Eastern Rumors: Dudley, Sims
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com that he plans to play Derrick Rose in three consecutive days of international pool play, an encouraging sign of his confidence in the point guard’s conditioning and progress. Here’s more from around the East:
- Jared Dudley tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he’s ready to prove himself on the Bucks, after being traded there from the Clippers last week. “Going from a contender to a team that’s rebuilding, to me that really doesn’t matter,” Dudley said. “As a professional, you’ve got to come in with the right mind-set and play in the right way.”
- Dudley also tells Gardner that his play suffered last season while he played through knee injuries. “We had so many injuries. J.J. [Redick] was out; Matt Barnes was out. Basically [coach Doc Rivers] wanted me to fight through it,” said Dudley. “I told him I could, I just wouldn’t be 100%. I think what I did was give him a body to hold the minutes down until those guys got back. For me personally, I might have suffered. But from the team standpoint we were able to get that three spot (playoff seeding) we needed to have. When you look back, would I have done it different? Maybe. But that was just me trying to give my body for a new team and a new coach.”
- Michael Kaskey-Blomain of The Philadelphia Inquirer doesn’t believe Henry Sims will become a starting-caliber center, but thinks starting Sims on the 2014/15 Sixers could help him develop into a quality rotation player, while also aiding in the development of Nerlens Noel, who would spend more time at power forward as a result.
California Notes: Warriors, Crawford, Nash
The NBA landscape in California has undergone quite the transformation in recent years. In the past, there have been long stretches with the Kings near the top of the division, while the Warriors and Clippers have often scraped the bottom. Currently, Golden State and the formerly hapless Los Angeles franchise have established themselves as perennial playoff teams, while Sacramento underwhelms at the bottom of the division. The Lakers’ decline might turn out to be the most startling development, especially if the purple and gold don’t emerge from their downturn in the next couple seasons. Here’s a rundown of California rumblings this evening:
- Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle confirms that the contracts of Warriors camp invites James McAdoo and Mitchell Watt are partially guaranteed.
- Agent Andy Miller has already signaled Jamal Crawford‘s interest in signing an extension when he becomes eligible next summer, and it sounds like the reigning Sixth Man of the Year will have a friendly face on the other side of the negotiating table. Crawford has a longstanding relationship with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer based on their Seattle connections, as Crawford details to Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. “We’ve done a lot of [charity] events together in Seattle, so I’ve known him before he was actually the owner,” Crawford said. “We were texting throughout the year and emailing each other and staying in contact and continuing to work together with charities around Seattle. It’s exciting. I don’t know how many people have actually known their owner before they actually played for the team they were on. So it’s pretty cool.”
- Despite some thought given by the Lakers to use the stretch provision on Steve Nash, the deadline to execute the maneuver came and went without Los Angeles doing so. Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports that the team was still considering stretching Nash’s deal before its top free agent targets of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh decided to sign elsewhere, eliminating the team’s need to gain cap flexibility from such a move.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Reggie Jackson On Extension Negotiations, Role
Fourth-year point guard Reggie Jackson spoke to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman about the upcoming season, including his role on the team for 2014/15 and ongoing negotiations for a rookie scale extension with the Thunder. The entire interview is worth the read, and we’ll roundup some of the highlights here.
On wanting to be a starter:
“I don’t think about ever coming off the bench for any team. If that’s the role I’m put in, that’s what I’m put in. But since the day I thought about playing in the NBA, I’ve always been a starter. Everything I’ve thought about, whether it be middle school, high school, kids leagues, I never envisioned coming off the bench. When you think about playing basketball, you see the first five guys get on the floor, and that’s something I’ve always prided myself on being…
It’s very prideful for me. I feel like I’m very talented. I feel like I can lead a team. That’s just how I’ve been raised and that’s just how I’ve always felt. I want to be the guy in charge. I want to be the guy leading the team. The head of the snake. I guess that’s just how I’m encrypted DNA-wise.”
On whether he expects to reach an extension agreement with Oklahoma City this summer:
“We haven’t really talked about it much this summer. I know my representation and the Thunder have been talking. But mostly I haven’t really gotten to talk super much about it. I’ve been busy. I think we’re just trying to figure things out and hopefully we can get a deal done… I’m not sure. I’m always hopeful. I’m hoping for the best, expecting the worst. That’s just how I kind of approach things. I’m just happy and blessed to be able to play basketball another day and wake up another day. Just seeing another day is a blessing. I hope to get things done. But if not, it is what it is. I can’t really dwell on it. I have to go out there and compete. That’s where I am. I have to go out there and enjoy the game and trust that my representation and us sitting down and figuring things out is hopefully going to lead to us getting something done before the deadline.
[It will take] communication. We have to figure out things that we can do on both ends. What we envision for the organization from both ends. I’d like to play a certain way. When it’s all said and done and I hang up my jersey, hang up my shoes, I have many goals that I want to accomplish. So I think it’s going to be about what’s the vision for obtaining those goals from both parts and what’s the vision that we have moving forward… I would love to get a deal done, but if that’s not what happens, that’s not what happens. I can’t necessarily dwell on it and think about that too much. I have to go out there and compete.”
