Month: May 2024

Eastern Notes: Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards

Beau Beech’s long-range shooting ability gives him a chance to stick with the Nets, according to an in-depth analysis by NetsDaily.com’s Bryan Fonseca. The 6’9” Beech, who went undrafted out of the University of North Florida, received a partially guaranteed contract from Brooklyn. Beech’s main attribute is his jumper and he’s supremely confident when he sets up beyond the arc, Fonseca’s film study reveals. He should be very effective in transition but doesn’t create his own shot very much, Fonseca continues. If Beech can become a defensive factor, he can play in the league, though he’ll likely spend most of next season in the D League, Fonseca adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

  • Nets guard Greivis Vasquez has pulled out of the Rio Olympics for medical reasons, NetsDaily.com relayed via Vasquez’s Twitter account. Vasquez underwent ankle surgery over the winter and missed most of the season while on the Bucks’ roster. Vasquez, who was on the Venezuelan team, did not indicate if he would be ready by training camp, NetsDaily adds. Vasquez, who is expected to back up Jeremy Lin, signed a one-year deal with Brooklyn on July 13th.
  • The Cavaliers allowed two trade exceptions to expire, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reports. The exceptions were created when they dealt Mike Miller and Brendan Haywood to the Trail Blazers last summer. The exception created by trading Miller was worth $2.8MM, while Haywood’s exception was originally $10.5MM. There was only $2.3MM remaining on Haywood’s exception, as the Cavs used the bulk of it to acquire Channing Frye from the Magic at the trade deadline.
  • The Wizards don’t plan on paying any more players to attend training camp, according to J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com. Washington’s front office will only offer non-guaranteed camp deals, Michael continues, because they already have four players on partially-guaranteed contracts to go along with a dozen more on fully guaranteed deals. Jarell Eddie, Danuel House, Sheldon McClellan and Daniel Ochefu are the players with partial guarantees. Center Micheal Eric, who played on the Wizards’ summer league team, is unlikely to attend their camp because he’s looking for guaranteed money, Michael adds.

Community Shootaround: Chicago Bulls

Following a season in which they missed the playoffs, the Bulls figured to be busy this summer. That’s certainly been the case, though they have made a number of surprising moves and decisions.

They traded former franchise player Derrick Rose, which appeared to signal they were in a rebuild mode. Rumors were rampant that their best player, Jimmy Butler, would also be dealt on draft night. Unsatisfied with the packages offered by the Timberwolves and Celtics, among others, Chicago decided to hold onto Butler.

Free agency provided its own series of twists and turns. Veteran big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah found new homes, as expected. But rather than build around younger players, the Bulls chose to replace Rose with free agent Rajon Rondo. Then came the big shocker, as Dwyane Wade bolted the Heat and signed with his hometown team.

Second-year coach Fred Hoiberg must now blend the talents of Rondo, Wade and Butler on the court and massage their egos off it. None are adept at 3-point shooting, leaving forwards Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic as their main long-distance threats. They also don’t have a lot of inside punch with Robin Lopez, Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis in the rotation.

The addition of Wade still makes the Bulls an intriguing team to watch. Unfortunately, they’re in an increasingly tough division. Not only are the Cavaliers poised to defend their title, the Pacers and Pistons upgraded their rosters after making the playoffs last season. The Bucks have some serious young talent of their own and should also be on the upswing.

That leads us to our question of the day: Did the Bulls’ moves this offseason make them a playoff team or did they take another step back?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Carlos Boozer To Play In China

NBA veteran Carlos Boozer will play in China next season, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The 34-year-old power forward recently met with the coach of the Guangdong Tigers, who was visiting the United States.

Boozer had been hoping to return to the NBA, saying he was working out five to six days a week in an attempt to earn an invitation to training camp. He last played in the league in 2014/15, appearing in 71 games with the Lakers. Boozer said he believes his body benefited from a year away from the physical NBA game.

Boozer may try to catch on with an NBA team after his Chinese season is complete. Over his 13-year career, he averaged 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in 861 games. In addition to the Lakers, he played for the Cavaliers, Jazz and Bulls.

Cavaliers Release Dahntay Jones

5:19pm: Cleveland may re-sign Jones to a veteran’s minimum deal, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor.

4:30pm: The Cavaliers have released veteran swingman Dahntay Jones, tweets Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Jones’ full $1,551,659 salary for next season would have become guaranteed Monday if he had remained on the roster.

Cleveland signed the 35-year-old swingman April 13th, and he appeared in just one game before the regular season ended. Jones made it into 15 playoff contests, mostly in a mop-up role, averaging 1.1 points in 3.3 minutes per night. His most notable moment was a one-game suspension for hitting Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo in the groin.

Jones was selected by the Celtics in the first round of the 2003 draft and traded to the Grizzlies on draft night. He has also played for the Pacers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Clippers, Hawks and Kings in his 13-year NBA career.

