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Odds & Ends: Harris, Curry, Shumpert

August 16th, 2012 at 9:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the Heat are currently in talks with free agent Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old guard played in 22 games for Miami last season and was a member of the team’s summer league roster in Las Vegas. Winderman admits that he is suprised that Miami hasn't made a quicker commitment to Harris at this point (Sulia link). Here's what else we've heard from around the league this evening: 

  • 76ers guard Jason Richardson looks to continue to have the same success playing off of Andrew Bynum the way he was able to with Dwight Howard in Orlando, says John Finger of CSN Philly.  
  • Howard Beck of the New York Times points out that the Knicks have yet to offer a reasoned explanation for declining to match Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets. 
  • Charlie Westbrook tweeted that he will pass on two opportunities to attend an NBA training camp and will head to Europe instead. Westbrook was not drafted by an NBA team in June but participated in Orlando as a member of the Magic's summer league roster. 
  • Although he had been considering a job with the Magic, Rob Murphy chose to remain with Eastern Michigan University as the school's head basketball coach (the Detroit Free Press reports).
  • Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com reports that Stephen Curry is optimistic that he will be ready for Warriors training camp and will undoubtedly be well enough to play by opening night. Curry, who says the only thing he hasn't done yet is play 5-on-5, had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in April and has been working out in Oakland.
  • Newsday's Marcus Henry says that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert rehabilitation process is progressing on schedule. The All-Rookie first team selection suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during New York's first-round playoff series in April and is projected to be able to return as early as December or January. 
  • Greg Payne of ESPN Boston noted Jason Terry's thoughts on his role as a sixth man and what he can bring to the Celtics. 
  • Jodie Meeks spoke with the Kamenetzky Brothers of ESPN LA today about why he chose the Lakers and what he hopes to accomplish. Andy Kamenetzky provided a breakdown of the talking points from the interview, including a post-interview discussion about the potential effect that Meeks can have on the team. 

 

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Iguodala On Future, Denver, George Karl

August 16th, 2012 at 7:16pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Earlier today, we relayed a report that the Nuggets plan to explore a long-term deal to keep Andre Iguodala in Denver.The 6'6 guard/forward is slated to have a player option after the end of this year, but during his introduction as a new member of the Nuggets, Iguodala was pretty clear on where he stands regarding his future. In addition to our earlier post, we were able to gather more noteworthy quotes from the former 76ers swingman (via Bill Ingram from HoopsWorld):

"We’re definitely already looking ahead and seeing how we can go forward and this not being just a quick stop for me, knowing this is a great organization. I got a lot of feedback from a lot of different guys, current players, former players, even other trainers about the organization, that this would be a great place for me to have some great years ahead of me and possibly ending my career here."

Iguodala also mentioned that he spoke to Carmelo Anthony about what playing in Denver would be like: 

"(Anthony) said you would be a perfect fit for Coach Karl, you two would really gel with one another. Just small things like that. It got me thinking once the trade went through on a long flight back, looking at the team we have and how I can help the young guys grow. And, having some of my best years with Andre Miller is really one of the best opportunities that I’ve had the opportunity to take advantage of. I’m looking forward to it."

He added that he has been studying the Nuggets offense and has spoken with head coach George Karl about the expectations for the upcoming season:

"It was a really good conversation when we first spoke five or six days ago. The first thing when we spoke he spoke about what I needed to work on, which was great…he went straight to the things he thought I needed to do in order to get the most out of myself and help the team. Free throws was one thing, getting to the free throw line was another. Just being aggressive. That was something I took out of the conversation that I think will help us a lot, being up front and getting the most from each other."


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Lakers Hire Eddie Jordan, Bickerstaff As Assistants

August 16th, 2012 at 5:04pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that Eddie Jordan and Bernie Bickerstaff will join the Lakers as assistants to head coach Mike Brown. Jordan last coached the 76ers during the 2009-10 season and previously lead the Wizards to the playoffs in four of his five full seasons as Washington's head coach. Bickerstaff had most recently been an assistant coach for the Trail Blazers. 

With the departure of Quin Snyder and Ettore Messina from the team this summer, Jordan and Bickerstaff fill voids on Brown's coaching staff. Jordan is especially valued for his "unique expertise and comprehensive knowledge" of the Princeton offense, and even met with Brown and Kobe Bryant during Team USA training camp to detail how the Lakers could incorporate it for next season. Ding also reports that the team is still expected to add one more assistant coach. 

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Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript

August 16th, 2012 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Click below for the transcript of this week's live chat:

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Odds & Ends: Knicks, Nets, Thunder, Jazz

August 16th, 2012 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday odds and ends from around the Association:

  • One agent tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that the Knicks are in no rush to sign any more free agents, while another agent says the Knicks "never do what you would assume."
  • Jay-Z's influence on the Nets eclipses his ownership stake, which is just one-fifteenth of 1%, as David M. Halbfinger of the New York Times writes.
  • Thunder GM Sam Presti values sustainability, and won't overpay James Harden and/or Serge Ibaka if there are more efficient ways to remain competitive, says Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.
  • Even when the CBA's more restrictive rules for taxpaying teams take effect next summer, teams willing to spend money will find a way to spend it, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
  • The Jazz are making progress in contract talks with second-round pick Kevin Murphy and hope to have him signed before camp starts, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
  • Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is in talks to buy the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
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Hornets Sign Brian Roberts

August 16th, 2012 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have officially signed 6'1" guard Brian Roberts to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Roberts, who played his college ball at the University of Dayton, has spent the last few seasons overseas, primarily in Germany.

Roberts played for the Hornets' Summer League squad in Las Vegas, averaging 13.8 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game, including outstanding shooting percentages of .500/.545/.938.

