Odds & Ends: Nash, Bennett, Cavs, Pacers
A report earlier this week suggested that Steve Nash might be considering retirement after being diagnosed with nerve root irritation. However, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni quickly refuted the notion that Nash was debating ending his career, and the point guard himself echoed that stance today. Asked if he had thought about retiring, Nash replied, “No, not at all,” according to Bill Oram of the O.C. Register (Twitter link). The 39-year-old’s plans don’t seem to have changed since two weeks ago, when he announced his intentions to play out his current contract.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Despite Anthony Bennett‘s poor start, the Cavaliers have ruled out the possibility of assigning him to the D-League’s Canton Charge, a source tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. According to Finnan, the Cavs feel like the first overall pick is best served practicing and playing against NBA talent.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explores the Cavaliers‘ disappointing first month, wondering if GM Chris Grant could be on the hot seat.
- Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star takes an extended look at how Larry Bird has built the Pacers into a title contender.
- With the Nets set to play in Minnesota tonight, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune observes that Andrei Kirilenko‘s decision to turn down his $10MM player option has greatly benefited the Timberwolves.
- The last time he was playing on an expiring contract, Spencer Hawes believes he psyched himself out by consciously trying to improve his stock for free agency. As he tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld, Hawes isn’t thinking about his expiring deal as much this time around, opting to focus only on what he can control as he approaches free agency.
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New York Notes: Taylor, Shengelia, Coaches
As if merely playing in New York didn’t get them enough attention, the Nets and Knicks are under increased scrutiny in the early going this season, as both teams are off to 3-8 starts. Considering the Atlantic division leaders are the 5-7 Raptors and 5-8 Sixers, neither New York club is in significant danger yet, but the pressure on each team has certainly intensified. Here’s the latest out of NYC:
- Following up on a piece he wrote yesterday about the long shadow cast by the repeater tax, Mark Deeks of ShamSports suggests (via Twitter) that it makes sense for the Nets to trade away one of their little-used bench players like Tyshawn Taylor or Tornike Shengelia in a straight salary dump.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News both have new pieces up on rookie head coach Jason Kidd. Wojnarowski writes that Kidd looks overwhelmed so far, but isn’t a lost cause, while Bondy questions whether Kidd’s latest comments are encouraging or delusional.
- A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that there’s a little friction between Kidd and top Nets assistant Lawrence Frank. “Something has changed between them,” according to Isola’s source.
- Isola also hears that Mike Woodson may have “some trust issues” with his staff in New York. As the Daily News scribe writes: “Every time you turn around, the Knicks hire somebody else to rebound for a player during shooting drills and give that person the title of ‘workout coach.'”
- Earlier today, we passed along a few notable quotes from a rare James Dolan Q&A.
Clippers Considering Chris Wilcox
Lamar Odom remains the odds-on favorite to fill the Clippers’ open roster spot, helping to bolster the team’s frontcourt depth. However, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, L.A. is considering free agent big man Chris Wilcox as a fallback option.
While Odom played for the Clippers last season, coach Doc Rivers isn’t all that familiar with him, which is part of the reason why the two recently had a sitdown. Wilcox, on the other hand, played for Rivers in Boston over the last couple seasons. In 2012/13, Wilcox appeared in 61 games for the Celtics, averaging 4.2 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest.
According to Stein’s sources, however, re-signing Odom still looks like the most likely move for the Clippers. One recent report pegged the chances of a reunion at about 90%, while Clippers guard Jared Dudley was even more confident, telling Sam Amick of USA Today that there’s a 100% chance Odom would end up with the team.
As for Wilcox, he said nearly three months ago that while he’d love to play in the NBA, he’d also be open to considering his options overseas. We haven’t heard much about him since then, though it’s not clear whether that’s due to a lack of interest or other factors.
James Dolan Talks Woodson, Isiah, Amar’e
Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t speak to the media often, but amidst his team’s 3-8 start to the 2013/14 season, he sat down with Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post for a Q&A. While there was no mention of the Knicks’ peculiar decision to keep Chris Smith on the roster, or any discussion of Carmelo Anthony‘s long-term future, Dolan did provide a few comments on topics of interest. Let’s round up a few of the highlights….
On whether Mike Woodson‘s job is safe:
“I have a lot of confidence in Woodson, and one thing I can say about Mike is he has the respect of all the players. They all respect him. And he treats them fairly and relatively equally, and that’s part of where the respect emanates from. And those are hard things to get from a coach. When a coach loses a team… that’s when a coach is kind of done.”
