Poll: Most Memorable NBA Story Of 2013
As another calendar year nears an end, it seems like an appropriate time to look back on 2013 in the NBA. Another year removed from 2011’s lockout, the NBA was firing on all cylinders in 2013, providing a great seven-game Finals in June, plenty of big offseason moves, and a handful of surprises to start the 2013/14 season.
While there were plenty of stories worth remembering in 2013, we want to know which one will stick with you the most. Was it Game Six in Miami, when Ray Allen made one of the biggest shots in NBA history? The Dwight Howard saga that finally ended with the big man leaving the Lakers for Houston? Or perhaps a bid to move the Kings that pitted Sacramento against Seattle for several months, before the team ultimately stayed put?
Vote for your most memorable 2013 NBA story below, and if we left out your pick, feel free to add a comment.
Gilbert Arenas Aiming For 2014 Comeback
DECEMBER 25TH: Arenas confirmed to TMZ.com that he is indeed training in the hopes of making a comeback in 2014. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Sulia link), Arenas is aiming to return to the NBA as early as this season.
DECEMBER 13TH: Despite a few fall rumors that suggested the Clippers were eyeing Gilbert Arenas as a possible camp invitee, Arenas himself has exhibited little interest recently in returning to the NBA, expressing a preference to play in China instead. But while Arenas may not play in the NBA in 2013/14, he also hasn’t ruled out trying to make a comeback. In an interview with Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, the former All-Star indicated he’ll try to make a team for the 2014/15 season.
“Next summer, I’m going to train really hard and then try to make a team,” Arenas said. “I’m going to try to come back.”
Arenas went on to suggest a few teams he thinks could use his services in the short-term, including the Knicks, Bulls, and Lakers, but assuming he’s eyeing a summer comeback, those specific clubs may no longer have backcourt holes that need filling.
The longtime Wizard hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2011/12 season, when he played in 17 contests with the Grizzlies. However, he’s still just 31 years old, and showed last season in China that he can still put the ball in the basket. In 14 games for the Shanghai Sharks, Arenas averaged 20.7 PPG and 7.3 APG. Assuming he’s in basketball shape during the 2014 offseason, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he at least received a camp invite from an NBA team.
New York Notes: Garnett, Nets, Carmelo, Clippers
Both New York clubs are set to take the floor today as the Nets face off against the Bulls in Brooklyn and the Knicks take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Here’s the latest out of NYC:
- Kevin Garnett spoke on the Nets’ lack of success this season and stated he’s not sure if the club has an identity, reveals Andy Vasquez of The Record. “I don’t know what we are… I’m not an excuse kind of guy and I’ll figure it out. But I don’t think we have an identity.” The Nets are a disappointing 9-18 so far this year, but still sit just two games back from a playoff spot in the underwhelming Eastern Conference.
- Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld sees the injury to Brook Lopez as an opportunity for Andray Blatche, Mason Plumlee, and Mirza Teletovic to display their skills in increased playing time. The Nets had shown some interest in bringing a player aboard via the Disabled Player Exception, but it seems unlikely they’ll acquire anyone, given their already complicated financial situation.
- Recent Knicks rumors suggested Carmelo Anthony might wind up in a Clippers uniform next season, but Howard Beck of Bleacher Report doesn’t see it happening since the Clippers have such little cap flexibility (Twitter link).
- Beck also refutes the possibility of a sign-and-trade involving Anthony (via Twitter) since the Knicks would only engage in such a move if the Clippers had the ability to sign him outright.
Central Notes: Bucks, Bulls, Datome, Cavaliers
Howard Beck of Bleacher Reports writes that Monta Ellis looks like a “changed man” this season in Dallas, and Ellis acknowledges as much, telling Beck that he was frustrated last year with the Bucks:
“I think I got into a dark place where I wasn’t myself… Some games I’d come and I could be motivated to play. And some games, it was hard, because of the type of players I was around.”
Milwaukee is playing even worse now, and as Jim Paschke noted this morning (via Twitter), half of the club’s remaining games are against Western Conference teams. That might be a blessing in disguise, since it should mean the Bucks have a good shot at the number one overall pick in the draft come June. Here are some more tidbits out of the Central Division:
- The Bulls have struggled without Derrick Rose, and there have been plenty of rumbles about the club making a big move to stir things up in Chicago. Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun-Times dissects the team’s roster and reveals the players he believes to be the most valuable on the trade market, as well as the ones he figures would be the hardest to move.