Roberts will likely receive no more than a partial guarantee from the Hornets, with a chance to earn a roster spot in training camp. We heard earlier in August that the 26-year-old was leaving his team in Germany to join the Hornets.

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Nuggets To Explore Long-Term Deal For Iguodala

August 16th, 2012 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Since last week's Dwight Howard trade, much has been made about whether Howard will re-sign in Los Angeles and whether Andrew Bynum will re-up with the 76ers, but Andre Iguodala's future in Denver hasn't received much of the spotlight. Asked about the topic at his introductory press conference today, Iguodala hinted that he'd be open to staying with the Nuggets for a while, saying, "We weren't coming into this thinking this will be a one-year deal" (link via Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post).

If Iggy would like to remain a Nugget down the road, there appears to be mutual interest in getting something done. GM Masai Ujiri, who was also at the presser, talked about wanting to lock the athletic forward up to a long-term deal, saying that it's something he'll look into during the coming season.

Iguodala has two years remaining on his contract, at $14.97MM this year and $16.15MM in 2013/14. However, he could opt out next summer, since he has an early termination option on the last year of his deal. Iggy is eligible to sign an extension now, but would have to waive his ETO and opt in for next year to do so, meaning he could only add two new seasons to his current contract. If the 28-year-old is seeking longer-term security, he could also exercise his ETO and sign a new deal with the Nuggets or another team in free agency next July.

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Free Agent Spending By Division: Southwest

August 16th, 2012 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Our look at offseason spending continues today as we examine the fifth of six NBA divisions. So far, we've covered free agent expenditures in the Atlantic, Central and Southeast, and Northwest divisions, using Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker. The Southwest division is up next, and it includes a surprising pair of teams at the top and bottom.

Once again, these figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are this summer's Southwest Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:

New Orleans Hornets: $108.948MM (Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Robin Lopez, Roger Mason)
It wasn't a surprise to see the Hornets match the Suns' max offer sheet for Gordon and bring him back on a four-year deal worth $58MM+. But I wasn't expecting the Hornets to splurge on a couple more free agents, as they did with Anderson and Lopez. To be fair, it appears only the first year of Lopez's three-year, $15MM+ contract is guaranteed, but Anderson's four-year, $34MM deal is fully guaranteed. With Gordon, Anderson, Anthony Davis, and Austin Rivers signing four-year deals this summer, the Hornets' core appears to be in place through at least 2016.

Houston Rockets: $56.248MM (Omer Asik, Carlos Delfino, Jeremy Lin)
It appeared for some time as if the Rockets would use their cap space to absorb salary in a major trade. Instead, they used it to sign a pair of players to offer sheets they may have thought would be matched. The "poison pill" included in both Asik's and Lin's offer sheets won't apply to Houston, since the Rockets have the ability to spread the two players' annual salaries out more evenly (about $8.3MM per year each). Still, the $25.1MM they'll spend on each player is a risky investment.

San Antonio Spurs: $52.697MM (Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Patty Mills)
The Spurs' offseason was fairly quiet, as the team simply re-signed its own free agents rather than exploring the market too extensively. All of these contracts except Green's include a player option in the final year, and all four of them are fully guaranteed, with Duncan's $30MM representing by far the largest commitment.

Memphis Grizzlies: $26.832MM (Darrell Arthur, Jerryd Bayless, Hamed Haddadi, Marreese Speights)
Like the Spurs, the Grizzlies focused primarily on re-signing their own free agents, with one notable exception: Memphis replaced the departing O.J. Mayo with Bayless. Mayo ended up signing for not much more than the two-year, $6.135MM deal Bayless inked with the Grizzlies, so it will be interesting to see if the minor savings are worth it.

Dallas Mavericks: $17.444MM (Chris Kaman, O.J. Mayo, Delonte West)
The Mavericks appeared prepared to offer Deron Williams a four-year, $73MM+ contract, which would have significantly altered their place on this list. But when D-Will opted to return to the Nets, the Mavs took a more cautious approach to free agency, committing to Kaman, Mayo, and West on short-term deals. Given the possibility that Mayo will opt out of his second year and the fact that West is on a minimum-salary deal, the total amount the Mavs spend on this summer's free agents could end up being less than $13MM.

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Hoops Rumors On Facebook/Twitter/RSS

August 16th, 2012 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

With plenty of free agents still seeking new contracts, there are a number of different ways you can follow Hoops Rumors to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors for the rest of the offseason.

You can Like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. And our RSS feed is located here, if you'd like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

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Magic Seeking More Draft Picks

August 16th, 2012 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

When they sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, the Magic netted five draft picks in the deal, including three first-rounders. While that's certainly a good start, the Magic would like to continue adding more future picks, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz tweets that the Magic hope to be able to take on salary from teams looking to avoid the luxury tax, if it means landing more draft picks.

The Magic don't have cap space to absorb salary at the moment, but they do have a massive $17.8MM trade exception, acquired in the Howard trade, which they have a year to use. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wrote earlier today that it's unlikely Orlando uses that TPE to acquire an impact player, but it could be useful for taking on other teams' unwanted salary. Of course, as an over-the-cap club, the Magic are approaching the tax line themselves, so I doubt they'll want to pass that threshold and spend that kind of money on a lottery-bound roster.

Another player that could be on the move in Orlando's rebuild is Al Harrington, acquired from the Nuggets in the Howard deal. Schmitz tweets that Harrington would prefer to remain in Orlando for the forseeable future, but that the forward will "likely" be moved either this season or next summer. Harrington's contract could be attractive to prospective suitors, since only 2012/13 is fully guaranteed.

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