last year was… It definitely wasn’t a great fit. We didn’t play particularly well as a team down the stretch. Going into that I hoped we could kind of move up from that eighth spot and we didn’t. It was frustrating to a lot of people last year in Milwaukee.”
- Mark Deeks of HoopsWorld.com ranked the ten best new contracts of the offseason and the Clippers earned two mentions for Matt Barnes and Darren Collison. Both were acquired via the non-taxpayer mid-level exception with Barnes earning $3.25MM with Collison getting the remaining $1.9MM.
- Shaquille O'Neal can offer the Kings quite a bit in the way of marketing after becoming a minority owner, Amick writes.
Central Notes: Posey, Cavs, Deng, Pistons
Let's round up a few odds and ends from around the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers' D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, has officially hired James Posey as an assistant coach on Steve Hetzel's staff, according to a press release from the Cavs. The longtime NBA swingman last played in 2010/11.
- With the Bulls deciding to put extension talks for Luol Deng on hold, agent Herb Rudoy tells David Aldridge of NBA.com that he fully intends to take his client to free agency. "He loves being there, and he loves playing for [coach Tom] Thibodeau," Rudoy said of Deng. "Loves playing for him. But he has to see what the market is."
- If the Pistons plan to make trades at this season's deadline, the team's potential excess of small forwards and guards could create some opportunities, writes Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press.
Knicks Working Out Aldrich, Wing Players
The Knicks are looking to fill out their roster for the upcoming season and they would like to use their final spot(s) to reinforce some positions of need. Center Cole Aldrich will be brought back for a second workout this week after looking strong in his last audition, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the club is also eyeing some athletic wing players (link) as they will be without J.R. Smith for at least the early part of the season.
A source told Zwerling that the Knicks "are definitely taking a long look at the Kansas product." Aldrich could wind up filling a major role for the Knicks this season as they have no true backup at center. Other notable names that have been linked to the job include DeSagana Diop, Ike Diogu, and Hassan Whiteside.
Meanwhile, the Knicks will comb the open market for athletic wings because they have some questions about undrafted rookie C.J. Leslie in the long-term.
Trail Blazers Waive Terrel Harris
The Trail Blazers have officially parted ways with Terrel Harris, announcing today that he has been released (Twitter link). The move comes as no surprise, since Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reported last month that Portland was expected to cut Harris before camp opened.
Harris never figured to have a great chance to stick with the Blazers since coming over in the Robin Lopez deal since he was just a throw-in to make the numbers work. When he was suspended for violating the NBA’s drug policy, his chances were even further diminished.
The 26-year-old spent time with New Orleans and Miami over the past two seasons, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 10.8 minutes per contest. The guard is represented by Brian Elfus of Impact Sports Basketball, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Zach Links contributed to this post.