Southeast Notes: Bosh, Jordan, Hornets, Heat
Hornets owner Michael Jordan has finally learned how to win games without the basketball in his hands, writes Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “I can impact the game in shorts and tennis shoes,” Jordan said. “When I had those on it was easy to prove people wrong. It’s hard to do that now when I have a suit on. I have to rely upon other people understanding my message and my focus.” The Hornets have high expectations this season and many expect the team to make playoffs. Here’s more from the Southeast division:
- Chris Bosh isn’t shy about stating his desire to have more freedom in the offense as a reason he chose the Heat over the Rockets in free agency, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. In terms of a slice of an apple pie chart, said Bosh (link), “It would be a big slice, a nice slice. A big-man slice. Big. Huge. Unhealthy slice. Close to half.”
- Although the Hornets are not making a substantial amount of money, Jordan claims the team is getting closer to breaking even, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is believed to have lost $34MM in basketball operations last year, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland.
- Jordan was quick to point out that money wasn’t a main reason why Josh McRoberts departed the Hornets this offseason, writes Bonnell. McRoberts signed with the Heat for a four year deal worth the full value of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception (~$22.6MM).
- One of the reasons Danny Granger chose the Heat in free agency was the team’s high shooting percentage over the last few years, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “They have a lot of layups, a lot of open threes, things some other teams just don’t get, which is why they shot such a high percentage. I definitely think I will be able to do that here. I’m definitely going to be over 40 percent, probably 45, 46,” said Granger. Granger added that he hopes to become a more efficient player with the Heat.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Thomas, Outlaw, Melo
Outgoing Raptors executive Tim Leiweke is in talks with Irving Azoff, a confidant of Knicks owner James Dolan, about a deal that would see them have a stake in assets that are currently part of the Madison Square Garden company, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com. MSG, which owns the Knicks, is considering splitting into a pair of companies, as Soshnick details, though Soshnick doesn’t indicate whether there’s a role for Leiweke on the Knicks under consideration. Leiweke, who’s leaving his job with the company that owns the Raptors by the end of June or as soon as a replacement is found, said he doesn’t think the company is close to finding it’s next chief executive. More from the Atlantic Division..
- Malcolm Thomas got a fairly substantial contract guarantee of $474K for this season on his four-year, minimum-salary deal with the Sixers, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Thomas, we learned yesterday, was getting set to play in China before Philly reached out to him over the weekend. The rest of his contract with the Sixers is non-guaranteed, as Pincus shows on the team’s Basketball Insiders salary page.
- The Knicks received a $1,863,840 trade exception when they traded Travis Outlaw to the Sixers, tweets Pincus. That’s equivalent to the difference between the salaries for Outlaw and Arnett Moultrie, whom the Knicks acquired and immediately waived.
- Carmelo Anthony is preaching patience when it comes to the Knicks, who had a 37-win season, traded Tyson Chandler, and have a first-year head coach, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “It’s a work in progress now. It’s going to be a work in progress until the end of the season,” Anthony said. “We’re not looking for nothing easy, but we know it’s a work in progress. We have a chance to create something here, and we’re excited about it.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Josh Powell Considering Retirement
After being waived by the Rockets last week, forward Josh Powell is considering retirement and a move to coaching, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Powell has remained with Houston to try his hand at coaching and if he hangs up his sneakers, he could officially join the staff as a player development coach with a focus on the big men.
“It just fell into place,” Powell said. “I don’t ever question what God has in store. One door closes and another one opens. Coach (Kevin McHale) is being patient with me. Everyone has been real helpful in helping me through the transition process. I look forward to a new chapter and an exciting opportunity.”
Powell, a veteran of seven NBA seasons (counting his brief time with Houston last season), has career averages of 3.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest. He has spent time with the Mavs, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks, and Rockets since his debut in 2005/06.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey spoke highly of Powell and said that he would make a “fantastic coach if he chooses to go that route,” according to Feigen.
Bucks Guarantee Contract Of Kendall Marshall
The Bucks had until January to make the call, but the Bucks have decided to guarantee the contract of guard Kendall Marshall, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Marshall’s contract was a non-guaranteed pact, but he’s now guaranteed to earn $915K for the season.