On his attention paid to the paths restricted free agents like Eric Bledsoe, Gordon Hayward, and Chandler Parsons have taken this summer:
“I pay attention to a lot of moves going on in the league. It’s a business. You want to figure out what every team is doing, not necessarily just from a contract standpoint. I want to figure out the landscape of the NBA and what teams are trying to do. What teams are really looking to contend and what’s the landscape and whats going to happen in the league. But I probably have paid attention a little more to [Bledsoe’s] situation.
I definitely factor in all those things. Young players getting paid. Especially with Gordon, who I believe was the class before me, and then Chandler who was in my class. A second-round pick who I’m happy for… You definitely kind of have to weigh yourself on what’s going on around the league. So you have to look at guys around you in similar classes and similar positions to try to get a barometer for what you should probably make. It’s been some groundbreaking deals going on this summer, and I have to take that into account when it comes to trying to get a deal done.”
Warriors Sign James Michael McAdoo
4:49pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
3:29pm: The Warriors and undrafted power forward James Michael McAdoo have reached agreement on a one-year deal, agent Jim Tanner tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The terms are unclear, but it’ll almost certainly be a non-guaranteed summer contract, and since the Warriors already have deals with at least 14 players, it might fit the criteria for an Exhibit 9 contract that would reduce the team’s liability in case of injury. It looks like it’ll be for the minimum salary either way, since the Warriors can give out no more than that.
McAdoo was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, coming in sixth in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index for 2011. He was a lottery prospect after his freshman season at North Carolina, but his stock slipped over his final two years at the school, when he saw more playing time and scouts had greater opportunities to pick apart his game. His numbers were solid even if they weren’t overwhelming, as he put up 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game for the Tar Heels this past season.
The 21-year-old told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors this spring that he’s begun to feel more comfortable on the low block, so he could give the Warriors another option inside. Golden State is only known to be carrying 13 fully guaranteed deals, so McAdoo, a second cousin of Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo, has a decent shot at making the opening night roster as the team stands now.
Warriors Sign Mitchell Watt
The Warriors have signed former University of Buffalo power forward and Israeli league veteran Mitchell Watt, the team announced via press release. The terms are unclear, but it’s most likely a non-guaranteed training camp invitation for the minimum salary.
The 6’9″ Watt spent summer league with Golden State’s team, averaging 6.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. He put up 13.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 30.3 MPG for Ironi Nes Ziona in Israel this past season, numbers similar to his production in his senior season at Buffalo.
The inking of Watt, which came at the same time Golden State formally announced its signings of Aaron Craft and James Michael McAdoo, gives the club 17 players. That’s three shy of the 20-man preseason roster limit, so more moves are probably in the offing.
Warriors Sign Aaron Craft
SEPTEMBER 2ND: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
AUGUST 6TH: The Warriors and former Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with a partial guarantee, agent Lance Young tells Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. It’s almost assuredly a minimum-salary arrangement, since Golden State is limited to paying no more than that.
The news comes not long after a report that Warriors reserve guard Nemanja Nedovic suffered a stress fracture in his right foot, as Leung points out, suggesting that Craft is an insurance policy in case Nedovic isn’t healed in time for the season. Still, the partial guarantee represents an investment in Craft, and it at least ensures he won’t walk away empty-handed should he fail to make the opening-night roster.
Craft earned raves from Warriors coach Steve Kerr for his play in college, as Leung notes (on Twitter), in spite of never having averaged more than 10.0 points per game over the course of his four seasons with the Buckeyes. He put up 7.4 points in 22.0 minutes per contest last month during Las Vegas summer league play for the Warriors after going undrafted in June. The 22-year-old also joined the Sixers for the Orlando summer league, though he didn’t see nearly as much playing time.
Wizards Pursue Ray Allen
The Wizards made contact with Ray Allen soon after free agency began, and they’re still interested in signing the sharpshooter, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. It’s nonetheless a long shot amid stiff competition from other NBA teams and Allen’s thoughts of retirement, though Allen and Wizards signee Paul Pierce are on good terms after Allen’s acrimonious departure from Boston in 2012, according to Michael.
Michael indicates that Allen likely would be willing to accept a minimum-salary deal, which is all the Wizards can offer, but the 39-year-old has publicly expressed reluctance to do so. The Cavs, the team most frequently linked to Allen this summer, can’t give him more than the minimum, either, but the Spurs have the full $5.305MM mid-level exception at their disposal, and San Antonio is among those in pursuit. The Clippers and Mavs are also reportedly in the mix, but the Jim Tanner client has repeatedly emphasized that he’s seriously considering retirement.
The Wizards don’t intend to carry a full 15-man roster come opening night, Michael writes, and that ostensibly would leave them greater flexibility to sign Allen at midseason if he were still available. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com recently suggested that it would make sense for Allen to sit out the start of the season and sign later, though there’s been no indication that the NBA’s all-time three-point shot maker is truly thinking about that option.