On comparing this year’s team to last year’s squad, which started off 18-5:
“You know what? I wouldn’t take last year’s team for this year’s team, because this year’s team is more designed to be a playoff team, whereas last year’s team was 18-5 but look who was playing: we had Rasheed Wallace who was doing everything for us, right? And we just started losing player after player… by the time we got to the playoffs that 18-5 team wasn’t the team that was playing in the playoffs. If they were I think we would’ve beaten Indiana.”
On replacing GM Glen Grunwald with Steve Mills just before camp got underway:
“I didn’t time it, per se, like that. I’m surprised other folks were surprised about this. The general manager’s work doesn’t really occur at that time of year. If you’re going to change general managers that’s probably the right time to do it. The next available trade date is December 15th¹. You’ve just finished free agency and all that. It’s a lull period. The timing didn’t really have much to do with that.”
On whether he’d ever bring back Isiah Thomas:
“Do I think he deserves another shot? Yeah. It just can’t be here. And I think he’s talented. I think he’s particularly talented at finding basketball talent. But I think he’s probably dismayed at this point. But I don’t see him coming back to New York. I couldn’t do that to him, and I couldn’t do that to the organization. He would probably do it as my friend, but I couldn’t do it to him or his family. And you know what the press would do here. We’re interested in getting better and that situation would be such a distraction that it would actually hinder our ability to get better.”
On whether he’d like a mulligan on signing Amar’e Stoudemire:
“Nope…. We would not be where we are today without Amar’e. That summer, the summer of “The Decision,” there were a whole bunch of free agents, and the guys put their thing together in Miami, and Amar’e agreed to come to the Knicks, gave us a launch pad by which we could convince the other guys like Tyson [Chandler] to come, and ultimately Carmelo to come play with us. Do I think Carmelo would have come if we didn’t have Amar’e? No, I don’t think he would’ve. These free agents, when you get to this level of player — the Carmelos, the LeBrons, the Durants — the first thing they want before the money or anything else is to be on a winning team. They’ve got to believe they have a shot.”
¹ Trades can be made prior to December 15th, but most players signed this offseason can’t be dealt until after that date.
Odds & Ends: New York, Hayward, Ellis, Adrien
It’s been a busy day for New York basketball. Fans of both the Nets and Knicks are concerned about the slow starts of their favorite squads, but despite the rumors, we’ve heard that neither Jason Kidd nor Mike Woodson is in danger of getting fired. Justin Terranova of the New York Post sat down with NBA TV’s Greg Anthony and discussed the state of both teams, and while Anthony believes the Nets are in bigger trouble than the Knicks, there’s still plenty of time for both teams to turn their season around.
Here are some miscellaneous notes from Thursday night:
- An unnamed GM suspects the Suns will do everything in their power to pry Gordon Hayward away from the Jazz this offseason, tweets NBA TV’s Peter Vecsey. Hayward and the Jazz failed to reach a rookie contract extension before the deadline. The fourth year forward currently earns $3.5MM but should see a big pay raise once he hits restricted free agency this summer.
- Dwain Price of the Star Telegram details how the Mavericks’ offseason signing of Monta Ellis has been a critical part of the team’s early season success. Through 12 games, Ellis has been an excellent fit in Dallas’ system, posting a career high 19.5 PER. Coach Rick Carlisle spoke on how impressed he was with the veteran guard: “I thought he was going to be a hard worker and I thought that he was going to be a very talented guy, and he’s been all those things. The thing I really love is how well he continues to adapt to our system and our personnel.“
- Jeff Adrien‘s contract is non-guaranteed, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer details how the undersized post player is proving in Al Jefferson‘s absence that he might be worthy of a spot on the Bobcats roster.
- In a league where sharpshooting big men are becoming increasingly valuable, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com discusses why Spencer Hawes‘ impressive skill set fits the 76ers uptempo offense perfectly. Tom Moore of the Burlington County Times reveals how much Brett Brown values Hawes. The seventh-year center’s contract expires at the end of the season.
- In his nightly roundup of the NBA, Yannis Koutroupis of HOOPSWORLD examines how Terrence Jones‘ experience in the D-League helped the stretch four develop into a Rockets starter this year. Jones is playing 21 MPG and shooting an impressive 53% on 64 attempts this year.
D-League Notes: Kelly, Harris, Heat, Expansion
The D-League’s regular season is underway, and the D-League website features a list of young prospects to follow during the 2013/14 season. Some of the young players on the list currently have their rights held by NBA squads, but many are training camp invitees that didn’t make an opening night roster. There’s no telling when the next Jeremy Lin might unexpectedly emerge so it’s definitely worth monitoring the young talent found in the NBA’s official minor league organization.