Marshall has impressed in training camp and figures to be the first point guard off of the bench this year. New head coach Jason Kidd knows a thing or two about the point guard position and the organization is clearly high on the 23-year-old.
The Bucks claimed Marshall over the summer shortly after he was waived by the Lakers in a cap clearing move. The UNC product never hit his stride with the Suns, but he revived his career last season when he averaged 8.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 8.8 APG while playing 29 minutes per game for the Lakers.
Hornets Push For Extension With Kemba Walker
Hornets owner Michael Jordan intends to sign an extension with Kemba Walker rather than let him hit free agency and said that he’s hopeful that the “real conversations” between the sides bear fruit in advance of Friday’s deadline, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (All Twitter links). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier this month that Charlotte was in talks with the Jeff Schwartz client.
Executives around the league often say that Walker isn’t a “championship point guard,” as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote about a month ago, though the 24-year-old hasn’t had much chance to show what he can do in meaningful games during his three years with the team. Last year’s playoff appearance was his first, and he held steady at 17.7 points per game during the 2013/14 regular season in spite of the addition of marquee free agent Al Jefferson. The Hornets are poised to return to the postseason this year, but it appears Jordan is anxious to strike a deal before skeptical executives have a chance to drive up the point guard’s value next summer.
The Hornets only have about $45.2MM in guaranteed salary for 2015/16 even with Walker’s extension. That doesn’t include a $13.5MM player option for Jefferson nor a $6MM player option for Gerald Henderson, however.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Opt In With Tim Hardaway Jr. For 2015/16
The Knicks have exercised their option to keep Tim Hardaway Jr. on his rookie scale contract through 2015/16, the team announced (Twitter link). He’ll make close to $1.305MM that season, as our Rookie Scale Team Option Tracker shows. Reports indicated that New York would pick up Shane Larkin‘s 2015/16 team option, too, but it appears that’s still up in the air.
Hardaway impressed in his rookie season after the Knicks made him the 24th overall pick in the 2013 draft. The 6’6″ shooting guard averaged 10.2 points in 23.2 minutes per game across 81 appearances, earning an All-Rookie First Team selection.
New York, which has targeted next summer for a free agent push, has about $32.7MM in commitments for 2015/16 as a result of today’s move. That doesn’t include Larkin’s option or a new deal for Iman Shumpert, who’d hit restricted free agency if he and the Knicks don’t sign an extension by the end of Friday.
Hoops Rumors 2014 Free Agent Tracker
The deadline for rookie scale extensions and 2015/16 team option decisions isn’t until Friday, but in all other regards, the NBA offseason is over with the first regular season games set to tip off in a few hours. The Hoops Rumors 2014 Free Agent Tracker is a handy way to review much of the player movement that’s taken place over the last several months. Using our tracker, you can quickly browse the contract agreements from this summer, sorting by team, position, contract length, total salary, and a handful of other variables.
For instance, if you want to see all of the Heat’s offseason signings, you can sort by team and find all of the club’s free agent additions listed here. If you’re curious to see how many players signed contracts of four years or more, you can sort by contract length and bring up that list right here.
A few additional notes on the tracker:
- The years and dollar figures listed in the tracker are close to 100% accurate, based on the numbers that have been reported, but we’re still waiting on figures for a few late transactions, such as the deal Malcolm Thomas signed with the Sixers.
- Contract amounts aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed, and they’re based on what’s been reported.
- Separate entries exist for some players, like Chris Crawford and Christian Watford, since both of them were signed, waived, and then signed again by the same teams. However, only a single entry exists for Francisco Garcia, since the league never ratified his original contract.
- Training-camp invitees are included in the tracker. For our purposes, we’re counting only those who signed true summer contracts, which by definition contain no guaranteed money, and not those who received deals that involve any partially guaranteed salary. Summer contracts are marked with a † symbol in the tracker.
- The tracker doesn’t include signed draft picks, since those players weren’t free agents, but you can find the 2014 draftees who signed in this post. The tracker also doesn’t include “draft-and-stash” players who’ve signed this summer, but they’re listed here. A list of all the offseason trade acquisitions is right here.
Our Free Agent Tracker is designed to monitor offseason player movement, so it won’t be updated going forward — at least not until we unveil the 2015 version next summer. However, it will continue to stay active as a resource. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.