- Luigi Datome has played relatively well in the limited action he’s seen for the Pistons so far this season, and the former Italian League star figures to see an increase in minutes, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons signed the 26-year-old small forward to a two-year, $3.5MM contract this past offseason.
- Another offseason acquisition, Andrew Bynum, has been inconsistent and flat out bad at times this season for the Cavaliers. Coming off of a game where he shot 0-11 from the floor, Bob Finnan of the News-Herald believes Bynum to be one of the biggest reasons for Cleveland’s struggles. He suggests that the club relies too much on the banged up center to generate offense.
Luke Adams contributed to this post
California Notes: Kobe, Jackson, Thomas
Merry Christmas from Hoops Rumors! There’s plenty of NBA action set to take place today, including an intriguing matchup between the Heat and Lakers. In the preseason, this game was billed as a would-be face-off in Los Angeles between LeBron James and a recently having-returned Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, Bryant finds himself sidelined once again and won’t be playing anytime soon. This will mark the first time time that Bryant has missed a game on Christmas since 1991. Let’s take a look at a few NBA notes from within the state of California..
- Ramona Shelburne over at ESPNLosAngeles.com examines how different the Lakers are without Bryant, and not just for his on-court heroics. She points to his strong leadership and work ethic that are missed by teammates and goes on to suggest that in his absence, the club has struggled to find its identity.
- Matt Barnes was a “big advocate” of Stephen Jackson signing with the Clippers, reports Eric Patten of Clippers.com. Barnes and Jackson are good friends and have a similar hard-nosed demeanor on the court. They were teammates in Golden State for several years but haven’t found themselves playing together since the conclusion of the 2007/08 NBA season.
- Ailene Voisin from the Sacramento Bee writes that despite being the last pick in the 2011 draft, Isaiah Thomas has outperformed all the other players who have competed to be the starting point guard for the Kings, including Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, Aaron Brooks, and Greivis Vasquez. Says Thomas: “I’ve always had to prove something… I still look at getting picked last as being disrespected. Some teams passed on me twice. The Lakers had four picks and passed on me four times. The questions, all that stuff, it just motivates me.”
Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad App
The Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app is now for sale in the iTunes store! For just a one-time fee of $2.99, less than the price of a cup of coffee, here’s what you get:
- Custom push notifications: pick your favorite players and teams and receive alerts when they are involved in rumors, trades, or signings.
- Read Hoops Rumors posts in an ad-free, iPhone/iPad-friendly format.
- Filter headlines to show rumors for a specific team.
- Read and create comments through Disqus.
Check out the Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app today!
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Lowry, Anderson, Knicks
The Nets’ long-term plan has centered on building around Deron Williams and an impact center, and when the team was unable to land Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez became that big man. However, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post points out, the two franchise cornerstones often haven’t been healthy at the same time. The Nets are 58-42 in games the two stars have played together, and 29-71 when one or the other doesn’t play.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Kyle Lowry knows he’s been the subject of trade rumors over the last several weeks, and spoke to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld about the challenge of not letting those rumors affect him. “I think a lot of guys say that they don’t think about it, but of course you think about it,” Lowry said. “You just can’t let it affect your play.”
- James Anderson credits Brett Brown, who was an assistant coach for the Spurs, and Sam Hinkie, who was the Rockets’ assistant GM, with bringing him to the Sixers after he made stops in San Antonio and Houston. As he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, Anderson is trying to make the most of his first real opportunity to be an NBA regular.
- The pairing of Andrea Bargnani with Carmelo Anthony hasn’t worked out so far for the Knicks, and that’s one of the main reasons the team finds itself at 9-18 entering its Christmas Day game, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
2014/15 NBA Team And Player Options
Our list of 2014 free agents includes players that have options or non-guaranteed contracts for next season. However, since they’re mixed in with all the rest of the free agents, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of which players may continue playing on their current contracts. So we’ll use this space to round up all the players who have a player option, an early termination option, or a team option for the 2014/15 season.