Grizzlies Among Teams Eyeing Joe Ingles
3:23pm: Ingles is likely to receive a guaranteed salary from the NBA team that ends up with him, Stein writes in his full story. Marc Gasol, a marquee name among potential 2015 free agents, is widely known to admire Ingles, Stein notes.
2:59pm: The Grizzlies are again in the hunt for Ingles, Stein reports (Twitter link). Ingles turned down a two-year offer from Memphis last year, as we noted below.
TUESDAY, 2:13pm: Ingles is a “virtual lock” to sign with an NBA team for the coming season, as seven or eight teams are in pursuit, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Sixers still appear to be one of them, but Ingles is unlikely to sign with Philadelphia, Stein adds (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 1:26pm: Australian small forward Joe Ingles has fielded interest from the Sixers, sources tell Sporando’s Orazio Cauchi (Twitter link). David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported this weekend that multiple NBA teams were eyeing the 26-year-old, so it looks like Philadelphia has some competition.
The Grizzlies, Hawks and Jazz were reportedly interested in Ingles as of March, when Pick wrote that he was thinking about making the jump to the NBA this summer. Ingles rejected a two-year offer from Memphis last year, around the same time that the Pacers, Bucks and Clippers also seemingly had their eyes on the veteran of international play. NBA teams passed on him in the 2009 draft, and his pro numbers haven’t been impressive. Ingles averaged just 6.0 points in 21.2 minutes per game for Maccabi Tel Aviv this past season, but he’s been a more significant part of the offense for the Australian national team in the FIBA World Cup this week, notching 14.5 PPG in 26.5 MPG.
The Sixers have no shortage of cap flexibility to outbid other NBA suitors and float an offer large enough to pry Ingles from overseas. They also have plenty of roster space. They’re carrying only eight guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show. Philadelphia can also provide Ingles with a familiar presence in coach Brett Brown, who coached him on the Australian national team in the 2012 Olympics, as Paul Garcia of Project Spurs notes (on Twitter).
And-Ones: Allen, Thabeet, Arroyo, Ingles
Only a half dozen second-round picks from this June are without deals to play in the NBA, overseas or the D-League, as our log of this year’s draft pick signings shows, and Friday looms as a key date for them. That’s the last day their NBA teams have to make a required one-year tender for the minimum salary without losing their rights to them. Such glorified training camp invitations might not be ideal for draftees who’d hoped to establish more solid footing in the NBA, but if any are at an impasse in negotiations, the deadline could be a tipping point. While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s the latest from around the league:
- Ray Allen has fielded recruiting calls from LeBron James and others, as the sharpshooter tells Don Amore of The Hartford Courant, but Allen cites a desire to stay around his family as he continues to insist that there’s a strong chance he’s played his last game. “I don’t want to go into a situation where I don’t understand the coaching, don’t understand the direction of the team,” Allen said. “My family is very important in making the decision. Right now, there is nothing that I need to do. If I ultimately decide this will be it for me, I’m content with that.”
- Hasheem Thabeet remains on the Sixers roster, so it appears they’ve guaranteed his salary for the coming season. Monday was the last day they could waive him without owing him his $1.25MM pay for 2014/15, as Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman confirmed. Philadelphia was reportedly likely to waive him in advance of that deadline.
- NBA teams would have to buy Carlos Arroyo out of his deal with Galatasaray in Turkey to bring him stateside for this season, and while he’d consider returning to the Association, no one from the NBA has shown serious interest, as he tells HoopsHype’s David Alarcon.
- The widespread NBA interest in Joe Ingles is surprising, observes David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The Australian small forward was having a tough time generating interest from European teams before this week’s strong FIBA World Cup showing, according to Pick.
Spurs Audition Earl Clark
Free agent forward Earl Clark is in San Antonio to work out for the Spurs this week, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He’ll join Hakim Warrick and Julyan Stone, both of whom have reportedly been set to audition for the defending champs.
There hasn’t been much chatter surrounding Clark this offseason, and he said in late July that while he’d heard from a few times, it seemed as though his free agency was “going in slow motion.” Clark has been out of the NBA since the second of back-to-back 10-day deals with the Knicks expired in March during a comedown season for the 14th overall pick from 2009. Agent Kevin Bradbury helped him snag a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs last summer, but Clark failed to duplicate a hot stretch he enjoyed with the Lakers the year before, prompting Cleveland to trade him to the Sixers. Philadelphia waived him the next day, eating the remaining guaranteed salary on his contract.
San Antonio has also cast its eyes toward Ray Allen and Gustavo Ayon of late, even as the team continues to pursue a new deal with Aron Baynes, a restricted free agent. The Spurs already have 14 fully guaranteed pacts and three that include partial guarantees, as our roster counts show, so space is getting tight, and Clark would have to beat out a wide array of competition to make it to opening night with the team.