Western Notes: Thompson, Rubio, Mekel, Taylor
Cory Joseph is the quintessential player from outside the U.S., at least according to the NBA’s annual survey of international players on opening-night rosters. He is a member of the Spurs, who lead the league with nine non-U.S. players, and he’s from Canada, the non-U.S. nation that has produced the most NBA players currently in the league. It’s the third straight year that San Antonio has led the NBA in this regard, and it seems to be working, since the Spurs went to the Finals the first two times. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Kings big man Jason Thompson is drawing trade interest from around the league thanks to the league’s rising salary cap, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes amid his season preview. More available spending money around the league makes Thompson’s contract, which will pay him nearly $15.119MM in guaranteed salary through 2016/17, less burdensome for teams.
- Sources from outside the Timberwolves believe Ricky Rubio and the team will ultimately settle on an extension worth four years and $52MM by Friday’s deadline, as they tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The team has apparently offered four years and $48MM, while agent Dan Fegan has reportedly asked for the max.
- Gal Mekel says that the Mavs haven’t told him whether or not they’re going to waive him, though he’s cognizant of the reports have the Mavericks set to release him so they can sign J.J. Barea instead, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s weird,” Mekel said. “I hear everything. But I want to concentrate on this game. I had a great preseason and showed everybody that I can help this team. I got very good feedback from the coaching staff. I know it’s weird right now and there is a chance I will find myself in another place in two days. But as long as I am here, I’m going to help the team.”
- Wolves owner and chairman of the Board of Governors Glen Taylor has publicly talked about selling the team in the past, and he said Monday that he eventually plans to do so, notes Nate Gotlieb of the Mankato Free Press.
Eastern Notes: Wade, Jennings, Qvale
If the Bulls and Cavaliers meet in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, it should be a compelling affair, if evidenced only by the virtual dead heat between the clubs among Hoops Rumors readers who’ve weighed in on which team they think will win the NBA title. Still, the health of Derrick Rose is an X-factor after the point guard missed all but one game of the past three postseasons, and no one knows quite how the Cavs will come together with all of their new pieces, so there’s plenty of mystery surrounding the East this season. Here’s the latest from around the conference:
- The idea of signing with the Bulls “played on my heart,” as Dwyane Wade told TNT’s David Aldridge, but the longtime Heat guard reiterated that Miami is his home, as Aldridge notes amid his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The Bulls reportedly put out feelers to Wade this summer, and they also pursued him in 2010.
- Former Pistons front office chief Joe Dumars took the fall, but Brandon Jennings tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that he and Josh Smith simply didn’t perform to the level they should have after the Pistons committed a combined seven years and $78MM to the duo. “We did get a new contract, both of us, so the blame has to go to both of us, actually,” Jennings said. “I’m going to put myself in there because I’m the point guard. So if anything, I’m going to hold myself accountable first, before anyone else. I definitely didn’t do my job last year. It was one of the most embarrassing seasons ever, especially with the talent that we had, and I feel like we should have [gone] farther than we did. But I put that on myself. That really bothered me all summer. So I have a lot to prove this year.”
- Hornets camp invitee Brian Qvale has signed with Tofas Bursa of Turkey, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, who was the first to report the deal, via Twitter). Charlotte waived the center last week.
Poll: Who Will Win The 2014/15 NBA Title?
The 2014/15 season is finally here! The first three regular season games tip off tonight, and the bulk of teams begin their seasons Wednesday. It brings to a close an active offseason full of trades and free agent signings that have reshuffled the power structure across the league. The Cavaliers added LeBron James and Kevin Love and are poised to jump from the lottery right into the title picture. The Pacers are in line to go in the opposite direction, minus Paul George, Lance Stephenson and with a host of short-term injuries to start the season. The Mavs might have passed the Rockets, but the Spurs stood pat atop the Texas triangle, and time will tell if they’ll remain atop the league.
The first Hoops Rumors poll of the 2014/15 regular season is a simple one that asks you to identify the team you think will win the championship this coming June. The list of choices here reflects the teams that most pundits believe have the best chances to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, but perhaps you think a darkhorse will emerge. It wouldn’t be altogether surprising to see a team that isn’t on this list at least make Finals, if not win them, since there are only two Eastern Conference clubs listed here. In any case, if you support a write-in candidate for the title, let us know which team you have in mind in the comments section.