Western Rumors: Richardson, Barron, Jazz, Lakers
With training camps set to open in less than two weeks, let's round up a few of the latest notable items out of the Western Conference….
- A report from CentralIllinoisProud.com suggests that former Illinois guard D.J. Richardson has earned a "tryout" with the Jazz. It's not clear whether that means Richardson has been invited to camp or that he's just auditioning for the team, since Utah has been working out plenty of players recently.
- Case in point: Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report tweets that free agent big man Earl Barron worked out for the Jazz yesterday.
- The Lakers intend to evaluate second-round pick Ryan Kelly in about a week to see how his recovery from right foot surgery is coming, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. It's still unclear whether Kelly will get a chance to earn a spot on the Lakers' roster for the coming season.
- There should be plenty of competition in Mavericks camp to see who deserves a look at the small forward position, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Vince Carter figures to play more at the three after the team signed a handful of guards in free agency, but Shawn Marion, Jae Crowder, and Devin Ebanks could also be in the mix, as Sneed notes.
Heat Notes: Beasley, Oden, Mini MLE
Since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, no team besides the Heat has represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. However, former GM and current analyst Steve Kerr believes that will change in 2013/14. According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, Kerr is picking the Bulls to unseat the Heat this season, as Miami faces the pressure of trying to three-peat.
"Emotionally, it's just exhausting to keep doing it year after year," Kerr said. "Particularly when you have to deal with everything Miami has to deal with on a daily basis, just the constant critiquing and scrutiny on the team, and then you factor in the injuries with [Dwyane] Wade and [Chris] Bosh and their health. I don't think Miami will get out of the East this year."
Here's more on the Heat:
- The Heat "initially balked" when Michael Beasley's agent called the team to gauge its interest, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, Pat Riley reconsidered, and meeting with Beasley eased many of the concerns that Riley and Erik Spoelstra had, according to Jackson.
- Ethan Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post examines the one-year contracts signed by Beasley and Greg Oden, exploring the duo's chances of making the team and earning minutes this year, along with the odds that either player returns for a second year in Miami.
- Considering spending the mini mid-level exception would cost the Heat about $11MM in taxes and there aren't many free agents available worth more than the minimum, Miami is unlikely to spend its MLE, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman leaves the door open for the Heat to add a player who is bought out later in the season, particularly if the club is able to find a taker for Joel Anthony, but the mid-level could very well go unused.
Jared Jeffries To Join Nuggets’ Front Office
After 11 seasons in the NBA, Jared Jeffries is transitioning from his playing career into an executive role, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Jeffries has accepted a front office job with the Nuggets. The 31-year-old will begin in a scouting role, a source tells Wojnarowski.
Last summer, Jeffries was part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Raymond Felton from the Blazers to the Knicks. While sign-and-trade rules dictated that he had to sign for at least three years, only the first year of his contract was guaranteed, so Portland released him at season's end. Since then, we haven't heard any rumors connecting him to NBA teams, so it makes some sense that he would pursue an off-court position, even at age 31.
As Wojnarowski notes, Jeffries has a strong history with new Nuggets GM Tim Connelly. Jeffries played for the Wizards for the first four seasons of his career, from 2002 to 2006, when Connelly was in Washington's front office.
While the Yahoo! report doesn't technically mention retirement, it appears unlikely that the versatile veteran will return to the court for an NBA team. Assuming Jeffries has played his last game, he'll finish with averages of 4.8 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 629 career contests for the Wizards, Knicks, Rockets, and Blazers. According to Basketball-Reference, he earned a little over $40MM over the course of his NBA career.
Eastern Notes: Carmelo, Knicks, Bucks, Czyz
Roughly two-and-a-half years after the Knicks-Nuggets trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York, Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal tries to parcel out who got the better of the swap. While stars of Melo's caliber are hard to come by, they did give up quite a bit to get him - Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, and draft picks were all shipped out to Denver. Ultimately, Schlosser believes that only time (namely, this season) will tell if acquiring Anthony was worth blowing up the roster. Here's a quick look around the Eastern Conference..
- The Knicks aren't getting any closer to a title, and that means Anthony's ability to become a free agent next summer will be a cloud over the Knicks' heads all season, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times.
- Polish forward Olek Czyz has an offer from Italian club Vanoli Cremona but he may join the Bucks in training camp instead, according to a report from la Provincia di Cremona passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The 23-year-old forward was in summer league with the Bulls last summer but wasn't able to make the roster.
- To say that this year's Bucks team is different from last year’s Bucks team would be a massive understatement, the HoopsWorld staff writes in their preview of Milwaukee for the upcoming season. How far will they get with Brandon Knight and O.J. Mayo replacing Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as the Bucks’ starting backcourt? Most of the staff sees them finishing in the basement of the Central with one vote putting them in fourth place.