The decision to exercise a team option can only be made by the club, while a player option can only be exercised by the player. An early termination option is a type of player option that can only be included in contracts of five years or more. If an option is picked up, the player will remain under contract for at least the 2014/15 season, while turning down an option means the player is eligible to become a free agent next July. Decisions are due by the end of June.
Listed below are the player, early termination, and team options for the 2014/15 season, along with each player’s team and the amount of the option.
Player
- Alan Anderson (Nets), $1.06MM
- Joel Anthony (Heat), $3.8MM
- Darrell Arthur (Nuggets), $3.46MM
- Andray Blatche (Nets), $1.44MM
- Darren Collison (Clippers), $1.99MM
- Tim Duncan (Spurs), $10MM
- Channing Frye (Suns), $6.8MM
- Francisco Garcia (Rockets), $1.32MM
- Rudy Gay (Kings), $19.32MM
- Udonis Haslem (Heat), $4.62MM
- Jonas Jerebko (Pistons), $4.5MM
- Andrei Kirilenko (Nets), $3.33MM
- Eric Maynor (Wizards), $2.11MM
- Josh McRoberts (Bobcats), $2.77MM
- Byron Mullens (Clippers), $1.06MM
- Zach Randolph (Grizzlies), $16.94MM
- Jason Richardson (76ers), $6.6MM
- Nate Robinson (Nuggets), $2.11MM
- Mo Williams (Trail Blazers), $2.77MM
- Metta World Peace (Knicks), $1.66MM
- Nick Young (Lakers): $1.23MM
Team
- Chauncey Billups (Pistons), $2.5MM
- Jae Crowder (Mavericks), $915K
- Anthony Morrow (Pelicans), $1.15MM
Early Termination
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks), $23.33MM
- Andrea Bargnani (Knicks), $11.5MM
- Chris Bosh (Heat), $20.59MM
- LeBron James (Heat), $20.59MM
- Amar’e Stoudemire (Knicks), $23.41MM
- Dwyane Wade (Heat), $20.16MM
Lakers Links: Nash, Marshall, D’Antoni
As the Lakers prepare to host the Heat in ABC’s marquee Christmas Day matchup, let’s check in on a few items related to the Kobe Bryant-less club:
- When the Lakers were finalizing their deal for Steve Nash in the summer of 2012, GM Mitch Kupchak jokingly asked Nash if he’d make the team look bad for giving him three guaranteed years. As Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News points out, that anecdote looks awfully ominous now.
- Kendall Marshall is still adjusting to life with the Lakers, and tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he has “no hard feelings” about being traded by the Suns, even though he had no idea the move was coming. Coro also spoke to former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, who says he looks back on his time in Phoenix as one of the highlights of his career.
- While the Lakers are typically regarded as one of the NBA’s biggest spenders, the team is currently relying on minimum-salary players like Jordan Farmar and Nick Young, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.
- We heard earlier today that the Lakers reportedly received a trade offer from the Grizzlies centered around Jodie Meeks and Jerryd Bayless.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Thunder, Jazz
No division in the NBA is currently more tightly contested at the top than the Northwest, where the 23-5 Trail Blazers sit a half-game ahead of the 22-5 Thunder. A win by Oklahoma City tomorrow at Madison Square Garden would pull the team even with Portland, and would ensure that the Northwest co-leaders share the league’s best record with the Pacers. As we look forward to that contest and other Christmas Day action, let’s round up the latest out of the Northwest….
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe unveils his Western Conference power rankings, noting that opposing teams are keeping an eye on what the Nuggets want to do on the trade market.
- Lowe also figures the Clippers will upgrade their big man rotation at some point and writes that while the Thunder have what it takes to upgrade via trade, Oklahoma City has been “picky” about what moves it’s willing to make.
- Gordon Hayward‘s camp never asked for a max deal during failed extension negotiations with the Jazz this fall, Jody Genessy notes via Twitter.
- As Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune writes, not receiving much attention with the Jazz is nothing new for Ian Clark, who was also passed over by bigger college programs and didn’t hear his name called on draft night. Clark will have to remain on Utah’s roster beyond January 7th if he hopes to be guaranteed of his full-season salary for 2013/14.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.