Southeast Notes: Jack, Magic, Cuban, Whiteside

Veteran point guard Jarrett Jack is looking forward to a “new start” in Atlanta after a torn ACL cost him most of last season, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. Jack, who played in just 32 games for the Nets before suffering the injury in January, signed with the Hawks two weeks ago. Jack lives in Atlanta and played at Georgia Tech, so he said the city was an obvious destination. “I was flattered that they called and wanted to take a chance on me, knowing that I’m coming off knee surgery,” he said, “but I’m willing to prove to everybody that I’m more than capable of withstanding the physical challenges of the season and just contributing to the team.” Jack continues to rehab the knee and said he plans to be fully ready by the start of the season. He is about a month away from being cleared for full five-on-five basketball.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

  • Developing chemistry is the next challenge in Orlando after this summer’s huge turnover, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. The changes started with the hiring of coach Frank Vogel and continued through a revamped roster that has just six players back from the end of last season. The most notable additions for the Magic were Serge Ibaka, who was acquired in a draft night trade, and Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green, who signed as free agents. “To me, chemistry and togetherness is something you earn, something you achieve and something you work towards by creating this culture where people like to come to work and people are playing for each other,” Vogel said. “You talk about selflessness and a team-first mentality. Whether we’ve been together for five years or are brand new to each other, every year you’ve got to work to achieve chemistry.”
  • Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who lost DeAndre Jordan to a change of heart in free agency last summer, said he never tried to persuade Heat center Hassan Whiteside to reconsider before this year’s moratorium was lifted, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Whiteside was Dallas’ top target in free agency, but he decided rather quickly to stay in Miami. “Never crossed our mind,” Cuban said in an interview with Dallas radio station 105.3-FM. “… We were happy with the direction we were going in and we had made our pitch to Hassan, but we didn’t really think he was going to leave and we didn’t go back to him and even bring it up.”
  • Offseason signings have left the Heat with 11 players who are ineligible to be traded before December 15th, Winderman notes in the same piece. In addition to Whiteside, they are Wayne Ellington, Udonis HaslemStefan Jankovic, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Willie Reed, Dion WaitersOkaro White and Derrick Williams.

Week In Review: 7/24/16-7/30/16

With 2016’s major free agent period winding down, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week:


Signings/Agreements

NBA

International


Waivers


News/Rumors

Ryan Boatright To Play In China

Ryan Boatright, who was waived by the Nets and Pistons last year, has signed with the Foshan Lions in China, tweets international basketball writer David Pick.

Boatright, who helped Connecticut win the NCAA championship in 2014, spent parts of last season with the Grand Rapids Drive in the D-League and Serie A in the Italian League. The 5’11” point guard went undrafted in 2015 and played for the Nets’ summer league team. He was waived by Brooklyn in October, then signed and waived by Detroit a few days later.

Boatright played for the Pelicans’ team in this year’s summer league. He was among several veterans who worked out for the Timberwolves last month.

Celtics Notes: Green, Iverson, Zeller, Thornton

The Celtics’ disappointment in James Young made the signing of Gerald Green necessary, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. In examining Boston’s offseason moves, Blakely sees Green as an “X-factor” who may not play a lot but could be the difference in four or five games next season. The veteran forward signed a one-year minimum deal with the Celtics last week. Blakely adds that team officials are impressed by the aggressiveness that No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown showed during summer league, where he averaged 10.2 free throws per game, and that second-rounders Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil are expected to spend most of 2016/17 in the D-League.

There’s more news out of Boston:

  • The Celtics haven’t discussed a contract for next season with Colton Iverson, tweets Jared Weiss of CLNS Radio in Boston. The rights to Iverson, who spent last season in Turkey, have belonged to Boston since a 2013 draft-night deal with Indiana. The seven-foot center reportedly believes he’s ready to try the NBA.
  • Tyler Zeller‘s new contract includes $8MM guaranteed for next season and a non-guaranteed $8MM for 2017/18, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Making the second year non-guaranteed rather than a team option gives the Celtics more flexibility if they decide to trade Zeller (Twitter link).
  • Marcus Thornton, a second-round pick by the Celtics in 2015, will play in Italy next season, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6’4″ guard played in Australia in 2015/16 and spent 12 games at the end of the season with Boston’s D-League affiliate in Maine.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/24/16-7/30/16

Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.

Spurs Make Offer To Monty Williams

Monty Williams has a standing job offer from the Spurs, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The position hasn’t been fully defined, but Williams, currently serving as an assistant with Team USA, is expected to take the offer, according to Stein.

Sources tell Stein that San Antonio is willing to be flexible. Williams could be an assistant coach, take on a player development role, fill a front office opening or accept some combination of those positions.

Williams was an assistant with the Thunder last season, but took a leave of absence in February when his wife, Ingrid, was killed in a car crash. Before joining Oklahoma City’s staff, he spent five seasons as head coach in New Orleans, compiling a 173-221 record.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has urged Williams to define his role for next year however he feels most comfortable. Williams’ first coaching job was as an intern under Popovich in 2004/05.

Stein reports that Williams has gotten similar offers from other organizations, including the Thunder, and that he “absolutely” wants to become an NBA head coach again. San Antonio might be the most convenient option for next season because Williams’ in-laws live there and have been helping to care for his five children.

“I can’t wait to get back and start coaching,” Williams said in an interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm. “I wouldn’t even think that if I didn’t know, one, my wife would want me to. My kids talk about it all the time. And there have been some things that have happened in my life lately that have allowed me to get that back.”