- Victor Oladipo's past detractors motivate him to achieve as much success as possible in the NBA, writes John Denton of NBA.com. The Indiana University product is now being predicted by many to win the 2013/14 Rookie of the Year award.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Troy Daniels To Camp With Bobcats
Former VCU guard Troy Daniels has accepted a training camp invite from the Bobcats, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter). Contrary to a previous report, Daniels did not agree to a deal with Charlotte in late June.
Daniels averaged 12.3 PPG and shot 40.3% on three-pointers in his final season with the Rams. The guard auditioned for the Jazz and Pacers in June but wound up going undrafted. Daniels will be joined in camp by former lottery pick Patrick O’Bryant.
Odds & Ends: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Miller, D-League
We started the day off here at Hoops Rumors with some very pleasant news as Rick Adelman is confirmed to return to the sidelines as Timberwolves coach this season. The T-Wolves haven’t been to the postseason in nearly a decade, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that this will be the year that they break through. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- The Pelicans added a whole bunch of talent this offseason and with that comes dramatically increased expectations, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans will start alongside Eric Gordon, Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson with Brian Roberts, Al-Farouq Aminu, Austin Rivers, Anthony Morrow, Jason Smith, Greg Stiemsma and Jeff Withey off the bench, giving the 27-win team some serious playoff buzz.
- Andrew Ford of Sheridan Hoops runs down five things to watch when it comes to the Grizzlies this season. One of the keys for Memphis will be Mike Miller and it’ll be interesting to see if the returning veteran can hold up enough to make an impact. The 33-year-old has dealt with a litany of health issues in recent years and was let go via the amensty provision by Miami this summer.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside ran down what we can expect out of this year’s D-League tryouts and even some tips for how the participants can impress scouts.
Patrick O’Bryant To Camp With Bobcats
The Bobcats have added another experienced NBA veteran to their training camp mix this fall. Sources close to the situation tell Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (on Twitter) that Patrick O'Bryant will be in camp with Charlotte.
O'Bryant made it known back in July that he was seeking an NBA opportunity but he wasn't getting any bites at that stage of the offseason. The ninth overall pick in the 2006 Draft, who last appeared in the NBA with the Raptors in 2009/10, was only getting interest from overseas teams at the time. Now, he'll at least have a puncher's chance of getting a job in the Association this year.
The 27-year-old spent last season with Lithuania's Lietuvos Rytas. In parts of four NBA seasons, the big man averaged 2.1 PPG and 1.4 RPG for the Warriors, Celtics, and Raptors.
Knicks To Audition Ricky Davis
Perhaps J.R. Smith isn't enough of a wild card for the Knicks organization. Ricky Davis, who last appeared in an NBA game in 2010, will be in mini-camp with New York this week, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).
Davis, who turns 34 in a couple of weeks, will go up against nine other camp hopefuls looking to hook on with the already crowded Knicks. New York isn't the first club to audition the veteran – the Timberwolves also gave him a look back in January. The 6'6" guard didn't catch on in Minnesota, but he looked back on the experience with positivity and class.
"They signed [Mickael] Gelabale for the whole year," Davis told Jonathan Abrams of Grantland. "I played with him in France, so that really makes me sick. That makes me really sick. That really hurts. They signed him for the whole year."
Across 12 NBA seasons, Davis averaged 13.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 29.8 minutes per contest.
Lakers Notes: Worthy, Kobe, Johnson
Get excited Lakers fans: The Machine is back. Sasha Vujacic has been out of the NBA for a couple of yeras now, but he's gearing up for a comeback in the L.A. area. There's little doubt that the 29-year-old guard could cash in on a solid contract overseas, but he's determined to find an opportunity in the NBA for 2013/14. Here's more out of La La Land..
- Fellow Lakers legend James Worthy is concerned about Kobe Bryant and the approach he'll take to his return to the hardwood, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Worthy doesn't question that Bryant will return from the torn Achilles tendon that cut his 2012/13 season short, but he wonders if the ultra-intense guard will dial things back in general in order to keep himself upright.
- More from Medina, who is running down the Lakers' depth chart as the new season approaches. Today's feature focuses on offseason acquisition Wesley Johnson who is looking to shed his reputation as a draft bust after going fourth overall in 2010 and not producing a whole lot in Phoenix or Minnesota.
- Earlier tonight, the Lakers inked Marcus Landry to a contract for the upcoming season and it sounds like he's got a solid chance of making the roster.
Lakers Sign Marcus Landry
The Lakers announced that they have officially signed forward Marcus Landry. Terms of the deal were not revealed, but the deal is likely a non-guaranteed pact.
It was first reported in late July that Landry, the younger brother of Carl, was likely to hook on with the Lakers on a deal that would essentially boil down to a camp invite. Landry appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics. Since then, he's bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.
Landry may not have a guaranteed gig in L.A., but he has a good chance of making the roster thanks in large part to Ryan Kelly's foot injury. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is represented by Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.