Here’s some D-League news and notes from Thursday night:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets that the Lakers have recalled Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris from their D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders. Neither have seen much NBA action yet this year, and Eric Pincus of the LA Times tweets that their recall is probably just a formality.
- Ira Winderman points out (via Twitter) that the D-League affiliate for the Heat is sporting a particularly impressive roster. Although the Heat do not own their rights, it’s worth noting that Miami’s developmental squad houses three former NBA players: Bill Walker, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby.
- Dan Reed, president of the D-League, envisions his circuit expanding into a 30 team organization where each NBA club has it’s own minor league affiliate. Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports sat down with Reed, who appears confident that his vision will one day become a reality: “If you had asked me this three or four years ago, I would have said it will be a very long time horizon. If you ask me now, that time frame has shortened substantially.” Reed has been the president of the D-League since 2007.
- To keep up with all the D-League assignments and recalls throughout the year, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors 2013/14 D-League Assignments page.
Will Mike Woodson Get Fired This Season?
The Knicks have been one of the most discussed teams of the 2013/14 season, and although they’ve only played 11 games thus far, their paltry three win total has created speculation around the league that head coach Mike Woodson might be in danger of losing his job. Although ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian Begley insists that Woodson isn’t afraid of getting shelved, Knicks fans have been vocal about their desire for new leadership. Multiple “fire Woodson” chants have erupted during losses at Madison Square Garden this season, and Ken Berger of CBS Sports suggests there are analysts and executives alike that think firing Woodson and attempting to lure current Kentucky coach John Calipari to New York might be the right course of action.
Most fans would likely agree that it’s unfair to place all the blame on Woodson, especially when key players like Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton have been sidelined. It’s also worth mentioning that Knicks owner James Dolan was a big enough fan of Woodson to pick up his 2014/15 option, even after last year’s disappointing loss in the second round of the playoffs. Still, in a time where George Karl, Lionel Hollins, and Vinny Del Negro lose their jobs after putting together 50 win seasons, can Woodson’s position really be considered safe? Dan Favale of Bleacher Report notes that Dolan is not heralded as a rational decision maker and believes it’s inevitable that Woodson gets ousted eventually.
What do you think? Is Woodson’s position as safe as reported earlier today? Or is it only a matter of time before New York is looking for a new head coach? Vote below, and add your thoughts in the comment section!
Will Mike Woodson Get Fired This Season?
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Yes 67% (469)
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No 33% (231)
Total votes: 700
International Notes: Kings, White, Thornton, Spurs
The Kings are dedicated to expanding their brand internationally, Will Robinson of Reuters reports. Kings president Chris Granger expressed his interest in appealing to NBA fans over in India: “Our overall mission for us is to become India’s home team.” This announcement is hardly surprising since we’ve heard numerous times that David Stern and the NBA as a whole are keen on expanding the league’s presence overseas.
Have a look at the latest international news:
- Former first-round pick D.J. White will be returning to China. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Sichuan Blue Whales are bringing aboard the ex-Bobcats big man. Although White was in Chicago for training camp, he failed to make the Bulls’ opening day roster and most recently saw playing time for the Shanghai Sharks. White will join Hamed Haddadi on the Blue Whales, another former NBA player.
- Al Thornton inked an international deal today in Puerto Rico. According to Sportando, the Brujos de Guayama have announced his signing. The former lottery pick hasn’t seen NBA action since 2010/11 when he put up a meager 7.4 PPG for the Wizards and Warriors.
- Dan McCarney over at Spurs Nation takes a look at how the Spurs depth is due largely to the team’s excellent assortment of international players. McCarney notes that with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker aging, great play off the bench from “The Foreign Legion” is critical.
Kings Notes: Fredette, Thornton, McCallum
The 4-7 Kings sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division and are in a tough position to move up in the standings. They face the Clippers in two of their next three contests and then square off against the Warriors and Thunder in their following two matchups. Let’s take a look at a couple of notes about the Kings, courtesy of Jason Jones from the Sacramento Bee:
- Jimmer Fredette has seen action in two consecutive contests since not playing in 10 days, but Jones tweets that his increase in minutes is not an attempt to display his skills to possible suitors. Last night, readers of Hoops Rumors voted that the struggling Kings should try to trade Fredette and Marcus Thornton in an attempt to put themselves in a better spot to build around the young talent of Ben McLemore and DeMarcus Cousins.
- Speaking of Thornton, Jones also tweets that the veteran guard looks to be staying in a Kings uniform for the time being.
- Jones has details on the earlier report of Ray McCallum’s assignment to the D-League. The rookie point guard from Detroit was taken by the Kings in the second round of last year’s draft but hasn’t seen any action this year. The Bighorns begin their season tomorrow in Sioux Falls.